A salesperson with a cause

Gary Harvey //November 4, 2011//

A salesperson with a cause

Gary Harvey //November 4, 2011//

David Sandler, Founder of Sandler Training asks, “What is your reason? Do you have a cause?” in his “No Guts, No Gain” training he developed many years ago. Steve Jobs asks this same question in this very short YouTube video.

And finally, Lou Tice (The Pacific Institute) wrote a brief blog about passion:

Okay, I have two questions for you. First, what do you absolutely love to do? And second, how well do you do it? Now, I’m betting that whatever your answer to the first question may be, the answer to the second question will be somewhere between “very well” and “superbly.” Because, if you love doing something, you are probably good at it. Do you know anyone who has achieved tremendous success doing something he or she hates? I don’t. Mark Twain once said, “The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.” And that is exactly what successful people seem to do.

Workaholics who dislike their work get ulcers and spend the weekend resting up so they can go to battle again on Monday. But workaholics who love their work get ahead. It makes their lives richer and more satisfying, and they have tremendous energy for what they do. By the way, did you know scientists have determined that when you do something with enthusiasm it only takes one-tenth the energy that it takes to do the same thing with reluctance?

Sure, some jobs are easier to love than others, but the key for you is to work toward those jobs. And if you can find creative ways to do what you are doing now, it will make the climb toward your goal “work” faster and easier. So, bring the same energy and enthusiasm to your work as you do to your play, and watch what happens!

I love what I do as a Sandler trainer and coach. I love coaching and developing people and seeing the positive results our clients get from the training and coaching we provide. And I love seeing the impact our training has in increased sales revenue on companies’ bottom line and their salespersons’ bank accounts. And lastly, I love helping companies hire the right people, as Steve Jobs talks about in the video, with our assessment tools.

So why am I writing this article? Sadly, I see too many people burnt out today with all the negative press about how terrible things are. ( Hint: stop listening to all the negative garbage out there). I’m not suggesting you hide your head in the sand and hope you survive this economy and be in denial of what roadblocks there are to face when selling in this economy. We have challenges today and for those of you out there selling in this environment today, you bet you have challenges. However, with all those challenges do you “love” what you do as a salesperson and do you “love” what you sell?

I believe you can make lemonade out of lemons in this economy and therefore I believe, “I heard there’s a recession and I decided not to participate in it.” However to make that lemonade ask yourself, “do I have a reason (passion) why I get up every day and make those cold calls and visit those prospects? Do I have a cause (passion) why I’m willing to put my self-esteem on the line daily and hear the word “no?”

If your answer is yes, odds are you’re pretty good at it even in this tough economy. If no, odds are also equally as good you will see it in your sales results. And if your answer is no, and if you’re a salesperson, then I suggest you either find that reason and cause or be fair to you and your employer and move on. A strong reason and cause why you do what you do will overcome any roadblocks or obstacles along the way to success.
{pagebreak:Page 1}
Gary Harvey is the founder and president of Achievement Dynamics, LLC, a high performance sales training, coaching and development company for sales professionals, managers and business owners. His firm is consistently rated by the Sandler Training as one of the top 10 training centers in the world. He can be reached at 303-741-5200, or [email protected].