Expectations – we will perform in direct proportion to the way we see ourselves and the way that those whom we respect see us.  The expectations of the individuals wearing the title of salesperson have been evolving as the reality of a new marketplace becomes apparent. The Internet has impacted a great many things about the world that we live in to include how we work.  Gone are the days when salesmen use to go door to door carrying their wares selling them to housewives. Now you have many homes and businesses with signs taped to the screen door that says no solicitors allowed.  The job of a salesperson has become harder and harder and unfortunately their skills have not been upgraded simultaneously in response to the market changes. Here is the question, whose responsibility is it to upgrade your skills to become a better selling professional?

Personal Responsibility – I am often asked what the secret is to making more money in selling and to that question my response is always the same, upgrade your skills.  Some of the highest paid professionals in the world are not doctors, lawyers and other notable professionals, but in fact, salespeople. Do you see yourself as one of them or just another sales guy? What do you know about interacting with the different personality traits also known as social styles?  Are you still trying to sell to everyone the same way or are you using your knowledge of these traits to your benefit? How effective are you with managing your activity tracker or reconciling your sales pipeline? Do you even know what I am talking about? How many prospect sources do you cultivate weekly? Or are you like most still a one legged stool? How effective are your branding materials? Or do you still believe a business card is adequate to compete with others vying for your prospect’s business? Did you hear me say that some of the highest paid people in the world are salespeople? Are you one of them or are you just another sales guy?

The future has not been created yet and it belongs to business developers. Employers need proactive hunter-gathers that can produce results. They are quickly realizing that 10 years of experience only means you have been doing the same thing over and over again for 10 years and that time by itself is not an indicator of competence! The economy we now live in is unlike any we have ever seen so the skills that got us to this point have an expiring shelf life. It’s time to re-tool yourself so that you can actually compete because salespeople are everywhere but business developers are in high demand.

About the Author:
Kurtis Smith is the President and Chief Executive of The K-Method Group. He is the author of Lessons from the Concrete Garden, and the creator of the Professional Standards for Sales Excellence (PSSE) training program. PSSE is the first comprehensive training solution built from the ground up specifically for the dealership selling environment. It introduces a new job description for the dealership selling professionals and provides the formula for building, maintaining and managing their book of business.  Mr. Smith’s areas of expertise include business consulting, sales training, keynote presentations, process development, as well as CRM process and program implementation.

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