| This past week, I watched a video of our | | | | imperfect skills. You can only master something |
| youngest granddaughter that my son posted on | | | | by visualizing the correct actions so at some point |
| Facebook. He captured her as she made her first | | | | you need training and then you need to apply |
| efforts to stand. What a treat! She was so proud | | | | your skills. I've had numerous times where I |
| of herself and excited as she wobbled trying to | | | | thought I'd mentally practiced saying something |
| learn balance. She had a good grip on the pole | | | | only to discover that it failed to flow smoothly off |
| she'd used to pull herself up. She'd let go with only | | | | my tongue when I had to say it out loud. |
| one hand just pleased as could be. Naturally, | | | | Use Role Playing to Improve without Blowing |
| daddy heaped praise on her too. Watching her, I | | | | Opportunities with Prospects |
| remembered that babies have a lot to teach us | | | | But instead of using your sales skills first on real |
| about success in sales. | | | | prospects, do some role playing during sales |
| All success in life starts with failures | | | | training or sales meetings. You can also get a |
| Think about your experiences watching infants | | | | friend to practice with. It took me decades to |
| learn to stand, walk and talk. It fascinates me | | | | appreciate this because I grew up with such |
| that infants are risk takers. Survival demands it. | | | | pressure to be perfect that I dreaded criticism. |
| When we learn to stand and then to walk, we | | | | So, to the best of your ability, make sure that |
| spend more time falling than we do standing or | | | | your sales trainer is someone who's supportive |
| walking. The exciting thing is that everyone | | | | and encouraging through your efforts. Mean |
| praises these early efforts. The same goes for | | | | spirited critiques kill your spirit. |
| learning to talk. Have you ever strove to | | | | Likewise, when you do live sales calls, whether on |
| understand a toddler's gibberish? They try so hard | | | | the phone or in person, do your own review. |
| to communicate. They're so sincere and | | | | What went well? What could be changed to |
| committed. Yet the process normally takes | | | | become better? No matter how many years you |
| months, even years to become clear enough that | | | | are in sales, there will always be another step to |
| people can understand anything more than the | | | | become better, another refinement. This means |
| most basic images. | | | | that you will always have small failures to work |
| Yet somewhere along the line we forget that all | | | | on. |
| life's activity takes failure before we succeed at | | | | Your Choice, Use Failure to Succeed or to Quit |
| new skills. This is especially true in sales and | | | | The key to success in sales lies in what you do |
| marketing. The more complex something is, the | | | | about failure. Apply the lessons babies have to |
| more failure we'll have to deal with. Good sales | | | | teach us in order to succeed in sales and |
| ability involves numerous skills, each of which we | | | | marketing. Use your failures to improve. Like my |
| must master. | | | | granddaughter's wobbling as she learns her |
| Use Visualization to Ingrain Skills But Not to | | | | balance, fail, correct, try again. Eventually you get |
| Replace Live Practice | | | | your balance. And like walking, you'll occasionally |
| One way to succeed in sales is to visualize your | | | | stumble so review and adjust to become ever |
| sales calls, just like great athletes use visualization | | | | better. You too can find that sales is fun, fulfilling |
| to improve their games. However, like the cliche | | | | and mutually rewarding. |
| about practice, imperfect visualization makes for | | | | |