A Concussion and the Non-Existent Finish Line

Good morning!

While playing high school soccer years, okay decades, ago, I got my bell rung pretty good. I remember passing out. I remember the smelling salts. And I remember the night that followed and the lesson I learned.

The protocol for concussions 50 years ago was pretty much the same as it is right now: You need to stay awake all night to ensure you don’t slip into a coma.

Every hour on the hour, my mom came into my bedroom to check on me and each time she has to be a question: “How are you doing?” I remember answering that question the same way all night:

“I’m doing great, mom. But do you remember an hour ago when I told you I felt fine? I know now that I really wasn’t. But I am now.”

That’s what I said to my mother all night long. I was getting better every hour but fooling myself into thinking I had crossed the finish line and no further healing or progress was necessary. We think we don’t need to get better because we believe we are in good shape.

As salespeople, we make that same mistake.

What are you doing to get better?

One of the best pieces of advice my brother ever gave me was to become a student of sales. He encouraged me to constantly improve my selling skills. As such, I’ve never had to answer his question, “How are you doing?” With the answer, “I’m doing great. But, do you remember the last time you asked me that question...?”

Never.

Stop.

Improving.

I don’t care how many decades you have been in sales. There is always room for improvement. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone in their 50s or 60s about their sales challenges and you are likely to hear them talk about the challenge of selling to the much younger buyer. You see? Even the most seasoned sales rep has something to learn.

What can you do to improve?

Reread Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People .

Listen to anything by Tony Robbins.

Join and participate in a LinkedIn sales discussion group.

Mentor another sales rep.

Last week, I talked about the 50% of salespeople who are in cruise control and no longer grow their sales. If this is you, you’d better hope you never lose a key account, because if you haven’t figured it out by now, everything has changed and if you have not kept up with the new skills required to face the new sales challenges, you are primed for a concussion of your own.

Get growing.

Here’s an idea for you: Spend $45 on my Sales Vault for one month and try it out. If you don’t like it, I will give you your money back. For more information, go to SalesVault.pro . I can be reached at 781-934-7036 or [email protected] .