You love media sales, but you feel like something is missing. You're not as motivated, creative, or productive as you used to be. You wonder if you're stuck in a rut or if you need a new challenge. Could better problem solving skills be the answer?
Problem solving skills are essential for media sales professionals. They help you identify your clients' needs, generate innovative solutions, overcome obstacles, and close deals. Problem solving skills also boost your confidence, resilience, and adaptability in a fast-changing and competitive industry. By improving your problem solving skills, you can enhance your performance, satisfaction, and career prospects.
“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it." - Charles R. Swindoll. Enhancing your problem-solving skills can indeed make a significant difference in how you perceive and tackle the challenges within your role, potentially leading to increased job satisfaction. The most compelling story you can sell is the one about HOW you overcame your challenges.
When you are an expert problem solver, you are going to bring a different kind of solution to your client. When your solution actually solves their problem, you will find that their satisfaction goes up, and you will feel like what you did accomplished something more than just helping you get to quota. Ultimately, the more problems you solve for customers, the more repeat business you will have. Clients will look to you when they have another problem that needs solving, and you will find more satisfaction in your work, and in your paycheck.
Before you can improve your problem solving skills, you need to know your strengths and weaknesses. You can use various tools and methods to assess your problem solving skills, such as self-reflection, feedback, tests, or simulations. For example, you can ask yourself how you approach a typical sales problem, what steps you follow, what tools you use, and what outcomes you achieve. You can also ask your colleagues, managers, or clients for honest and constructive feedback on your problem solving skills.
Once you have a clear picture of your problem solving skills, you can work on developing them further. There are many ways to enhance your problem solving skills, such as learning new techniques, practicing regularly, seeking challenges, and collaborating with others. For instance, you can learn new techniques such as SWOT analysis, brainstorming, or the five whys to help you analyze and solve problems. You can also practice your problem solving skills by applying them to real or hypothetical scenarios, seeking feedback, and reflecting on your results.
Developing your problem solving skills is not enough. You also need to demonstrate them to your clients, managers, and potential employers. You can showcase your problem solving skills by highlighting your achievements, providing examples, and using data and evidence. For example, you can use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) to describe how you solved a specific sales problem, what actions you took, and what results you delivered. You can also use data and evidence to quantify and validate your problem solving skills, such as sales figures, client testimonials, or awards.
Improving and demonstrating your problem solving skills can bring you many benefits in media sales. You can use your problem solving skills to increase your sales revenue, build trust and loyalty with your clients, stand out from the competition, and advance your career. You can also use your problem solving skills to improve your personal and professional well-being, such as reducing stress, enhancing creativity, and achieving your goals.
Problem solving skills are not static. They are dynamic and evolving. You need to keep improving your problem solving skills to keep up with the changing needs and expectations of your clients, managers, and industry. You can keep improving your problem solving skills by seeking feedback, learning from mistakes, updating your knowledge, and embracing change. You can also keep improving your problem solving skills by joining a community of media sales professionals who share best practices, insights, and tips on problem solving.
Enhancing problem-solving skills can indeed be the key to addressing dissatisfaction in media sales. It allows for more effective handling of challenges, finding innovative solutions, and improving overall performance and satisfaction in the role.