Write it down…
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For those of you in living in a cave since 1986 I am referring to the “friendly” antagonists from the movie Top Gun. Tom Cruise’s “Maverick” is the adorable rogue on one end of the personal discipline spectrum while Val Kilmer is the obnoxiously perfect opposite end as “Iceman”.
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I’ve asked this question a number of times in rooms full of sales people and, even though every instinct in their body is telling them it’s a trick question, they leap out of their chairs to declare that they are Maverick.
Who wouldn’t want to be? He’s cool, he’s funny, he lives with reckless abandon, he’s not afraid to fail, he gets the girl, and he saves the day… And that’s what sales people do too, right? Life of the party we are!
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Well if Maverick is zero and Iceman is one hundred on the professional discipline scale, I want to hire sales people at 75, much closer to Iceman than to Maverick. By the way, I also want this from my airline pilots and my brain surgeons. Outside of the movies (even inside if you think about what happens in Top Gun (no spoiler for you cave dwellers)) most professions require discipline. And sales is no different.
- Learn about your products and market
- Research your customers and prospects
- Approach them in a professionally persistent way
Then diligently follow an integrated buy/sell process that highlights the value of your solution relative to their need and you will be consistently successful.
Got it? Good Luck!
Please comment. It would be great to have a conversation about selling and to hear a story or two. If I don’t reply instantly, feel free to talk amongst yourselves until I get back ;-).Good luck and good selling!
Image by Vince Vassallo via http://vincevassallo.blogspot.ca/