“Over the past 20 years, I’ve come to understand that most people think that they can do sales. Mainly, they think, ‘I can do it, but I just don’t want to.’ I normally offer that person a sales position.
Then, when I offer this position, they never accept it. Why this occurs time after time is simple— because a salesperson does the job that nobody else wants to do. It’s a job that is possible to be successful in simply by always choosing to take action. Yes, sales is a job that takes a certain kind of will and perseverance, but the key to being successful in sales is always saying yes to opportunities, and acting upon them.
After reading a multitude of sales management books, I believe that every one of them should be titled, ‘The Common Sense of Sales.’ Yes, of course it’s a numbers game. Yes, of course the client has to like the salesperson, as is suggested in these books time and time again. No one ever says, ‘Call James, he’s my salesperson and I can’t stand him.’ I’ve worked with over 500 individual salespeople in my career. The large majority fails for mainly one reason: they simply stop doing the job. These salespeople choose inaction over action. Why? Because it is difficult to consistently open yourself up to rejection and judgments. It is against basic human nature.
If I were to give any advice to a young salesperson it would be just this— action beats inaction, always. If you’re asking yourself ‘Should I?’ or ‘Shouldn’t I?’ the answer is always, yes, you should. When in doubt, always say yes. If you want to be successful, always take action. If you want to make money, pick up the phone, pick up the phone, pick up the phone.”
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