As professional salespeople with positive attitudes and a bit of ego, most would like to believe that they possess a good deal of knowledge and most likely do. But do they really have all that they need to get more than their fair share of business opportunities? Here are 10 questions to ask yourself to determine if you could benefit from ongoing professional development which would give you an edge in your sales career.
1) Have you ever had a sales opportunity that was going well, just stop cold and you never knew why?
2) Have you ever greeted a customer and heard the dreaded 'Just Looking' and didn't know what to do?
3) Have you ever wondered why a prospect was cold toward you for no apparent reason?
4) Have you ever done all the legwork for a client and then discover that he or she bought someplace else, often within just a few hours?
5) Have you ever been frustrated with the fact that someone is selling the same product or service for less money and didn't know how to overcome that fact with your prospects?
6) Have you ever taken the upsetting ride on the emotional rollercoaster that many people associate with commissioned selling and didn't know what to do?
7) Have you ever gotten into an argument with a customer or generated a customer complaint?
8) Have you ever felt that you had to compromise your ethics or integrity to meet sales targets?
9) Have you ever had a customer ask "what's your best price?" and didn't know what to do to retain your gross profit?
10) Do you approach every prospect with full confidence or do you sometime experience a little fear in the pit of your stomach?
I'm sure that with a little thought you would be able to add considerably to this list. After all, it is just a list of what striving salespeople encounter each working day. My point is, if you are experiencing situations that are holding you back, you can overcome many of them with comprehensive and ongoing professional development or you can keep experiencing the obstacles. The nice thing about this element of your career is, "you get to choose the outcome you want to experience".
