What separates successful salespeople from the rest?  I have met many over the last twenty-five years, and these are the seven basic principles they all seem to share:

1. They have goals.  They make them tangible and real.  I’ll never forget an advertising representative I met during a break at a program I was doing for The Los Angeles Daily News back in the mid-1980’s.  She had a picture of a car she wanted to buy under the glass on her desk.  She told me she came in and looked at it every single day and it gave her the motivation to keep working toward her goal!
2. They budget for knowledge.  If you think knowledge is expensive, try ignorance!  Top producers like learning and they like getting better.  During the days I came up, I bought tape cassettes.  Today I buy CDs and can download sound files into an MP3 player.  Indeed, many conventions today record sessions to make them available to attendees!   I loved audio even more than video because I could listen in my car or take it to the pool on a Saturday afternoon!
   
   People would ask me how I knew which programs to buy; I would tell them it’s simple:  Buy ALL you can afford.  If I had five programs available to purchase, I’d tell myself, `Somewhere in those five programs, I’ll bet there is ONE idea that will make me a lot of money IF I actually find it and act on it.’  I knew if I bought one program, I would have a 20% chance of finding that one idea – that’s an 80% chance of failure.  But, if I bought all five programs, I had a 100% chance of finding the idea I needed.  I have never been disappointed following that practice.
3. They plan.  Abraham Lincoln once said if had three hours to cut down a tree, he’d use two of them to sharpen his ax.   Obviously, you wouldn’t use your ‘A’ time for planning; but, it does show how important planning is as part of the process.   Working without a plan is like walking around a giant mall hoping you stumble onto the store you’re seeking.  You may get there, but it will take a lot longer and you could have accomplished a lot more if you’d known the route in the first place.
4. They have a tracking system.  They know how their time is spent and what they’re getting in return.  I’ve talked about this in another blog.
5. They go the extra mile.  I call it the ‘extra 10%’.  I first learned how valuable the ‘extra 10%’ is from my father.  He told me if I saved 10% of everything I made in my lifetime… and put in just 10% more than anyone around me… I would be financially and professionally successful and never have to worry.  He was right.  I’ve also noticed that other successful people do the same thing.
6. They love to practice.  Successful salespeople don’t see it as working at role-plays, they see it as having fun in the ‘batting cage’.   And, when done right, it IS a lot of fun!  They love to hone skills and enjoy actually using them in the field.  What’s interesting is that some of the people they sell to actually admire it – and probably wish their salespeople would do the same!
7. Give clients and customers more than they think they bought!  This usually means they ‘overkill’ on service.   Joe Gandolfo was at one time America’s #1 car salesman.  He didn’t own the dealership, he was a salesman; but, he was #1 in the entire U.S.!  In his book, Selling Is 2% Product Knowledge, he says he told his customers not to go to the service department for service.  He said, “Bring the car to me and let me take it to the service department!”  He worked hard and longer than most (see #5), but that personal touch mattered.  He had customers who bought every car from him – because their parents did…. And later, their children did, too.  And, speaking of giving them more…
8. Number 8 of the 7 Basic Principles is this:  Recognize there is no free lunch.  Respect and trust is earned; it’s not a gift.  You probably have your own stories here.

Follow these seven basic principles and there’s no stopping your success.

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