The 18 Disciplines of Selling: Part 3

In our last installment we began our journey into the fundamental building blocks of a successful businessperson and the skills necessary in selling with Disciplines #1 through #3.  In Part 3, we’re going to discuss disciplines #4 through #6.

Selling Discipline #4: Be PASSIONATE about what you’re doing and let it show!  With all of my business coaching for small business, entrepreneurs, executives or sole proprietors, the first three disciplines are foundational. Our first three disciplines are based on being proud about what you’re doing, then acting like a winner and leader followed by expecting success and never giving up. But, none of it works unless you’re passionate about what you’re doing and showing it. Now don’t panic. I don’t mean the fake smile and actions, jumping around and such. What I do mean is finding that burning fire in your gut to accomplish your goals and letting people see it in your eyes; in your speech and your actions. When you make a statement about your product or service let your prospect hear it from your heart. Again, it’s a perception that is established. Every prospect would, I guarantee, rather work with someone that they perceive is committed to getting the job done than someone with a perceived lackluster attitude or focus. Let them see your confidence and positive attitude as that is, again, something that will give you the slightest edge and sometimes that’s all we need.

Selling Discipline #5: GET YOURSELF ORGANIZED! Don’t even try to argue with me here! I’ve yet to see a highly successful and consistently successful businessperson and/or salesperson that is disorganized. In fact the issue of disorganization may be the number one biggest excuse for lack of activity or failure that I’ve ever seen. Research has proven time and time again; business development experts have written hundreds if not thousands of  books on the subject and all say that, psychologically, personal disorganization leads to cluttered thinking which leads to a distinct lack of focused productivity. So NO MORE EXCUSES! Get organized. Take the time to do it because it’s not that hard. Simply remember the primary rule for organization: Never touch a piece of paper unless you do something with it! Here’s your shopping list: (1) box of Avery labels, (1) box of file folders, (1) box of green hanging files. Now, here’s the drill: Push everything on your desk onto the floor. That’s right, you heard what I said! Now pick everything up a piece at a time. Determine what the subject is and if it’s worth keeping and if it is, get a label and write the proper heading on it. Put the label on the folder and put the folder in a hanging file. Do that until you’re done and now you have a system. The hardest part of this is being tough and committed enough to have the discipline to do this each and every day. So how tough are you? Follow the system and if you do, your productivity, your sales and your profits WILL go up! So take action today!

Selling Discipline #6: Set clear, concise and written goals! Ok, I know what you’re saying; “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before. Everyone says that. I’ve got some but they’re in my head!” Well Pal, that’s not good enough. By most accounts, and the numbers vary, 70% of our society does not have any goals whatsoever. Another 28% has goals of some kind and only 2% or so have written goals. But here’s the kicker. Many business development experts and some very noted research say that the 2% to 3% with written goals control 80% to 90% of all income. And this is a fact that has been touted for over a half of a century. So it might be worth your time to reviewing your thinking here. It’s hard to establish proper written goals. You have to push yourself and be honest with yourself about what you want and what you need to improve on and for some that’s a huge task. There are countless books fully dedicated to goal setting. Most systems are similar so find you one and do it now. The foundational rules are all the same. They are based on the acronym of SMART goals. S is for Specific, you must have a very clear and concise vision; M is for Measurable, you must know where you’re starting from to clearly see what your results are; A is for Aligned with your values, you cannot set goals that go against your value system; R is for Realistic, your goals must be attainable yet must make you stretch for them; and T is for Time bound, you must establish a reasonable time frame to achieve your goals.

Jim Rohn, the world renowned business philosopher once said, “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying fundamentals.” And that my friends are what the 18 Disciplines are all about.

In our next installment, we’ll discuss disciplines #7 through #10.