How to Be A Sales Superstar: Break All the Rules and Succeed While Doing it

Chapter 7. Lead Generation = $ Creation

Why Over 90 percent of Salespeople Underachieve

As a salesperson, you must view what you do as a business, instead of simply a job. You must take total ownership for both the good and bad results that you produce. If you are employed by a company, look at your paycheck each pay period, and know that you are responsible for the amount that's there. The company merely gives you a check; you fill in the numbers. If you run your own business, your accountant prints out a financial statement; but again, you fill in the numbers. Whatever your official status is, you need to realize that a business or a career rises or falls based on two areas of competency—people skills and marketing skills. You have to become an expert at marketing, and produce a steady stream of customers to become a sales superstar.

Sales people who have great sales and people skills but who are poor marketers will struggle in today's economy. In 1950, the average person was probably exposed to about 100 marketing messages a day, and of these 100 messages, maybe ten would ask the customer to buy something or do something now. By 1980, this number had risen to an exposure of 1,000 messages daily, with 100 of those asking the person to buy or take action. Fast forward to today and those numbers are probably more like 10,000 messages a day with 1,000 being action-oriented. The bottom line is that there is a tremendous amount of competition for the attention of your potential customers. ...