Fifteen Truths That Once You Realize Make Selling More Joyful

  1. You’re not for everyone. Water the grass where it’s greener.
  2. You don’t control when or if people buy. You only control what you say, how you respond, and how many people you reach out to every week.
  3. The size of your pipeline has zero reflection on your self-worth. Sure, you’d like the sale, but you don’t need the sale. Everything’s going to be okay even if you lose a sale or gasp miss quota.
  4. Be vulnerable. Saying, “I’m sorry for being such a jerk,” is a powerful phrase for patching up relationships in your business and personal life.
  5. Don’t argue with people. Arguing with people is net negative every time.
  6. You’re forever in beta. Always learning, breaking things, experimenting, etc.
  7. Try seeing the good in people. There are always multiple lenses to view things from.
  8. A world without angry, rude prospects isn’t possible. However, only 1 in 10 prospects will “bark” at you. It’s not their fault. Perhaps they’re having a bad day or are under a tight deadline. Knowing only 1 in 10 prospects bark turns down the volume.
  9. Don’t compare yourself to other salespeople (or anyone else).
  10. Don’t blame other people. When you blame, you’re powerless. When you take responsibility, you’re powerful. Not, “My territory is too small,” instead “What can I do to get higher response rates?”Not “My manager isn’t training me, ” rather “How can I train myself?”
  11. Poke the bear. If you want to start conversations with skeptical prospects, ask a question that shines a light on a problem they didn’t know they had. Example for Adam’s Grit Gaurd car wash bucket – “How do you know your wash mitt won’t scratch your car?”
  12. Enjoy the journey, not just whether or not you attained quota.
  13. Don’t talk prospects into things. The problem is the word “into” When people feel they’re being talking into something, they pull away. So do you. So does everyone. Instead, guide people to discover their reasons to switch. The best way to persuade is to allow people to persuade themselves.
  14. Prospects don’t care about what you do. They care about what they can do. Those two things sound similar, but they are two completely different approaches.
  15. Plant seeds with an “s.” Jobs-to-be-Done theory tells us that when the habit of the present and anxiety is greater than the problem and the pull of something new, people don’t switch. If the problem intensifies, they might come back. Focus on planting lots of seeds. Water them. Provide sunlight. You can’t make flowers grow faster because it’s the end of the quarter. Be patient.