Are You the Master of your Job or a Slave to Employer?
Pop Quiz: Are You the Master of your job or a Slave to your Employer?
Find Out Now. Answer These 5 Questions to See If You Have Truly Mastered Sales.
As someone who has been in sales for a while, have you ever stopped to ask yourself if you’ve truly mastered your craft? I’m not asking if you’re great at what you do. If you’ve made it more than 2 years in a sales position, then you’ve figured out a way to “make it” in sales. But survival is not the same thing as success.
Let’s get into it so that you can clearly see the distinctions. Here’s a quick rundown so that you know if you’re crushing your sales job (or not).
1. Are Your Accomplishments Long Lasting or Soon Forgotten? Do you find yourself with the constant pressure of answering the question, “What have you done for me lately?” If you’re only as good as the latest numbers you’ve put on the board, then you haven’t (yet) made yourself indispensable. When you’re only as good as the sales you produce, then you are constantly at risk of being replaced. Long-lasting accomplishments go well beyond the expected quota. When you deliver at the highest level for your clients, they notice. Not only do happy clients pay attention, they also refer you business and actively look for ways to “repay” the debt they feel because of just how above and beyond you’ve gone. As a master of sales, you have total clarity on the lifetime value of your customers and think way beyond the first sale so that each transaction builds toward a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship.
2. If You Decided to Take A Vacation, Could You Relax? This is a tale tell sign if you have mastered sales or are a slave to your quota. Just because you take a vacation doesn’t mean the pressure to produce takes a break alongside of you. If you are living paycheck to paycheck, you rely on your sales commission to float your lifestyle. And yet if you haven’t mastered sales, then you feel guilty for taking a break. How can you relax on vacation knowing that each day that you’re not working you’re not making progress toward your sales goals? If this is how it feels to “take a break”, then you’re not really able to unplug, refresh or recharge. Which, by the way, is why so many people in sales rarely take long vacations each year. 3. Are You Fully Present With Your Loved Ones Or Focused Elsewhere? If you’re on the fence about the first two, perhaps a second opinion will support you. Ask your loved ones to tell you the truth. Are you able to unplug and be fully present with them when you are with them? Multi-tasking is the art of doing multiple things poorly. So, if you’re checking your phone while you’re with the people you love, it means you’re unable to unplug and give your full focus and attention to your friends and family. Over time, this lack of focus and attention will create more stress in your life as the people you love most begin to feel disconnected from you. You don’t have to be under constant stress to be distracted. However, if you’ve mastered sales, you know when it’s time to leave your job mentally and physically in order to be fully present with the people you care about most. 4. What Percentage of Your Sales Are In-Bound vs. Out-Bound? Think back over the past 30 days. What percentage of your sales came from someone reaching out to you versus you reaching out to them? When you deliver at the highest level, you become a “go to” resource for your ideal customers. They call you first because they know that if you can’t help them directly, you know someone who can. You’re obsession on their happiness and satisfaction pays huge dividends. Not only do they call you first, but your raving fan customers also refer you new opportunities in the form of other people who desire the same thing.
5. Do You Make Money While You Sleep? Final question. Do you wake up richer than when you went to bed? Making money while you sleep is the ultimate test of your sales mastery. People who chase quotas wake up feeling behind – even before they officially start their day. Meanwhile, masters of sales know that just because they were resting doesn’t mean that they lost any ground at all. In fact, more likely than not, new (sales) opportunities were manifesting despite their slumber. When you see your sales numbers grow on their own with little or no direct help from you, there’s no greater confirmation that you have truly mastered selling.
The key difference between sales mastery and sales survival is understanding the nuance of long-term sustainable life-time value versus constantly chasing the fulfillment of the daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly quota. True sales mastery looks at the big picture and how you can stand out as the thought leader in your category; the go-to expert that everyone wants to have in their network. If you’re ready to ditch a career in sales that is only bringing you more pressure, less time and the feeling that you’re not getting anywhere, we should talk. I can speak authentically to all of this because I’ve been there. I have total empathy for you because I was you. I know how this feels and I know just how lonely it can be. Today, however, I have leveraged my sales skills to earn money while I sleep. I walk around with my head held high as I don’t have a quota to fill nor do I fear my financial situation. It’s the total opposite. Today I have real freedom in both my time and my finances. When I go on vacation, I get to relax and enjoy myself. And, as for my loved ones, they appreciate my total focus on them and their needs. This is how I know I’ve mastered sales and why I’m confident that you can too.