Alexandre Dumas the author of the original “Three Musketeers” described how friendship among a team might fulfill wonders, even when the odds are against them. Professional friendship within an organization can do the same, if their manager encourages team activities, and rules out unfair behavior from the beginning.
However, many team managers will let selfish behavior pass, as long as it brings new business. Selfish behavior will isolate individuals and seeds mistrust among the team, which leads to an unfair competition and accelerates further unfair behavior. In this environment revenue won’t be stable, as it will propel first, before it crushes – when people decide to leave.
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Having worked with many Sales Professionals in various industries, I often wonder what makes a Sales Professional a great Sales Professional – especially when it comes to prospecting over the telephone.
Natural confidence. Confidence in yourself – confidence in your offering – confidence in the projected value for the prospect – leads to confidence in your voice and words, which leads to a call between two equal partners – You and the Decision Maker.
People want to buy from people who are on the same level. If you are perceived begging, being too humble or using too many adjectives, you will be perceived inferior to the person who is taking your call.
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Hey Dude, you might have the best product in the world and you still are not selling? In Monday Morning Sales Meetings you look around you and see other beaming with glory about THEIR sales last week? The worst, deep inside you know that you are are below your OWN expectations?
One of the biggest reasons why people struggle to reach their business dream is that they have none. They don’t know where they want to be, except that it should be more. They go with the flow, the daily groove, without a plan or strategy for their own professional life.
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When 20% of the sales professionals generate 80% of the revenue, you are left with a lot of nice people with great character, but lower numbers. Is sales success making people more aggressive, arrogant, cocky and big headed, or is it the other way around? Are nice and humble people less successful in sales, or do frequent reality checks make you mellow?
A wise man once said: „You can‘t teach happiness, nor attitude“. But you can hire happy sales professionals with great attitude, who are committed to personal- as well as team success alike.
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In 1999 in the UEFA Champions-League, Bayern Munich lost in the final by one goal against Manchester United. All fans around the world who have watched that game went through some heavy emotions. On both sides. Munich was leading with one goal until the end of the game after 90 minutes, fans in Germany already celebrating. Free beer in pubs were handed out and champagne already opened in some of the more posh bars. However, in injury overtime, Manchester scored 2 goals in just 2 minutes, emerging as the winner of the match; winning the Champions-League final.
The coach of the team, Sir Alex Ferguson, has achieved something every sales director or CEO must achieve within their teams.
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The difficulty in today’s sales world is that so many products are too similar to have an outstanding and unmatched USP, to have an unrivaled market position. The truth is, we buy many products according to brand name. Big corporates, with their appearance of corporate identity, are uniform. They have also established rules and policies, which makes the person performing the service replaceable and exchangeable.
What is the prospect really buying? YOU!
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In business, just like football, it’s all about motivation and the will to go the extra mile, mostly the extra inches, the centimeters, which are needed determine the outcome – success or failure.
I recently watched again the movie “Any Given Sunday”, starring Al Pacino, who is giving a sensational speech in the locker room. I am sure all of you have watched it, and all of you felt the motivation to go out and to rattle the cage.
What are the extra inches within the team we call business organization? A bunch of colleagues, all playing the game for themselves? Just like in football, you can win as a team, or you can die as individuals.
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