The World Has Changed. What is a Sales Professional to Do?
We have all been confronted with dramatic change in the last
year. We are all confronted with new challenges. So, as a sales
professional, what do you do now?
Recognize the Positives
Recent traumatic events have caused most everyone to reassess
their priorities. Most of us have asked ourselves, “What’s
important?” This is a positive development. While we are all
inclined to return to our old patterns, going through this
questioning process causes us all to expand our horizons. We are
reminded that nothing is certain … or permanent. This leads to a
strong reminder that current opportunities will not last forever.
Why is this important to you as a sale professional? This can
lead to an increased sense of urgency - one of your strongest
sales allies.
Deal with the Fear
The sudden and unexpected changes we have all experienced may
well evoke some fear. It is important to be aware of the fear,
both in you and your customers.
Positioning your product or service as something that can reduce
the fear will serve you well. Keep this in mind in your sales
process.
As far as the fear you may be experiencing, the important step
is to accept that it is there. There is nothing wrong with being
frightened. It is healthy and normal. But it is vital that you
be honest with yourself by acknowledging the fear.
Although I am a professional skydiver with over 1,700 skydives,
I am often quite frightened before a challenging exhibition
jump. To keep the fear from controlling me and hampering my
performance, I have learned to accept its presence.
I know this works from personal experience in successfully
pursuing goals like a skydiving World Record. NASA has verified
this method of fear management through controlled studies of
astronauts.
If you find you are significantly distracted and having
difficulty concentrating because of the terrorist attacks or
continuing threats, you may want to seek assistance. There is no
shame in taking care of yourself. The only shame is in
significantly hampering your performance by not seeking it. You
would not expect your car to function well after a major
accident. Similarly, after the trauma we all have experienced in
the last year, it may be time to treat yourself to some
“service.”
Focus on Your Goals
And finally, keep your goals in focus. If you need to revise
your goals - do. They need to be relevant. But keep them
foremost in your mind. By keeping focused on your personal and
professional goals, you will keep yourself on track. And there
is another benefit. You will be undermining the goals of those
who would love nothing more than for us to lose touch with our
greatness - as individuals and as a country.
© Jim McCormick 2002
