I've seen salespeople earning a Million Dollars a year who tremble with panic in a sales meeting. The Sales Manager asks them to demonstrate an "elevator pitch" or deliver their company's value proposition . Many can't do it at all, especially in front of their peers.
Yet some of the most skilled, most polished, and most professional salespeople can hardly sell enough to pay the rent.
Why is this? It all comes down to how salespeople focus their time and activity. As Peter Drucker famously noted "Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things"
The Rich are Getting Richer
There has never been a better time to get rich in sales. Nearly every segment of technology is growing and changing. Every organization needs to automate and become more efficient, and we provide the tools and solutions to make this happen.
That's why top salespeople
are selling more than ever before, and earning more than ever before.
At the same time, we all recognize the rise of the educated customer. One who can research, configure, and procure their solutions without the involvement of salespeople at all. This trend eliminates the need for the lowest tier of salespeople, the order-takers.
Focus on What's Important
Highly successful salespeople spend their time and energy differently. Here are the focus areas that can help you earn what you are worth.
- Spending more time with high-value customers
- Winning larger accounts
- Becoming an Expert in a specific market
- "Firing" your worst, lowest margin customers
- Networking with high-income professionals
Earning $1 Million
Why can't you be one of the "One Percenters" who earns a Million or more a year? You might be surprised how easily a steady income growth can lead to a seven figure income.
Starting at $100,000, here's how many years it takes your income to become $1 Million at various speeds:
Eleven years isn't that far away, is it? Not if you grow 25% per year. Grow 15%, and it takes 18 years.
1% in Multiple Areas
There's a story about Pat Riley, when he was Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. Realizing his team wasn't good enough to win the Championship, he set a goal for 20% skills improvement for the year.
This idea backfired terribly. Why? The players couldn't comprehend such a dramatic improvement and instead became discouraged.
Riley then tried a different tactic. He said "let's improve our shooting by 1%, our rebounding by 1%, our passing by 1%", and so on. The improvements added up to the 20% goal he set.
The players embraced this approach and went on to win the NBA Championship that year.
What are Your 1% Improvements?
Your key will be to make the same steady improvements, year after year. Don't you think you can find 10 - 20 ways you can grow 1% a year?
Don't think the seven figure income is for other people.
As John F, Kennedy famously asked "If not us, who? If not now, when?"
