The July 4th holiday has got me thinking about selling and sales processes. I know that may sound strange but bear with me – I do have a point.
Independence Day is when we commemorate the moment we declared our desire to be free from our oppressive overseers, the British. It is a day that we celebrate a revolution in American life, a wish to be a new and better group of citizens, to run our lives in a manner of our choosing, not someone else’s.
Two hundred and thirty years later isn’t that still the dream of most of us? Don’t we yearn to live our lives freely, without bosses breathing down our backs, and with enough cash in our pockets to do the things that fulfill us? Aren’t we still aching for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
If it is your dream and it is still unrealized, is it time for a revolution in your life? Merriam Webster dictionary defines revolution as “a sudden, radical, or complete change” and “a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something”. Are you willing to make a radical change in your life to reach your goals, just as our forefathers did?
What would it take to revolutionize your sales life? Would you need to go back to school to learn something new? Would you need to become highly organized and efficient at work, not pausing for chats with colleagues or calls from home? Would you shake up your entire prospecting process, throw cold calling out the window and begin doing seminars, writing articles and becoming a well know expert? Would revolution require you to make more calls, implement a strict system of follow ups or begin marketing to an entirely new market? Or would it mean that you had to move to a new company or industry where there is more opportunity than you have now?
That’s a lot to ask of yourself. Chances are you’re a creature of habit and security, fairly comfortable with things the way they are. The truth of the matter is, most of us want more than we have but we aren’t willing to endure much change to get it. Simply put, we aren’t very revolutionary.
It takes tremendous courage, desire and heart to effect a revolution. And it can be terrifying to do it alone. Our founding fathers worked together as a team to create a new country. If you’re going to revolutionize your career I’d suggest enlisting the help of coworkers, peers, friends and family. You’ll need support if you’re going to dramatically shake up the way you work.
If you don’t have the need or the stomach to go through a revolution in your sales process, consider a little evolution. Our friends at Merriam Webster define evolution as “a process of continuous change from a lower, simpler, or worse to a higher, more complex, or better state” and “a process of gradual and relatively peaceful… advance”. Evolution involves slower progress, often with small incremental steps towards a larger goal.
Evolving your sales skills might include learning to ask different questions, incorporating new methods of prospecting such as networking or forming strategic referral partnerships or becoming a better time manager so your day doesn’t slip away from you. You might need to take a class or read a book or get extra help from your sales manager.
Those things sound a bit more palatable, huh? The nice part is that even doing the evolutionary things will lead to great success; it will just take a little longer. You won’t need as much courage as you would for a revolutionary change but you will need some patience and discipline. Make a plan for the change and begin it today and stick to it.
We are so lucky in this country to have the freedom and opportunity to pursue whatever dreams we choose. Take a moment to reflect on your dreams, decide if you need a revolution or an evolution and then take action. If you get off track remember the words of the Declaration’s author, Thomas Jefferson, “I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” Take those words to heart and you’ll find your American dreams becoming your reality!
Is It Time For A Revolution? - To learn more about this author, visit Laura Posey's Website.
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