I know you won’t find this shocking, but I regularly meet people who have no business being in sales.
Many of them wandered into the position for all the wrong reasons.
It was what their parents wanted them to do…
…or their friend told them about an open position and said they should just “give it a try”…
…or they were desperate for any position possible.
Now, just so we are clear here, I know that someone can come into a sales position for any of those reasons (or other reasons) and discover they LOVE sales!
They find out they are totally cut out for it.
They excel and savor every opportunity that being a salesperson affords them.
If that describes you, congratulations! Sounds like you should just keep being a salesperson and be the best one possible.
However, for the people who question if sales is the right gig for them, here are 3 ways to know if you should stop being a salesperson:
1. You suck at motivating yourself.
Sorry to be so blunt, but being in sales means there are going to be good times and bad times. The people who not only survive in sales but thrive are the ones who are not dependent on outside factors to motivate them.
If you constantly have to have an external carrot dangling in front of your face or you have to have your manager standing over you on a daily basis to get you out selling, then sales is not the profession for you.
I will even go so far to say that the only motivation that exists is self-motivation. Sure, some things may light a fire under us to pique our interest, but ultimately, what it comes down to is what we CHOOSE to do in response to that.
More importantly, what do you CHOOSE to do when nothing is lighting a fire under you?
If you aren’t the type who can motivate yourself — and motivate yourself consistently — then you have no business being in sales.
2. You minimize the importance of prospecting.
One of the primary things a successful salesperson focuses upon is keeping their pipeline full. The salespeople who are exceptional actually like to prospect! Imagine that!
Prospecting does not have to be a dreaded (or worse, neglected) aspect of sales. If you are consistently coming up with reasons why you don’t really need to go after new customers, then you really should stop being a salesperson.
If, on the other hand, you want to continually refine and expand your prospecting skills, then you will create success like you have never known.
Here’s the deal — prospecting is a part of sales and if you can’t wrap your mind and actions around that, it will always be a horrendous thorn in your side.
3. You don’t believe in your price or your product.
This seems obvious, but if you don’t believe in your price or your product, you will fail miserably at selling. You will either subtlety talk the customer out of buying or you will regularly discount the price.
This is devastating.
Sure, there is a possibility that you just aren’t matched to the right product, but I’m guessing your attitude is more reflective of a general approach to selling.
If you are in a sales position right now and you don’t trust your company, its product or its pricing, you should take a break and stop being a salesperson.
Take a good hard look at why you don’t believe in the product or price.
For that matter, take a good look at how you are as a customer. Do you consistently question the price on everything you buy? Do you consistently question the motive of every company from which you are buying?
If you do, then sales is definitely not the job for you. You should stop being a salesperson.
Fortunately, for many of you reading this, you’ve arrived at the end of this post with confirmation that you ARE in the right position.
You DO motivate yourself.
You DO pour healthy effort into prospecting.
You DO believe in your product and price.
My hope is that if this describes you, then you will consider yourself among those of us who think sales is the best profession ever.
We regularly get to help customers with solutions for their needs and wants, we get to watch our companies grow and prosper, and we experience the rewards of our hard work in the form of high profits and a sense of making a difference.
Copyright 2012, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
