Articles

Richard Liew

“Selling is simply a transfer of enthusiasm from salesperson to customer.”

Despite it’s simplistic appearance, this is one of the most useful descriptions of the sales process I’ve ever heard. It says a lot about what it takes to be successful in selling and can pay huge dividends for entrepreneurs and sales professionals that take this message on board.

Enthusiasm is a prerequisite for sales success for two reasons.  Firstly, selling isn’t easy. It involves many tasks that most people find highly stressful. Prospecting, networking, delivering presentations and “closing” deals, to name a few. Selling requires an incredible amount of mental, emotional and physical energy and huge amounts of enthusiasm are necessary to give you the energy needed to get those things done, even when you don’t feel like doing them.

And secondly, in sales one thing’s for sure… Genuine enthusiasm about your company, your job, your products and services, and most importantly, about helping your customers solve their problems, is absolutely essential if you want to deliver outstanding service and differentiate yourself from your competition.  Think back to the last time you experienced truly outstanding service from a sales or customer service person. What was it about that person’s service in particular that was so outstanding? Chances are you remember them because they did something that exceeded your expectations – because their sheer enthusiasm enabled them to “go the extra mile.”

What comes first… Enthusiasm or Success?

The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek word enthous which means “inspired,” and inspired is exactly the way you feel when you harness that enthusiasm. You charge through your cold calls, presentations and proposals easily and effortlessly and you can’t wait to tell people about your product or service. To your customers you appear confident, helpful and friendly. In short, you’re unstoppable.

But while most people agree that enthusiasm is key, generating and maintaining that enthusiasm in practice is another matter entirely.

In sales, one of the biggest mistakes people make, especially after taking a few knocks, is that they start to believe that their enthusiasm relies on them being successful.  For example they’ll say things like, “I’d be way more enthusiastic if I had met my target last month.” Or “If I could just make some money, then I’d get enthusiastic.” But unfortunately, unless you’re enthusiastic in the first place, you’re unlikely to experience any lasting degree of success.

Four simple ideas to kick start your enthusiasm

If you’re responsible for sales in your company, it’s essential that you can take control and pro-actively generate enthusiasm instead of waiting for it to come to you. Just as an athlete has to ensure they’re in peak state for optimum performance, so too do professional sales people.

Here are four simple ideas you can use to kick start your enthusiasm now:

1. Remember why you’re here

Too often, after a few years of hard slog, the passion, innovation and vision you started out with gets forgotten. Entrepreneurs and salespeople, once totally consumed with enthusiasm for their new business, get worn down by endless setbacks and problems of day-to-day business, and they start to lose their spark. If this sounds like you, stop and ask yourself if you still really believe in what you’re doing and if the opportunity you saw when you launched is still driving you. Do you still really believe there is a genuine need for what you’re providing? If so what are 10 fantastic reasons people should be doing business with you? Are you still 100% convinced? Because if you’re not, you can’t expect your prospects or customers to be either.

2. Create personal reasons for achieving sales goals

In the end, motivation and enthusiasm come from within. Sure, you can listen to a motivational speaker, or do a team building session and get a momentary hit of enthusiasm, but as they say the test only begins when the going gets tough. You need powerful, personalised reasons why you absolutely must succeed and do whatever it takes to get the job done. The problem is that our business or sales goals are usually only money related and aren’t enough to get you through the tough times. For instance, would you work harder to earn $100,000 this year, or to be an inspiration to your children and family? To turn over $2 million this year, or to buy a bach on the beach for your retirement? Numbers and targets in themselves are not inspiring, so to be successful in sales you need to come up with a powerful list of personal reasons why you absolutely must and will do whatever it takes to fulfill your goals.

3. Use anchors to change your state

We all have unique “anchors” that trigger us to feel a certain way. It’s your responsibility to find out what anchors you can use to trigger feelings of enthusiasm, motivation and confidence and to use them whenever you need to. For example, there may be a certain song that when you hear it pumps you up and puts you in a good mood. Or a picture, item of clothing or inspirational quote that causes you to feel completely unstoppable whenever you see, wear or read it. Whatever your anchors may be, find them, keep them on hand, and use them all the time.

4. Take a break! 

Now this one is so obvious it’s often overlooked. But maybe, just maybe, you’ve been working too hard for too long and you just need a break. Professional selling is a stressful and high pressure career.  Chances are you just need some time out to recharge, change your scenery and give yourself a chance to reflect on how far you’ve come. It’s a well known fact that taking short regular breaks, reduces stress, increases your energy and boosts enthusiasm.

* Richard Liew is the editor and founder of NZ Sales Manager e-magazine, and co-founder of the Rev Sales Network, a nationwide personal and professional development network for sales professionals.  www.rsn.co.nz