The Bottom Line - Sales Takes Guts

Yes, Rocky Balboa is a great example of how to sell. This clip explains what separates a good sales person from a what I would call a participant. A participant is someone who jumps into sales in a good economy or in a great industry trend and just takes orders. A good sales person is someone who can survive all economic conditions without their performance suffering and Rocky explains the right mentality. You have to be able to lose more deals to price and get back up selling more value, you have to be able to hear no more often and understand that No is the most important word you can hear. To be successful in any type of sales for the long haul you must be mentally tough.

How can you develop mental toughness to be prepared for all situations...

1) Champions are recognized in the ring, they are made in practice. Read good books, listen to good CD's. Good books are books that help you get closer to your goals. They can be sales related or self-help related. My favorite is the little red book of selling by Jeffrey Gitomer. For listening, find a book on tape (CD), find an educational class in audio format. Find a Youtube clip like the one above.

2) Learn to deal with failure- Failure is not the opposite to success, it is the road to success. It is the carpool lane in rush hour traffic. You must learn to accept failure as the key to everything you want. The more you fail, the better you'll do. My recommendation; become a professional failure.

3) Stay healthy- By staying in shape and exercising regularly you will increase your self image which will increase your ability to accept failure and move forward. I'm not saying to drop everything and start body building, but set small goals for daily activity.

We'll talk about these topics in much more detail in the future. If you'd like to get some advice leave a comment. The comments on this blog will drive the content for future articles.