introspection over blaming others or external obstacles. This is the achieve-
mentality aspect—placing responsibility for success upon oneself. Some of
these people intuitively recognized their weak spots and sought out help.
Others, however, had their weaknesses pointed out by a manager or peer,
yet possessed the humility of mind (teachability) not to argue and get the
answers they needed to make progress.
Are you maximizing your potential? Or do you have this gnawing sense
that certain fields of weakness or ignorance are impeding your progress?
The teachable individual starts with this humble premise in mind and asks
himself, “What areas in my nature, personality, behavior, or professional ap-
proach could be holding me back?”
Following are some of the skills that are critical to success in sales. Are
there areas where you need help? If so, what have you done to address them?
- Breaking the ice with new prospects
- Organizational skills
- Managing paperwork
- Client research
- Competition research
- Product and industry knowledge
- Closing skills
- Negotiating skills
- Preparing presentations
- Delivering presentations
•Timely follow-through
•Dealing with conflict
KNOW WHERE YOU ARE WEAK
Only rarely does an individual master all of these fields of knowledge
and skill, but top producers seek ways to shore up their weak spots. This
augmenting process, more often than not, involves asking for help and en-
listing the services of others who can cover our liabilities. This, of course, is
not possible until we are keenly aware of our own weaknesses. Chances are
that a degree of on-the-job frustration and stress will take place before this
awareness arrives.
My brother Mark has been a sales professional for over 15 years. When
he first started selling specialty insurance products, he knew nothing about
the product, clientele, industry—or sales in general. The company that hired
him paid him the compliment of sending him to their worst-producing ter-
Applied Critical Mass 49