Sales Success Begins and Ends with Work Ethic

I really enjoy working with sales reps to help hone their skills, strategize, and come up with new promotional campaigns. Creativity and fun are a huge part of being a professional sales rep. But the very first thing I tell salespeople is sales is not about talent, or charm or skill. Sales is about grit, tenacity and perseverance. Sure, there are some very talented sales people who can “sell ice to an Eskimo ” but all of that talent means nothing without the other traits. The best salesperson in the world will not succeed if they don’t talk to enough people and the worst salesperson in the world will succeed if they do talk to enough people.

???? When I sold radio advertising there was a tanning salon I thought was a perfect match for the audiences I could provide. Our flagship station skewed very heavily toward women with the means to afford regular tanning sessions without batting an eye. Whereas some of my competitors’ demographics might bring in high-school and college students for a couple of sessions trying to get a “base tan” for Spring Break, my audience could be regular customers all winter long, and would be more likely to purchase high-margin accessories and skin treatments. But Scott, the owner, didn’t see it that way. He was convinced that because my station was based in Vermont and the one he usually used had offices right down the street from his business, there was no way I could compete. And no amount of audience data or ratings information was going to convince him otherwise.

???? On the day before Thanksgiving I was out making calls when many of my competitors were “mailing it in” getting ready for the holiday. This particular late-November day, Plattsburgh, NY was blessed with a late-Fall snowstorm. I was running into business after business that decided to close early; they’d be off the next two days anyway. But I had a family to feed, a mortgage to pay and I was putting in a full day’s work no matter what. Around 3pm (the sun was already going down) I noticed that my tanning-salon “client” was still open so I decided to stop in and see how Scott was doing.

???? “What are you doing out in this mess?” Scott exclaimed as I banged the snow off my shoes on my way into his tanning salon.

???? “Well, I know you sell gift certificates and lots of people might be looking for those as an easy Christmas present so I thought we might be able to help you promote them,” I offered.

???? “I can’t believe you’re out hustling in this weather. I haven’t seen another salesperson all day. Tell you what, come on in and tell me what you’re thinking,” Scott said motioning me into his office, directing me to a chair. He offered me a cup of hot coffee and gave me all the time I needed to show him what our stations could do for him. Not only did I sign a contract that day for a short-term Christmas present campaign, but also a longer-term contract through April to help him promote his skincare line and gear up for Spring Break – not to high-school or college students, but to professional women and moms taking their school-aged kids on vacation.

???? Nothing had changed that day about my radio stations or my competitors’. I didn’t come up with some magical proposal I hadn’t tried before, no smooth sales technique, no new information whatsoever. That day, I was simply putting in an honest (albeit very cold and snowy) days’ work when others (maybe) weren’t. And this small-business owner recognized that and respected me for it.

???? The next time you’re out there grinding, it’s three o’clock in the afternoon and you’ve had a rough day, or even a rough couple of days, think of a cold, tired frustrated radio sales rep trying to make a living for his family. Find anything you can to motivate yourself – pride, money, family, competitiveness – whatever it is. Keep. Making. Calls. ?You'll give yourself more chances for success, your clients will respect you for it and most importantly, you’ll respect yourself.