What Motivates You?

When I travel, attend a business conference, or attend other functions, I am asked what I do for a living. When I tell people I work with a company that provides training for people who work in sales and customer service, people usually respond by saying, "Oh, so you do motivational type stuff?" "Well. . ." I respond, "not exactly." Then I am usually greeted with a blank stare, a look of bewilderment, or some other awkward state of confusion.

Why is it that as soon as I utter the words sales training, people think about motivational stuff? I did say sales training, did I not? If I said we provide training for people who repair computers or drive tractor-trailers, people would not respond similarly. So why do people automatically assume salespeople need to be constantly motivated when I say sales training?

Many of us in sales seem to forget or take for granted that selling is a skilled profession. And an honorable one at that! People who don't sell for a living often overlook that to succeed in sales; you must have command of some critical selling skills. Why do people not in sales think salespeople always have to be motivated? Don't truck drivers get discouraged? I can hear it now, "Gosh, another 350 miles to go. I don't know if I can do this or not."

People outside our enlightened profession believe salespeople must be continually motivated because we encounter enormous amounts of so-called rejection. My retort is, "Who doesn't?" Don't baseball players go through slumps? Don't writers sometimes suffer from writer's block? So, yes, it may be true that life can seem a little bleak after ten or fifteen fruitless calls. However, this challenge is the hidden gem that makes selling so compelling.

Think about it. After fifteen calls without any engagement or approval, even the most seasoned sales professionals can get a little discouraged. Remember, though, this is where the real magic is. Even as we approach 2023, selling is still a numbers game. So, what motivates you to make that next call? If you have been trained well with effective strategies and tactics, you will eventually come upon someone who buys. It usually seems to happen just about the time you wonder when you will close your next deal. So, if you are hitting that proverbial dry spell, more business could be just one call away. Now what could be more motivating than that?