If you are in sales, you are a salesperson. That’s not a bad word, a dirty word, or even wrong; it’s one of the best professions you can be in. Now, you may not have grown up thinking…. I’m going to be in insurance sales, car sales, a Loan Officer or even a Real Estate Agent. Guess what? You are, and now is the time to embrace it.
I remember when I got my first job in sales. It was at Life Time Fitness. My boss at the time (one of the greatest guys I’ve ever met) sat me down and said “call all these people,” and handed me a stack of papers. He didn’t know the impact that would have on me. I haven’t stopped dialing.
Except for that one time…
I fought being a sales person. I took a job as a Sales Director, telling myself I wouldn’t have to make calls anymore! Yes! I couldn’t accept being a sales person. I couldn’t accept that I needed to put in activity each and every day with no excuses. It hit me, and you know why it hit me? I stopped doing the activity. My business suffered. My income suffered. My mentality suffered. I realized it was time to accept it.
That’s what I did.
I embraced it. Every facet of it. I embraced the phone calls. The days you look forward to it and the days you don’t. I embraced the way people put you off. The way they just say no. The awkward first call when you just don’t have it that day. I embraced the meetings when people want to see you in person, even though neither one of you need it. I embraced sales people before me giving what I do a bad name. Having to overcome the objections we hear time and time again. I embraced all the rejection. I embraced constantly thinking about my numbers and my goals knowing some days would be harder than others. I embraced it.
You know why I embraced it? Because I love every second of it.
When you embrace it, you will want to help people. You will want to make those calls, set those appointments, get past that fear and have that confidence. That phone won’t seem like it weighs 5,000 pounds. Tell people you are in sales! Tell people you are good at it. If you aren’t good at it, get better. If you ARE good at it, get better.
We are in the #1 profession in the world where we can make an unlimited amount of money and help an unlimited amount of people if we just put the time and effort into it. There’s no degree, no college and no class in high school. You have to work at it.
If you are reading this right now, smile, sit back in your chair and understand that you have something to offer. Understand that when you work at it, it only gets better. When you find a mentor, coach, seminar, books, CD’s, DVD’s, videos, podcasts or anything else you can do to make yourself better… you will be better. You will be less stressed, home on time and happier in life. When you love what you do it loves you back.
Start drinking the Kool-Aid from the fire hose! Be a SALES PERSON. Embrace it.