In 1982, I remember asking myself two questions before stepping up to the microphone, “What difference are you going to make? How are you going to improve upon the silence? 42 years later, I am still asking myself these same two questions.
In a few weeks, I will be presenting at an annual sales meeting consisting of medical device sales professionals. You can be sure that these two questions will be fresh on my mind.
And the fact of the matter is that every sales professional who is reading my column today (can be, and perhaps should be) asking yourself these same two questions prior to meeting with your next prospect/client. “What difference are you going to make and how are you planning to improve upon the silence.”
The title of my speech is going to be Going from Good to Great. I will be sharing eight ideas designed to prepare the team for a marked improvement.
But before launching into my full-blown presentation, I plan on asking the group three more thought-provoking questions.
- “If you could change just one thing to make your company a better place to work, what would that one thing be?
- As a professional salesperson, how would you grade yourself today from 1-10 …. with 10 being the best?
- As a person worth knowing, how would you grade yourself today from 1-10 ….. with 10 being the best?
I admit, there will be a method behind my madness. I will be hoping the answer to question one will be “me.” The only thing they are in a position to change for the better is themselves. (How did you answer question #1?)
I expect the rating for the next two questions will fall with the 6-8 range. I will then applaud them for the self-confidence before telling them I was looking for a rating of 5 or 6 in each instance. Reason being that sales professionals are competitors by their very nature and there is so much room for improvement when it comes to enhancing one’s professionalism and personal attractiveness.f
Mike Marchev is always looking for a few more proactive travel professionals to join his Sales and Marketing Club, mike@mikemarchev.com.
*** You want more to think about? Check out my weekly podcast (Miked Up Marchev). Also listed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, and iHeartRadio.
