10 Ways to Explore Your Sales Commitment Level!

1. You don't think in terms of sales but rather in terms of building a business. Great sales people are building a business, not just trying to make a sale. When you think beyond a sale, you're going to get other people's attention much more easily. They're going to be more interested in what you have to say. You want something that's going to survive beyond one sale.

2. You build your businesses one customer at a time and then always leverage the last customer into more customers. Don't ever just make a sale and forget about that client. The last sale you make should always open the door to new relationships and clients.

3. You listen more than you speak, getting an understanding of the customer's needs and then finding a solution. Great sales people always ask their clients why they want something done. In listening more than talking, you can better accommodate what they are looking for.

4. You deliver more than you promise, and always promise a lot! There's the old sales mantra that says "under commit and over-deliver," but you never want to "over commit and over-deliver."

5. You invest time in things (people) that positively affect your income and avoid spending time on things (people) that have no return. Great producers know how to spend time on activity that rings the register. Don't waste your time on activity that can't tell you anything, or doesn't produce anything now or in the future.

6. You are always seeking new, better and faster ways to increase your sales efforts. Be really concerned about time. Time really is money! Great sales people consistently work on improving themselves and look for faster ways to close transactions.

7. You’re willing to invest in networking, community and relationships, knowing that the difference between a contact and a contract is the "R" that stands for "Relationship." Invest in your community. Don't look at it as an expense since you need to develop these relationships. So, go ahead and join the country club and give money to politicians. In other words, be involved as much as you can.

8. You don't depend on marketplace economies for the outcome and instead rely on your actions. If you're great, you're going to do well in any economy, because you create your own economy. You run your own race and make something happen despite the environment.

9. Surround yourself with overachievers and have little time for those who don't create opportunities. Sometimes you might be viewed as being uninterested in others, but the truth is that you’re just not interested in low production. You don't want to waste time with people who can't get anything done.

10. You're fanatical about selling. The best salespeople are obsessed with their customers and growing their businesses.

Focus Point

72. See the big picture by staying well informed on current events.

Our world has never been so interdependent. It makes sense to keep yourself informed about current events and other major developments. If you develop a "tunnel view" that is concerned only with the latest news in your industry, you'll miss out on other sales opportunities and important trends that will affect your industry.

Also, won't you feel more comfortable at your next social event if you know just a little bit about the latest big story everyone is talking about? An excellent source for the big picture, and of course for breaking business news, is the Wall Street Journal. I recommend the Journal, plus specific industry trade publications, to all my coaching clients.