There is a great little book written by John G. Miller called QBQ… The Question Behind the Question. It is one of those books that you pick up at the airport while waiting for your flight and one hour later are very glad you did. Miller shares some great ideas on how to “eliminate blame, complaining and procrastination”. By the time you are done reading, you have some very good insights on how to “practice personal accountability in business and in life”.
The author uses a comfortable metaphor by stating that there are two kinds of sailors. There is Sailor #1. “who blames the wind” and Sailor #2, “who adjusts to the wind”. He then goes on to ask, which kind of sailor are you? We could ask the same question as it relates to all salespeople. Look at it this way. The salesperson who blames the wind asks why and who questions like: Why is this happening to me? Who dropped the ball here?
The salesperson who adjusts to the wind asks how and what questions: How can I make this work for everyone concerned? 2. What can I do to turn this around?
It all boils down to whether you assume the role of the victim or you assume the role of being responsible. The weaker salespeople are looking to blame someone because “it is not my fault”. The stronger salespeople take action. If your results are not satisfactory, take action (find more business). If your skills are not satisfactory, take action (practice more often). If your mindset/attitude is not satisfactory, take action (expose yourself to positive influences). Be a “doer” not a “blamer”. No excuses.
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In 1948 an amazing book was written by Claude M. Bristol, entitled The Magic of Believing. Bristol created one of those timeless masterpieces that bear scrutiny no matter how long ago it was written. The title is self-explanatory and the material is extremely enlightening. He cites many examples where false beliefs have ruled the world for many years.
In Chapter IV, Suggestion Is Power, he tells a story about false beliefs. “For centuries tomatoes were looked upon as poisonous. People dared not eat them until some fearless person tried them and lived.” Pretty incredulous when you think about it today… I wonder what false beliefs we are currently harbouring that humanity will be chuckling about 100 years from now.
Here are some sales myths you can discard:
1. It’s okay to be five minutes late for an appointment. WRONG.
2. My customers like it better when I “dress down”. It makes them more relaxed. WRONG.
3. My past clients and centres of influence know what business I am in. If a referral opportunity comes up, they will call me. WRONG.
4. The market controls how well I do. I can’t do anything if things slow down. WRONG.
5. I will always have debt. It has always been that way for me. There doesn’t seem to be a way around that. WRONG.
6. The salespeople who sell the most are very lucky. Besides, who wants to work that hard? WRONG.
Some of the sales myths exist as defence mechanisms. Some salespeople tell themselves false stories just to justify their behaviour. The good news is you can change your stories. You can rewrite your beliefs…anytime you want! You created them and you can change them. How liberating is that? Believe that you can do more and you will. No excuses.
Bruce Keith, the “Sales Coach”, began his sales career at IBM and 15 years later used his marketing and sales expertise to develop a highly successful real estate business. He is a master of teaching “what to say and how to say it”. His high energy and entertaining training style has allowed him to create a popular coaching and seminar business for numerous sales organizations during the last 12 years. www.brucekeithresults.com
Bruce Keith is a leading Real Estate Coach/Author/Speaker. Like Bruce Keith Results on Facebook or connect with Bruce on Linkedin. Email Bruce Keith.
