Most people are by definition: average. And because most salespeople are average it’s easy to find a sample population to study to determine the way they act that is different from the way top performers act. Because our team at Southwestern Consulting is dedicated to helping people become Top Producers we also study what keeps average people – average.
The number one trait that average salespeople exhibit is they subconsciously (or consciously) start working to avoid nos, rather than working the numbers to find the yeses. Here are the 4 most common activities that mediocre salespeople engage in when they get in the mental state of “avoiding nos”:
- They skip around in their Territory – Because they aren’t getting yeses fast enough the thought occurs to them that they should try to work smarter. They will exhibit behaviors such as spending a lot of time in between sales calls trying to be strategic about who to call, or considering what the best territory is to work. They end up making less calls and building less momentum and obviously get less results.
- They change-up their selling technique – Regularly we see average salespeople decide that the problem is what they are saying. In an effort to avoid nos they decide to do things like spend time re-writing scripts, or studying in the middle of prime time prospecting hours. It is deceptive because it can appear to both them and the people around them that they are striving to improve but it is actually creative avoidance.
- They allow themselves to be overwhelmed – A common characteristic is you’ll see these people spend time trying to get “re-organized” or they’ll want to calculate exactly how far they are behind. They create a story that if they can rework a plan then that will be what helps them break loose. What actually happens is they are spending more time avoiding getting nos.
- They start to question their purpose – Feeling like they’ve tried everything (except actually just working) they begin to question if they are in the right situation or position. This phase is often represented by asking their mentors (many times outside their current company or team) for advice and recommendations on what they should do. They start looking for a new set of circumstances not realizing that the problem is actually their own attitude.
The biggest thing that needs to change is shifting their attitude from avoiding nos to embracing nos and working to get as many nos as possible. That mindset comes from having one key epiphany which is understanding that the easiest way to get more yeses is to get more nos. It re-shapes their perspective on a no as “bad.”
If you are working with one of these people, be sensitive to understanding that it is a very tough emotional place for a person to be in. The best you can do is lead by example and reinforce for them that the only thing that matters is to get aggressive about making more calls; which is something in their total control.
[This post was inspired by Lester Crafton and Jennifer Payne of The Southwestern Family of companies]
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Rory Vaden
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