Want to Be a High Performer in Sales???

In sales, everybody wants to make more money, close more deals, win more clients.

Everybody wants the results. Not everybody is willing to do the work.

After 50 years in sales, sales management, sales training, and coaching, I’ve noticed something about consistently high-performing salespeople.

They’re not necessarily the smartest people in the room.
They’re not always the most charismatic.
And they’re not always the best talkers.

What separates them from average performers?

They consistently do the things average performers only do when they feel like it.

Here are 8 things I’ve noticed about high performers:

1. They prospect EVERY day.
They don’t wait until their pipeline is empty to start looking for new business. They understand that prospecting isn’t something you do when you have time. They MAKE time.

2. They ask GREAT questions.
They’re genuinely curious about their prospects. They don’t rush to present solutions before understanding the problems.

3. They LISTEN.
Not just waiting for their turn to speak. Actually listening to understand.

4. They FOLLOW UP.
They don’t assume that silence means rejection. They understand that prospects are busy, priorities change, and persistence (without being a pest) pays off.

5. They practice.
Professional athletes practice constantly. Professional musicians rehearse. Yet some salespeople think they can become great just by showing up and making calls. They rehearse. They role-play.

6. They take RESPONSIBILITY.
They don’t blame the economy, their territory, their pricing, their competition, or Mercury being in retrograde. They focus on what they CAN control.

7. They welcome COACHING.
They know there’s always room to improve. Their ego doesn’t get in the way of their growth.

8. They do what they SAY they’re going to do.
They keep commitments to prospects, clients, managers, and, most importantly, THEMSELVES.

Here’s what I find interesting…

None of these eight things requires extraordinary talent.

They require discipline, consistency, commitment, and a willingness to get better.

High performance isn’t an event. It’s a collection of habits.

You don’t become a top performer by having one fantastic month.

You become a top performer by consistently doing the right things, ESPECIALLY on the days when you don’t feel like doing them.

And for all of us, there ARE days when we don’t feel like doing them!

Here’s my challenge to you:

Pick ONE thing from this list that you know you need to improve.

Not five. Not eight.

ONE.

Commit to working on it every single day for the next 30 days.

Because the difference between average and exceptional usually isn’t knowing WHAT to do.

It’s actually DOING IT.

Remember…

Hope is NOT a strategy, and wishing you were a high performer won’t make you one.