Hey everybody, Charlie Hauck here for another Fast Tip Friday. Lately, I've been working with a lot of clients that have been expanding their sales teams. They've been adding a lot of new people to their teams because, frankly, the market will support it, and there's enough business out there that the need for more people is real.
It's not just because we can. It's because we need to. But one of the things that goes with that growth opportunity is a challenge for these people that are hired to new positions and new companies and in some cases, new industries, new businesses all together, to get these people up and profitable.
So there's one thing I'd like to say to the people that are hiring those newbies and the people that are those newbies that I think is real important as you kick off this new endeavor, this new commitment to each other, and the success that you both want. There's no such thing as getting ready to get ready.
What that means to me is there are a lot of people that are sitting on the sidelines waiting for the right moment to get in the game, but they won't get in the game until they think they know everything because they're so afraid of having to say, frankly, “You know what? I don't have enough experience to give you the right answer.” So rather than face that dilemma of wanting to succeed but being afraid to fail, they often stay on the sidelines waiting until they've sucked enough knowledge into their heads, read enough product literature, and think they're armed and ready for anything that anyone can ask them. Frankly, between you and me, that's an absolutely unreasonable expectation for anyone to have.
You'll never know every question. You'll never know every answer. You just have to have enough confidence to deal with it. In my experience, in over 35 years of coaching and training people in business development, I've found without one bit of hesitation, that the best place to learn what you need to know to succeed in selling the product or service that you're selling is to go talk to the people that will buy it from you.
They will tell you what you need to know. They will tell you what's important to them. They will tell you why it's important to them. And most of those people are good and gracious people and they love sharing their expertise and wisdom with new people that aren't afraid to say, “Can you help me here?” So if you're in the mode right now of getting ready to get ready, knock it off, get out there, ask some questions yourself.
What do you need me to know to be more valuable to you? What's the best rep do that other reps don't? Do you use this product? Can you tell me how you use it and why it's important? Let the people that know the product teach you about the product instead of trying to learn it from a book or a video or some manufacturers online portal go out into the marketplace, admit you're new, cherish the experience and let that grow with you and help you develop the courage and commitment you need to be successful.
Thanks for listening. Get up off the couch. Get away from behind your desk and go make money. Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching. Take care.
