The Rising Challenge for Salespeople – Continuous Improvement

by Dave Kahle

“Selling is more challenging now than it was just a couple of years ago.”  Most of the participants in my sales seminars nod solemnly when I make that statement.  And then they begin to fidget in their seats when I follow that up with this:  “And it will be more challenging next year than it is today.”  They become really uncomfortable when I extend that idea:  “And it will be increasingly more challenging every year thereafter.”

          That’s a sobering truth that we don’t like to face.  Yet, just a little bit of reflection will convince us of the likelihood of that statement holding true.  Aren’t the products and services you sell growing more complex and sophisticated all the time?  Aren’t the demands of your customers growing more complex also?  Aren’t the processes that you use to do your job effectively growing more intricate every year?  Isn’t competition growing more challenging every year?  Isn’t your company changing rapidly, and expecting you to be a part of those changes?

          Now, ask yourself one more question.  What’s the likelihood that one day in the near future all of these trends will stop on a dime and everything will become simpler?

          You know the answer.  The job of the field salesperson will continue to grow more complex, more challenging, and more difficult for the foreseeable future.

The Challenge of Two Jobs

So what does that mean to you?  It means that you will need to continually change and adapt constantly.  It means that you will need to become proficient at learning new things and improving yourself.  It means that, from this point on, you will have two jobs:

1. Doing your job.

2. Constantly changing and improving yourself.

          At first, this seems unfair.  There was a time, not so long ago, that a field salesperson could pay his/her dues, put in a strenuous few years, and then begin to coast as you leverage the relationships you created and the product knowledge you gained.  Those days are gone.  In their place is the time-compressed, stress-laden, constantly changing atmosphere we currently inhabit.

PERSONAL GOALS

            Setting goals is one of the practices that mark the most successful people and organizations. In spite of that, most people don’t set goals, and many don’t know how to go about it.

            We solve both of those issues with this short course – something I call a PIQ Solution. It’s a response to the question: “How do I set goals for myself?”  The PIQ Solution takes you through the benefits of goal setting and then leads you step-by-step through a process to create a set of annual personal goals.

            You’ll end up with a process you can use for the rest of your life, and a set of annual goals to guide and focus you for the next year. 

It’s my way of introducing you to the concept of a PIQ Solution. 

Learn More Here

          It may seem unfair.  You may have been born a few years too late.  But, really, it’s not so different than other components of our economy.  Aren’t manufacturers expected to constantly improve their products, and every now and then bring out a breakthrough new technology?  Isn’t your company continually improving its processes?  Aren’t your suppliers constantly bringing you ideas and services?  Don’t your customers strive to continually improve their businesses and their processes?

          So why should field salespeople be any different?  They’re not.  Welcome to the 21^st Century.  Welcome to the world of two jobs.

          What does all this mean to you?  It means that you have to work as diligently at improving yourself as you do at selling and serving your customers.  It means that you have to invest time and money in your other job.  It means you need to become serious about taking your performance up a notch — to the next level.

Golf and Sales Improvement

I like to compare the job of continually improving yourself to golf.  Everyone can golf.  I know that because I have done it a couple of times.  Eventually, I put the ball in that hole.  So, I, like millions of other people, can golf.  But I can’t golf very well.  That takes some effort.

          If someone were to say to me that, by this time next year, I must be able to make my living golfing, I’d suddenly become very serious about it.  I’d find the best golf coach I could find, and arrange a whole series of lessons.  I’d invest money in the best clubs I could get.  I’d spend hours every day practicing.  I’d invest major amounts of time and money in improving my golf skills.

          Continuous improvement in sales is like that.  For the rest of your working life, you’re going to make your living, at least in part, by continually improving yourself.  And, while everyone can do it, not everyone can do it well.

          The people who learn to improve themselves will grow to be faster and better than their colleagues. They will be the salespeople who enjoy the increasing income, more fulfillment, opportunities for greater challenges, and satisfying personal life.  It’s like golf.  If you want to become better at it, you’ll invest time and money in improving your game.  Here are some ideas to help you along.

Start With a Commitment – Of Time & Money

Begin by accepting the idea that constant improvement is now part of your job, and make a decision to take it seriously, to invest ... READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE