A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about getting advice on my batting stance and improving my swing. My trainer pointed out several…okay…many things I was doing wrong and he made suggestions on how to hit the ball further.
Since then I have invested some time at a local batting cage practicing what he told me.
During my most recent practice it dawned on me that I had I gone to the batting cage before soliciting Joe’s advice and expertise, I would have wasted my time because I would have focused on improving the wrong things.
Having conducted hundreds of sales training workshops over the last 16+ years, I have discovered that many sales people don’t know what they are doing wrong.
They spin their wheels and beat their head against a wall trying to improve but they still get the same results.
Unfortunately, these individual’s don’t usually know what’s broken.
I often hear sales people say, “I took training before” or “I’ve been selling long enough to know what works” or “I know everything about my products.”
In order to improve our results we need to understand what isn’t working or, in other words, what’s broken.
And the best way to do this is to get advice from someone else.
Many sales experts suggest that you talk to a top performer in your own company and seek their feedback. This can work…sometimes.
The problem with this approach is that that top performer may not be able to identify where you need to improve. In most cases, they will simply tell you what works for them.
When I originally thought about getting advice for my batting I considered talking to some of the good hitters on my team. But then I realized it would make more sense to discuss it with someone who was not only an athlete but someone who knew what to look for.
Even though it’s been only a couple of weeks I know I made the right decision.
My swing has improved.
I am connecting better with the ball.
I still need a lot of work and practise but I can see the difference already.
If you are serious about improving your sales consider seeking advice from someone who can help you pinpoint exactly what you’re doing wrong and what you need to do differently to achieve better results. The investment will be well worth it.
Tomorrow’s post will focus on how you can find the right help to improve your sales.
