Honestly, I'm not a big fan of all of the motivational material out there. It probably comes from my past experiences of seeing a speaker on stage giving what my father would call a "rah rah" talk and getting salespeople excited and enthused. Within 72 hours that enthusiasm is gone. The sales person went to work expecting success because they were pumped and got smacked in the face with a dose of reality. Enthusiasm was no match for bad clients, no clients and poor execution.
Of course, we all need someone to push us and hold us accountable. A coach or a sales manager will do their best. Or perhaps a speaker will give us a better reason to go out and try to sell a product or service. Thankfully, YouTube has plenty of speakers on tap to get your juices flowing (or you could hire me).
Ultimately the motivation has to come from within. Truly successful people don't wait for the next Zig Ziglar presentation to come to town. They are already to go each day. The source of their motivation may vary. Some people are just hard wired to push through the negativity and keep going. Others may have come from an impoverished childhood or think that they are serving a higher power.
A very good friend of mine, who had bought into a car detailing franchise, used to say that all he needed to get motivated was to look at his bills and then his checkbook. He would go out each day and ask people to let him work on their cars, not stopping for lunch until he got a job. "If I don't work, I don't eat," he would say.
With all of that in mind, here are a few quotes that I have found to put work and success in perspective, with a few comments of my own added in.
"If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will." - Bob Hooey This is true. If a customer needs something and you aren't doing your job, or worse, they just don't like or trust you, they will take their business elsewhere. You aren't so special that you get exclusivity.
"Beware the lollipop of mediocrity. Lick it and you'll suck forever." - Brian Wilson The songwriter of the Beach Boys hit the nail on the head with that one. People rarely last in sales by just getting by.
"Make a customer, not a sale." - Katherine Barchetti A sale is a transaction. A customer will return to give you more sales. And to keep a customer you have to build a rapport, even if it's just your customer knowing that you are a decent person who can be trusted.
"What differentiates sellers today is their ability to bring fresh ideas." - Jill Konrath Not every "proven sales method" works. If they did, companies wouldn't have to constantly hire people to sell. Think out of the box and find a method that works for you.
"Every corpse on Mount Everest was once a highly motivated person." - Anonymous I'm not sure who came up with this but the message is clear. Being motivated isn't enough, you still have to get through a lot of obstacles and put in the work. And still there are no guarantees you'll make it.
"You need the tools to succeed, not just the motivation." - Chris Castanes The most motivated carpenter still needs a hammer and nails.
These are the kinds of quotes that can put a career in sales in perspective. Let me know what motivates you and leave a comment below. And stay healthy!
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
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