Tuesday, May 24, 2005

"Good Enough" doesn't cut the mustard!

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"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."- Michelangelo
I hear these statements way too often:
From Sales Managers
"Well, my salespeople are seasoned."
"My sales reps are veterans."
"The people here are very experienced."
From Sales Representatives:
"I've been through training before."
"I've seen that stuff already"
"I've been in sales quite a while."
"I'm on target. I don't really need it."

Let me put it in another light. What if you heard the following?

From a Cardiac Surgeon
"I had a class on heart surgery once back in medical school. That's good enough."
From a Professional Footballer:
"I don't need to go to training, or practice free kicks and penalties before games. I've been playing for years."

Of course, those are all nonsense statements.
As are the ones from sellers and sales managers who believe they or their people are good enough.
The fact is, "Good Enough" does not win championships, or make people excellent or wealthy.
(And by the way, sales managers who think that experience alone makes for a good salesperson, think again. Experience measures attendance.
Accomplishment and results measures success, and continued learning ensures it…..it's called Expertise)

So, what's my point this week?

You likely have not come close to reaching your potential as a sales professional. Few people have.
I know I haven't.
In order to accomplish more of what you're capable of,
I challenge you to look at your own "good enough" barrier and break through it, regardless of how high that bar is for you.
This invisible obstacle is what holds many people back.
Just when people begin approaching an opportunity to put in a little extra,
to invest in themselves, to seize a potential new achievement,
many hit this mental boundary and say to themselves, "That's good enough."

Good enough is when talented people don't fully develop their abilities.

Good enough is when service slips and customers complain.

Good enough is when sales professionals do what it takes to get by, but miss growth and commission opportunities in the process.

People who are satisfied with "Good Enough" cheat themselves, their family, their company, and their customers.

Action Step:
If you're serious about sales as a career--not just something you do to pay the bills-- take a serious look at what you're doing to improve your "sales health."

Sales is a science, a skill, and an art. It needs a continual intake of new information, and "perfect practice" of your skills in order to reach new levels.

Just when you're about to say, "This is good enough," push that barrier away. Go that extra bit.

Health experts suggest exercising 20-30 minutes at a time, 3-5 times per week.
If you invested an equal amount of time on your sales health ...reading, listening to tapes and CD's, attending seminars and sales network meetings, and even writing, you can accomplish things other people--with low "Good Enough" barometers--will never come close to reaching.

Let me recommend you examine
The Brain Audit, for some exciting ideas to revamp your sales thinking.

Keep selling!

Maitiu
Great Expectations Coaching Home Page: http://www.greatexpectationscoaching.com/index.html

CHANGING THE WORLD ONE MIND AT A TIME