It seems hard to fathom that a person can drown in just over an inch of water. Once the lungs are blocked and the brain is starved of oxygen, cerebral hypoxia kicks in making a person delirious eventually succumbing to death-a great tragedy can occur from something as small as the length of your fingernail. Similarly, salespeople are drowning in a puddle of mediocrity everyday on the blacktop. Attend any [mandatory] manufacturer’s Ride and Drive or drive to another lot on your next day off, and you will quickly find how shallow the talent pool is. It’s not that our industry is deprived of talent, but more so because very few salespeople are willing to take their craft seriously and master it. Unfortunately, selling has become a lost art form. Instead of standing around with other salespeople like a herd of water buffalo, separate yourself from the herd and become the hunter instead of the hunted; let the herd stand around bickering about subjects beyond their direct control. Most people drown as a result of panic; when panic sets in, wild, irrational behavior makes them succumb to fatigue.  Our business is already illogical. Instead of showing up each day wishing the Be-back Fairy would sprinkle some good fortune your direction or thrashing about wildly in hopes of getting a lay-down with a settlement check in hand to pull your month out of the depths of disparity, become a disciple to a few daily disciplines.

• It’s ok to be divorced. You must break, nullify, separate, and cut off all of the negative thoughts going on upstairs in your mind. Give yourself permission to succeed instead of an excuse to fail.  Your thoughts are your worst customer. In sales, even the most positive person will only be successful 30 % of the time; you don’t need any help failing by having poor self-esteem or negative thought process.  In As A Man Thinketh, James B. Allen wrote, “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” As the saying goes, you are what you eat; each day feed your mind a bowl of Cheer-me-oh’s, believe me, you are surrounded by enough negative news and people to fill in the gaps.
• When the world gives you lemons, make orange juice. Author, trainer, speaker Mark Tewart put it best when he said, “With all things being equal, what makes you unequal?” A football receiver’s primary goal is to create separation from the defensive back, because he knows if he can, he will catch the ball and score. Your appearance will separate you from the competition. If you were about to spend $30,000 would you buy from you? Are your nails manicured? Is your hair combed; are you neatly shaven or do you look like you just came off an all night bender? That look may work for Ashton Kutcher, but last time I checked you weren’t making Nikon Camera commercials.  Are your clothes pressed and shoes polished or do your clothes look as though you hung them on the floor and your shoes were bronzed in dirt? Are you exhaling fresh, clean breath or does it smell like you are chewing on a can of tuna fish? How you look and smell says more than what you say.  Your appearance speaks not only of how you feel about yourself, but also how you feel about the industry you represent. It costs little to look like a million.
• Harvard not Hooters. It takes an investment to yield a dividend. Earl Nightingale wrote, “One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within 3 years. Within 5 years you’ll be a national authority. In 7 years, you can be one of the best in the world at what you do.” A professional basketball player works on their footwork and fundamentals not on their dunks. It takes years to be an overnight success; you will yield 10 times what you invest-stop winging it each day; leave the wings to Hooters, not your paycheck.
• It’s not about you. We are in the service industry; becoming interested in your clients will make them interested in doing business with you. Large commissions are earn based on the experience your customers receive. Give your clients service as if you are Ritz Carlton not the Sunrise Motel; stop selling off the rack giving your customers a canned presentation and instead give them a unique, tailor-made performance- one your customers cannot forget. Be the water not the gas. You’re a salesperson not a politician; stop trying to prove your point and instead create a solution to their transportation problem.

There is no such thing as extraordinary salespeople, just ordinary salespeople that take extra measures in safeguarding their career. Treat your career in sales as you would a 3 year old in a pool; being attentive and alert at all times- never turning your back for a minute and be ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. Be the hunter, not the hunted. I’ll see you next time on the Blacktop!

**Originally published in AutoSuccess Magazine (Feb 2012)