Most sales training fails to deliver sustainable behavioural change, primarily because the participants are not fully engaged and committed. This lack of engagement may be due to the fact that many sales people, managers in particular, feel they already know enough about selling and have “heard it all before”. Or the training itself is of the ‘sheep dip’ or ‘one size fits all’ variety, where participants are well aware that their individual weaknesses are not being fully addressed.

In the course of training and counselling hundreds of business owners and thousands of salespeople over the years, I have observed that personal motivation is by a long way the most dominant factor in achieving success in selling. This factor applies in all dimensions of sales, from “foot-in-the-door” to high-level collaborative selling.

Knowledge and skills are basic requirements. The greater your personal motivation, the greater the results. The greater your ownership, the greater the personal motivation.
For your personal sales success – and for your personal life success – own the three key elements of personal motivation.

Drive

• Reason to “get up and go” in the morning – enjoyment of work
• Focus on goals and personal achievement
• Ambition to succeed
• Ability to work hard - very hard

Attitude

• Positive expectancy – glass more than half-full
• Eagerness to learn and accept assistance
• Innovative searching for new ways to achieve
• Enjoyment of work and interaction with colleagues

Confidence

• Performing consistently well – even under stress and pressure
• Believing in the company and its offerings
• Confident in colleagues and enjoying their confidence also
• Facing whatever is thrown up – and still looking for wins

Grab hold of this – and start doing it!