Learn from failure.
Michael Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, is no loser. His success is the product of his failures.
"I've failed a lot in my life: that's why I've succeeded."
This is what he said:
I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to shoot the game ball and failed.
The average salesperson does everything to avoid failure.
The best athletes (and business people) know that failure is only a step on the road to success.
It is even a condition for success.
Top athletes spend years and years failing and training.
When you are a salesperson, it is normal to be disappointed when you lose a contract or when you spend all day calling prospects who hang up on you.
Michael Jordan invites us not to give up, to learn from our failures and to keep fighting.
You will fail, again and again, before you win.
Prospects will refuse to work with you.
Failure precedes greatness. There is no such thing as easy success.
Dare
Wayne Gretzky, the greatest ice hockey player of all time, said:
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't attempt."
The fear of failure paralyses salespeople. If they don't dare, they will fail.
If you want recommendations from your customers, don't wait for them to do it themselves.
Ask to speak to a decision maker, to be put in touch with other prospects.
This will increase your chances of signing more clients.
Most sales people do not step out of their comfort zone. Doing so is a competitive advantage.
The risk of failure is nothing compared to the opportunities lost.
Never give up.
Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest American soccer coaches of all time, had this to say about failure and how to get over it:
"The important thing is not to fall, but to get up again."
His name is engraved on the Super Bowl trophy. The man is a legend!
In sales, as in sport, you will fail.
You will lose business, you will fail to convert the trial in a demo.
You cannot, you must not give up.
In sales - as in sport or even in life - you have to learn to stand up.
Resilience and determination are the key factors for success.
Salespeople must learn to get up even when they fail.
Forcing respect
"To say it is to make people laugh, to do it is to shut them up."
Caude Onesta is a handball legend.
For him, you have to let your performance and results speak for themselves.
Many people say "I will finish the quarter at 200% quota".
You will be laughed in the face.
Do this and everyone will respect you.
Believing in yourself
Satchel Paige, an American baseball player, is one of the first black players to play in the MLB. He had to overcome many hardships to get there.
"Not to be encouraged by praise, not to be distressed by blame, but to know one's own virtues or powers. This is what characterizes great men".
Its secret?
It is important to believe in yourself.
But great athletes - Satchel Paige was undoubtedly one of them - know that they do not need the admiration of others to exist.
It's the same for the best salespeople.
They naturally have confidence in their own abilities. This is what enables them to achieve success after success.
Your confidence should never depend on what others think of you.
Aim for the moon.
Sir Alex Ferguson was Manchester United manager for 26 years. His record? 2 Champions Leagues, 13 English championships and many more. Here's how he approached matches:
"I've never played for a draw in my life."
Always try to win. It may sound obvious but it's not.
You can't settle for a draw. All your sales people must be driven by the same goal: to win.
The mentality - the so-called mindset - counts for a lot and determines your success.
Competing with yourself
It is easy to become obsessed with the other team.
John Wooden, the most successful basketball coach in the NCAA - he won 10 college championships - was obsessed with a different kind of competition:
"The best competition I have is against myself, to become better."
In sales, you have to tell yourself that the person you are competing with is yourself and nobody else.
Striving to improve means doing better every day, training and pushing yourself.
Sales, like basketball, is a team sport.
Don't look around you, don't compare yourself: find the strength within yourself to compete against yourself to improve.
Quarter after quarter you must do better, go further. Otherwise, you risk stagnating.
Leave your mark.
A child prodigy of French soccer, Kylian Mbappé is best known for winning the 2018 World Cup.
"When you do what you love, you don't want to be just passing through: you haven't sacrificed your whole life to be an extra. Me, I hope to leave my mark on soccer."
You have made sacrifices to get where you are. Don't forget them.
Always try to leave your mark.
Whether it's about football or a company's history, your performance should leave a mark.
Confidence and performance
Roger Federer said:
"When I play well, I can beat anyone!"
Confidence is an essential ingredient for victory.
Without it, you can't do anything. You can't beat the best.
When you are at your best, you should be able to beat anyone.
Never lose confidence in your ability to do anything. That's what will make you unstoppable.
Team spirit
Zidane was an extraordinary player. Yet he knew that the team was more important.
"Individual performances aren't the most important thing. We win and lose as a team."
Football - like sales - is a team sport.
One of the greatest players of all time understood this. You are nothing without your team.
There are no collective failures and individual successes: we win and lose as a team.
A comment, an idea, a question? Contact Paul, our CEO by sending an email to paul.berloty@modjo.ai
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