Beliefs of a Successful Sales Professional

Published on July 27, 2009

Today I had breakfast with a CEO in between positions. He recently resigned from a company he helped turned around and take to the next level. Looking for a different opportunity, he decided it was time to move on.  What struck me during our conversation were the beliefs that drive his actions professionally.  As a leader, you can see this person not only talks the talk, but also walks the talk.  Here are some of his beliefs which will positively impact all sales professionals:

1.       Planting Seeds- In his quest for a new venture, he understands the need to be pro-active.  While opportunities have come to him, the key to getting the right opportunity is to be exposed to as many opportunities as possible.  Therefore, he needs to meet as many influencers as possible, investigate all kinds of situations and put his name in the hat.  Eventually, the seeds he plants

will blossom into full blown opportunities.

2.       It Only Takes One- At the end of the day; a sales professional should not care about the people who say no.  They should only care about the ones who say yes.  In the world of our CEO, it only takes one opportunity, the right situation and the right offer, to complete his search.  For sales professionals, it only takes one person to say yes to dramatically change your view of the day.  We all get paid and rewarded by the yes’s we encounter.  We lose nothing by hearing the no’s.  We just need to not allow the no’s to stop us from moving forward to the answer we are looking to hear, the answer of “yes”.

3.       Attitude- What makes this CEO so vital to the organizations he serves?  His attitude.  He realizes that no one can make him want to do anything he doesn’t want to do.  He has to get up in the morning and want to make things happen.  This is what he needs to do and this is what he looks for in his people.  If a CEO has a group of people who want to make things happen, then his job is to now create an environment that allows each individual to maximize their productivity.

I am completely confident this quality leader will find the right opportunity in the near future.  What about you?  Do you live by these three beliefs in your daily lives; as a leader, sales professional, friend, family member, colleague and mentor?  It can be the difference to your success as a sales leader and influencer.

There are other beliefs and traits of top performing sales executives along with case studies in my new book Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way.  Get your copy today and start realizing the same results others have.