Somewhere in the country right now there is a salesperson sitting at their desk or at their kitchen table with their head in their hands and in deep despair. This person could be a woman or a man, old or young, rich or poor (but probably poor) and probably very much alone.
We all know that sales is a hard profession. It is a monster that can eat you up literally and spit you out in rags of ripped emotions and shredded self-worth. You may have a good product and you may have an exceptional service but somehow, for reasons you cannot explain, you are told “no sale”. The self-doubt and the lowness of self-worth that accompanies it all can be overwhelming. And it can be infuriating.
All the good advice we receive about sales seems futile. We are all in sales no matter what we do for a living. You could be a mechanic who repairs cars. You still have to get customers. We are all looking for customers. You could be a teacher showing kids how to do math. We are all trying to teach our customers the math. We are all teachers.
At the end of the day we all have to sell our services and our products. Many of us end up in great despair when we cannot sell. It is personally devastating. It is those times when even bigger mistakes are made. Rash decisions to alter sales plans, forceful presentations and desperate methods cause nothing more than greater rejections. The result is even greater despair.
The solution to it all is elusive and different for everyone. I have seen people turn things around by attending a key seminar. Others have told me that a particular book they read was the reason for their success. Still others claim a certain system they applied worked for them. I believe it is all true. The bottom line is no one can claim that any one thing will work for certain for any given salesperson.
With that said, I must admit that I have seen one method of sales help work more often than most to help turn sales careers around. That method is coaching.
I have to qualify this claim. I do not know much about coaching. I have never had a formal regular coach in my life. I have not been overly successful financially in my life, which probably makes the point better than anything.
As an observer of the real estate industry for over 30 years, I have found the successful salespeople had a coach or mentor or teacher in their lives.
Coaches, like successful salespeople, come in all different shapes and sizes. I have met many. Some are humble and quiet, some are dynamic and loud. Some are low key and some are high energy. A good coach, the right coach, will turn things around for a salesperson in the deepest despair.
I have often seen check lists prepared for new salespeople in the real estate industry, outlining tools that are necessary in launching a sales career. They list items from cars to computers. Some bluntly advise, “Be prepared to work without a sale for six months.” Some even suggest a year. I cringe when I hear that because it seems so unrealistic but I admit it may be brutally honest.
The one thing often missing on the list is how to find a good coach. Given the number of times I have heard about the value of a coach I would think that such a thing should be written and underlined.
If you are that person in the throes of worry at your desk or at your kitchen table, I can tell you few things that are for certain. No one can give you the instant answer to make sales happen. You are not alone. Do not alter your marketing to be more aggressive or passive or different in any way. Look for a coach before you do anything else. Finding the right coach is not easy. Finding a good teacher is a job in itself.
Don’t give up. You may think your despair is an emotion you cannot bear any longer but I promise it can turn around and when it does the height of success will be greater for you because you have lived in the depths of despair.
Heino Molls is publisher of REM. Email [email protected].
