Читать книгу How to Be More Successful Selling Capital Goods - Christian Korte - Страница 11

MINDSET

Environment

I have already talked about the importance of your environment. This also includes your supervisor’s choices. I always recommend to everyone who asks me to choose the boss and not the company. A bad boss who leads his employees on the premise of “everyone just does their job and if someone has a problem, they come to me” can be demoralizing to entire departments. It effects how the colleagues interact amongst each other and most of the time the majority of them is no longer mentally invested.

A good quote I once heard: “If you want strong performance, you have to create meaning!” This sentence says it all. Every employee needs a sense of why they are doing what they are doing. A good boss works out the “why” with his people and gives them a vision. Nobody enjoys working on a blank puzzle. Without a template (vision) it takes much longer and is very inefficient. Even more so if you are solving the puzzle with a team of people who are all getting paid for their time. A good boss takes you out of your comfort zone and allows mistakes. Experience is only gained outside this zone. You won’t find a boss like that in the help wanted ads. Ask around or ask a trusted mentor where the good leaders are. Read publications or go to events where these people speak. Once you’ve found a great boss, fight for the job. Good people are always needed in sales. Try to reach them by phone; never send in an unsolicited application. Be persistent and call their assistant every day at the same time. Send the assistant flowers or chocolates and make yourself noticed. At some point they will call you and tell you that the boss is here now and has a moment. Then your time has come.

Your tenacity will be rewarded. Convince your future boss of what a dedicated salesperson you are and how you want to achieve more for the company. This approach will be rewarded.

A good environment also includes a good coach. Ideally, this is a person who is already at the spot where you want to be at eventually. If you find it difficult to connect with them, this coach can also be someone you get to know in a book. Try to find out everything about this person. What are their visions and goals? Read all their books and listen to their podcast. If they offer seminars, try to take part in them. Eventually there will be an opportunity to speak with them in person. This is an investment in yourself. Many people buy a lot of consumer goods by taking out loans on them. Yet they invest nothing in themselves. Set an amount you want to invest in yourself each year. Invest in your mentor(s). You will get it back tenfold. Become free in your thoughts and actions. Free not in the sense of “I can do whatever I want”, but “I have the discipline and the determination to do what I set out to do”.

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If you want strong performance you have to create meaning

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Summary

Your expectations influence your inner attitude.

Do not confuse the goal with your expectations.

Try to identify and understand your customers’ expectations before each meeting. This is the only way to exceed them.

As a young professional, choose the right boss for you, not the right company.

Help Wanted ads are for people who are looking for a job. Seeking out a successful career, on the other hand, is something you need to do proactively do yourself.

What are my top 3 takeaways from this chapter?

What are the changes I may have to make to my current approach?

What can I concretely implement in the next 6 weeks?