Last month I shared with you a special article on, “Understanding the Seasons of your Life and Sales Career.” In that article I shared the concept of examining your sales career with clarity and looking beyond the normal view of your career. Today I would like to expand upon that insight and offer you some valuable information that can help you achieve a more meaningful and fulfilling sales career. It all starts with translating the natural process of the changing of seasons into the process of your sales career. Take a moment to buckle-up and enjoy the journey.
In the beginning, your sales career relates very well to the Spring season. It is a time of birth and newness as you grow with new knowledge and insight in your sales career. In the concepts of seasons, Spring is always the most treasured time of year. It means that you have left the Winter season and newness is all around you. It is very much the same at the beginning of your sales career as you are full of passion and energy to grow and excel. I always encourage sales professionals to think back to the beginning of their sales career and remember the exciting moments that took place. When you remember the process of growth in the beginning it always seems to re-ignite a spirit of passion and energy within you.
After the beginning of your sales career it often transitions into a time of Summer where you become hot and very successful. All the new found knowledge and skills are put to use as you find new success on many different levels. However, if you noticed I used the word, “often,” as not every sales professional transitions into this time of success. Sadly some sales professionals transition straight into a Winter stage and never make it very far. For the most part the Summer season of your sales career is one of great success with very few obstacles in the way.
As seasons go, all good things must come to an end. Eventually there will come a time in your sales career where things will begin to change. Just as leaves turn in the fall and find their way to the ground, so do things within your sales career. There are times where your skills, motivation and desire for success diminish. It does not mean that you are not still successful, but rather your desire and effort begin to change and fall off for a season. Many sales professionals at this stage are just going through the motions trying to make it through from day to day.
If not recognized and corrected, this will eventually lead you to a season of Winter in your sales career, which can be very cold and challenging for any sales professional. Again you may still be successful in meeting your sales quota, but your job has now become a grind and there is very little joy in what you do. It is during this stage that I encourage every sales professional to persevere and know that eventually this season will change. Hold on to hope that when you are in the toughest times of your sales career that Spring is just around the corner. A time of rejuvenation and new life will eventually find you if you don’t give up.
It would be wonderful for me to say that you can skip certain seasons and only have Spring and Summer throughout your sales career, but that would not be true. However, it is within your control and power to determine how long you stay within each season as they change throughout the years. For instance, if you had knowledge and insight of how the seasons work you could tell when Winter was coming and prepare for it accordingly. Once you realize that your sales career has become cold and frozen you have the knowledge and skills to heat things back up with the skills in Modern Day Selling. Utilize the skills of managing yourself, maintaining your passion and energy, overcoming fear and how to find success while facing adversity.
If you are a sales professional reading this article and find yourself in the midst of a Winter season, I encourage you to utilize the skills available to you that will help you find greater success. Whatever you may be facing at this very moment will only last for a season and soon your sales career can flourish once again when you focus your attention in the right direction. Your sales career is meant to have purpose and meaning in impacting people’s lives in a meaningful way. Hold fast to the truth you know and examine your situation with clarity. Unplug from all the noise and focus intently on the task at hand. When you do, you will create a new season of purpose, meaning and direction.
Brian Barfield is a two-time published author, worldwide, who specializes in offering fresh new insight in retail sales training. Modern Day Selling offers a unique perspective in teaching sales associates how to reconnect with their customers and how to achieve greater success in their sales career. To review Brian’s past articles or for more information please visit his website www.moderndayselling.com. Brian also offers in-store sales training and can be reached at brian@moderndayselling.com.
