In recent articles, we’ve discussed setting goals, handling high quality merchandise, developing the personal qualities of honesty, trustworthiness, integrity and increasing the skills essential for conversing with customers. Combining all of these talents on a deeply personal level provide the opening for YOU to CREATE your own SUCCESS!
Becoming the best you can be is an ever-evolving process! Being able to motivate yourself in this continuing journey is a cornerstone to achieving success!
Some days, all it takes to motivate yourself is the thought of an impending event within your store. It may be a new sale or the simple rearrangement of the displays to attract more attention. Other days, feeling encouraged by the prospect of a call to a special client may be the trigger to get your energy flowing. Sometimes, simple little contests with coworkers will give you the added impetus to Move It, Move It, Move it!
Finding a variety of sayings, or actions, or people who help to keep an upbeat attitude begins the process. Sometimes a funny little catch-phrase can trigger a happiness within you that carries over to your interactions with customers and coworkers allowing you to shine in the productivity area (or in the “I feel GOOD area”). When you encounter those little sayings, whether from the internet or in doing business around town, make a mental or physical note of them for future reference. Then you can grab them off your desk as you prepare for your day. If a photograph will help you focus your attention on your goals – new car, new house, your family – keep it with you to remind you to push toward excellence!
Being knowledgeable about yourself and what it takes to keep you on track encourages you to continuously learn as much about your product and your industry with increasing depth.
Creating connections within your industry can assist with broadening your knowledge base and commercial relationships which, in turn, reinforce your confidence in your products and your ability to market them effectively to a variety of customers. Those connections can also be the sources for the latest information or at least calling your attention to topics that you feel you need to research to keep at the top of the sales game!
Being well prepared with knowledge and the adaptations essential to your industry is another cornerstone to your success! Just as doing your homework was an essential component to your success in school, doing your homework on the features and benefits of all of your products causes you to increase your working knowledge for the sales floor. Spending time strategizing on how to close more effectively, or how to interact with a wider variety of your customers’ needs can only help to increase your overall productivity!
Creating the goals you’d like to achieve, both in the short-term and over a period of years AND holding yourself accountable for their completion and the desired levels of excellence paves the way toward your overall success! Consistently extending and expanding the achievements that mark your progress is another cornerstone to your success!
Finally, LOVING what you do, over a long period of time is another cornerstone of your success! AND…YOU are in charge of making it happen! Congratulations!
Author, trainer, consultant, and speaker Brad Huisken is President of IAS Training. Huisken has authored several books and training manuals on sales and produces a Weekly Sales Training Meeting video series along with Aptitude Tests and Proficiency Exams for new hires, current sales staff and sales managers. In addition, he publishes a free weekly newsletter called “Sales Insight” For a free subscription or more information contact IAS Training at 800-248-7703 or info@iastraining.com. Visit his website at www.iastraining.com.
