A Girl’s Best Friend?

SHOES VERSUS DIAMONDS…Super Salesperson Virginia Munden (Remax Legacy, Mississauga/Oakville, ON) humorously pointed out to me the other day that "Bruce, diamonds are not a girl's best friend… shoes are!" Now that's funny, and much more economical. (check out Virginia on Facebook… not only does she break records every year with her sales results, she's also the "Queen of Social Media". She really makes it work for her) Back to today's message… one of the most famous pairs of shoes of course were worn by Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. You guessed it… the Ruby Slippers. These very special shoes took Dorothy on an amazing journey as she "followed the yellow brick road" to get her wishes answered.

 

This is a great segue into thinking about the shoes you're wearing and are they in fact helping you follow the yellow brick road? Are they taking you where you want to go? Most Salespeople are hard workers. To continue the metaphor – you put your shoes on every day and follow the road that you hope will take you to the next level in your business.

 

Here is your ACTION STEP… start by making sure that your "ruby slippers" fit nice and comfortably. Next, it is critical to decide whether or not you are on the "right road". Will it get you where you want to go? The danger is that if you start out on the wrong road… or if you take a wrong turn… you're never going to get to the Land of Oz. You are going to end up with unsatisfactory results and a lot of frustration. Here's some ideas to make sure you are on the right road…

 

AM I ON THE RIGHT ROAD?

 

1. Do I work with thirty-day leads most of the time or do I keep trying to convert long-term leads?

 

2. Am I constantly looking for new business or am I hoping the phone will ring? How many people do I really talk to every day?

 

3. Am I designing my business around my strengths or am I following a "road" that someone else put me on?

 

4. Do I really ask for the business ("Are you ready to go ahead?" or "Who can you refer to me?") or do I wait for them to say yes in an effort to avoid rejection?

 

5. Do I really have a passion for what I'm doing ("I am a great Salesperson!") or am I just waiting for something inspiring to come along?

 

6. How open is my mind to new ideas and techniques? How often do I take on new objection handlers, new presentation techniques, new closes? (Acid Test: does my response to that suggestion often start with "Yeah but…"?)

 

How do your "ruby slippers" fit? How do you feel about the "yellow brick road you are following"? The real challenge is to make sure that the path you are on is going to get you where you want to go. It doesn't happen overnight, it's never easy. The best news is that when you do the right things and follow solid guidance, you are almost assured of having your wishes answered. Just like Dorothy did. Virginia Munden is right… your "shoes are your best friend". Put the right shoes on, follow the right path, don't stray and you will get there. NO Excuses.