Many sales leaders don’t realise that good sales people have the potential to adapt to different markets and products effectively. If you are good in sales, you should be able to pick up a new market and make it yours within a couple of months.
During my career I’ve seen many sales professionals enter a new market and do a better job than those who were active for years within this market without success.
I remember one sales guy who used to sell Coca Cola. He got an opportunity to switch to the logistics industry. This was an industry he knew little about. After orientating himself and studying the different scenarios he decided to take the job.
Today, some years after making the shift, he is one of the most successful members of his team and even became the leader of the sales force.
So what do we learn from this?
First, you need a good set of sales skills, common sense and the drive and commitment to make it a success.
Second, get rid of beliefs that can obstruct you in your quest for success in sales. Stop using expressions like, you need to know the business, in our area things are different, you need to know people, etc.
Finally, stop using excuses to justify why things won’t work. Good sales people take responsibility. Sales people have the tendency to blame others for their lack of results. When a sales person acknowledges their failure and the cause of it, it becomes easier for them to learn from this and accelerate.
And finally, try something new, get out of your comfort zone and be non-traditional!
If you’d like to know more about improving your sales team performance contact me.