The twelve characteristics of a Champion are what they all have. In the next chapter, we’ll take a careful look at these marks of the Champion.
CHAPTER 2
The Twelve Sources of Sensational Selling Success
I’m often asked for personality traits or characteristics of the top people in selling. Those new to selling or veterans wanting to boost their incomes are smart to ask about qualities they can develop within themselves in order to succeed. I’ve gathered a list of twelve that seem fairly common to those who achieve Champion status in selling. They’re interwoven. All twelve overlap. You can’t improve in one of these characteristics without helping yourself improve in all the others; you can’t ignore one of them without damaging your potential over the whole range. As we cover these twelve areas, think about how you would rate yourself in each area on a scale of 1 through 10 with 10 meaning that you’ve got it. You don’t even need to think about improving in that area. Any trait in which you’d rate yourself less than a 7 will need some thought and dedication to develop.
One. You know the Champions when they walk in the door. Whether they’re dressed conservatively, clad in clothes that are ahead of the latest fad, or wearing anything between those extremes, they project the unmistakable stamp of competence with their attire and grooming. Just by looking at them, you know that you’re in the presence of a powerful force—people who have a purpose and are ready to carry it out to the fullest. They reflect a sense of unique individuality and a solid consciousness of worth that’s far more impressive than mere good looks. Whatever nature gave them and time has let them keep, they’ve molded into a commanding, memorable appearance.
Two. The Champions we’ve trained take tremendous pride in the profession of selling and in themselves as human beings. They base that pride on the serious way they’ve met their responsibilities and capitalized on their potential. They are proud, not only of what they do for a living—helping others—but also of their companies, their products, and the service they provide. And they do this without feeling a need to look down on anyone who is less effective than they are. No one is a Champion without achieving an honest pride.
Three. Champions radiate confidence. If you’re new in sales, you might ask, “How can I be confident when I don’t know what I’m doing?”
I agree that you should be wary of feeling confident in any situation where you don’t have a clear idea of exactly what you’re doing. Overconfidence will float you down the river and over the falls nearly every time. If overconfidence is a challenge for you, a few hard drops will quickly put you in step with your knowledge. And there’ll be no real harm done; you’ll simply get some opportunities to develop your sense of humor and practice your techniques.
Coming down with a permanent sense of under-confidence is another great danger. Potential clients will sense your uncertainty and, even if you do a reasonably good job of presenting your product, buy from someone else. Every day, as you gain skill, you must practice being more and more confident. Remember that your clients and prospects look to you for only the very narrow area of expertise that thorough knowledge of your product or service represents. The people you come in contact with are moved by your belief, by the conviction and confidence you display in your offering. When you finish this training, you’ll have every tool necessary to help people make the yes decision, you’ll have faith in your worth, and you’ll radiate confidence.
Four. The top people close warmly. You may find that confusing, especially if you have any tendency to regard the profession of selling as essentially being the business of separating people from their money.
Let’s talk about this idea, because it’s out there, and it has some reality to millions of people. It arises from the actions of the minority of salespeople who believe that selling is purely and simply aggression. Eventually, all such vultures will be driven out of sales by the new breed of enlightened salespeople who qualify their prospects, care about their customers, and make sure their clients get benefits from their purchases that outweigh the prices paid.
The change is already in the works. Trained salespeople, who neither want nor need to stoop to unfair practices, are gradually taking the place of the get-’em-for-all-you-can crowd. Admittedly, it’s a slow process, and we’ll wait a long time to see it completed. But it’s happening. I’d like to enlist you in fighting the good fight for sales integrity.
We’ve all heard people say, “I used to sell, but I wasn’t pushy enough.” The ex-salespeople who say this don’t realize they never learned how to prospect, contact, and qualify professionally. In fact, many of them never even learned the sales meaning of the word qualify. So, in desperation, they tried to close prospects they knew in their hearts shouldn’t be closed on their particular product or service. That made these ex-salespeople feel like crooks. Because they were basically honest people, they had to escape the guilt; instead of getting into sales training, they got out of sales work.
Champions don’t have that problem because they never close people they know shouldn’t be closed. Champions don’t push people with warmth. They are sincere in their desire to help clients have better lives, more fun, save money, or whatever the benefit is that their product or service provides. Their techniques are such that they lead people smoothly to the decision that’ll benefit them with genuine concern and warmth.
Five. Most Champions look to only one person for their self-assurance, and that one person is themselves. They realize that we live in a world where many people really don’t care. People are apathetic even about their own welfare beyond immediate satisfactions. Champions know that they can’t change the prevailing culture all by themselves. So they float through life without being overwhelmed by problems they can’t solve. They concern themselves with helping their customers and their loved ones through the skills they develop in the profession of selling. Many of them are active in other causes as well, but they’re always careful to put their efforts into activities where they can be most effective. In everything they do, they believe in themselves and act with assurance.
Six. Champions want to get rich. That’s right, rich. Champions want the high income that’ll provide the capital for investments to make them financially independent. There’s nothing wrong with getting rich as long as the people you serve along the way benefit. True Champions shape their values and organize their lifestyles to achieve their objective of getting rich.
Seven. A quality I can’t measure, but I know it’s always present in Champions, is the burning desire to achieve. For years, sales managers have said, “If we could only measure how much desire each person has, we’d have the whole problem of selecting salespeople solved. We’d know who’ll keep on working despite challenges and disappointments, and who’ll sit down and give up. No more sweating it out with capable-looking people who’ve got all the tools except desire, so in the end they fizzle out.” Sales managers think it would be wonderful if they could, but there’s no way to measure how much desire another person has. Only you can measure how much desire you have, and here’s how you do it. Ask yourself these questions:
How much pain can I handle before I quit?
How many challenges will I put up with before I stop, go home, and lie down?
How many no’s am I willing to accept on my way to success?
If you have the potential to be a Champion, your answer will be that you don’t quit—no matter how much pain and how many challenges you encounter, because those things are nothing compared with your desire.
Eight. I’ve covered this point before, and will discuss it again because it’s the very lifeblood of success. Champions learn what their fears are, and often that’s not easy since we’re all so good at concealing them from ourselves. But the Champions persevere in this. They learn what they fear.