NOT SO FAST ……

Maybe in baseball you are out … but not in sales.

It is that time of year again. When “the boys of summer” run out to their positions and the beer and hot dogs come out of hibernation. (Maybe not the beer.)

Using baseball as catalyst for today’s message, you will probably “miss” the presentation more often than you make a “hit.” That is okay, as long as you keep on swinging, or as I have been known to suggest … “keep on knocking.”

One of my favorite writers shadows my thoughts below. Take a listen to Bob Oros The following are Bob’s words:

Any sales person who has had even a small amount of success knows that there are many mistakes or “strikeouts” marking their road to success.

Selling is probably the most tolerant of all professions when it comes to making mistakes.  As a sales person we can make a call with absolutely no preparation, say all the wrong things to the customer and chances are no one will say anything about it.  We may not get the order, however we will not be reprimanded.

If we were a doctor and had to perform surgery on a patient, a mistake would not be tolerated.  A surgeon is more closely connected to the immediate effects of their performance.  As a sales person we are given the flexibility to write off our mistakes and simply go on to the next call.  Our attitude towards mistakes is an important tool that we can continuously use to keep a sharp edge on our selling.

Making mistakes should be our teacher, not our undertaker.  A mistake gives us an opportunity to improve, it is not defeat.  The reason so many people leave the selling profession is because of this misconception.   We take our mistakes personally rather than looking at them as part of the learning process.  If we have the courage to fail without giving up, we have the primary ingredient for success.  We only fail when we quit.

Too many “would be” successful sales people are so afraid of error they miss the kind of opportunity that can send their sales skyrocketing.  Take a look at your record and if you haven’t made many mistakes, ask yourself if you have tried everything you should have.

In baseball, anyone who gets three or more hits in ten trips to the plate is a superstar.  It’s a matter of percentages. Strikeouts are part of the game, nothing to be ashamed of.  And selling works the same way. Strikeouts are the stepping stones and building blocks for our future success.  Failure is a temporary detour, not a dead-end street.

Thanks Bob. I could not have said it any better myself.