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Opening remarks: "A general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers." When enterprises survive or perish in the fierce market competition, some marketing professionals rise from soldiers to generals with vigor, while others fade away from defeat to elimination in despair.
Important notes:
Salespeople have at most 5 years of "youthful prime" Marketing is very "destructive"; salespeople rely on their "youthful prime." A sales career is like a 100-meter sprint: you must cross the finish line as quickly as possible in the shortest time, or all your efforts will be in vain.
Bear pressure and achieve basic goals Like a mouse forced to sell products to a cat at midnight, salespeople are driven by sales targets. No matter how heavy the target, the pressure is on your shoulders; no matter how high the target, at least achieve the basic goals. Only then can you avoid being "dismissed."
Self-motivation prevents discouragement If you haven't experienced failure in sales, you haven't truly done sales. You encounter enough "dirty looks" every day; pour yourself a beer and tell yourself: salespeople are forged through failure and struggle; this test is just "a piece of cake"! Only by constantly motivating yourself can you avoid discouragement.
Work hard and care for family Salespeople are not lone heroes; they also have love and hate. Work hard during the day and report, and call your family at night to say hello. Salespeople work hard because they are away from family, and through hard work, they make their families' lives better.
10 "Elimination Rules" for Salespeople
Salespeople who always fail to meet targets are easily eliminated The reason for failing to meet targets may not lie with the salesperson. However, a salesperson who consistently fails to meet targets, regardless of the company's problems, will be the first to be eliminated, because managers think: the company has too many salespeople like you who fail to meet targets, so the company's performance has issues; moreover, if you always fail, the company can't afford to keep you.
Salespeople complained about by distributors are easily eliminated Most companies value distributors more than salespeople. For example, when a salesperson says a distributor should be cut, managers may not take it seriously or agree; but when a distributor complains about a salesperson, managers may immediately put a "?" or even an "X" on that salesperson.
Salespeople who talk but don't act are easily eliminated Those who have been in sales for years become "slippery old hands." They talk eloquently but don't practice in the market; soon, even their initial "three moves" are gone. Such empty-handed salespeople are unwelcome in both new and old companies.
Salespeople who like to contradict their superiors are easily eliminated No matter how incompetent your superior is, as long as they are your superior, they are at least better than you in some aspects. Liking to contradict your superior means you expose and magnify your weaknesses before seeing their strengths; can you still "get by" under such a superior? Leave quickly, or you'll be driven out.
Salespeople who are self-righteous and act on their own are easily eliminated Some salespeople, after minor achievements, start to think they are great, not following the company's strategies and plans, acting arbitrarily; when they achieve results, leaders think they are disobedient; when problems arise, they are just told to "get out."
Salespeople who complain and grumble are easily eliminated At sales meetings, there are always a few salespeople complaining about poor product quality, high prices, small promotions, little advertising, heavy tasks, etc. Within two months, such salespeople are "sent to cool off." Companies need elites who can solve real problems, not a few "observers."
Salespeople who are jealous of the capable are easily eliminated If your performance is poor and you see others doing well, you become "red-eyed": you engage in channel conflict, price cutting, and spread rumors with friends. When the truth comes out, you have to leave a role model you could learn from in disgrace.
Salespeople who self-promote are easily eliminated Some salespeople, after making some achievements, like to promote themselves online or in public, attributing all results to themselves. They forget that market performance is created by multiple departments and people; without the system support of the platform, individual salespeople's power is extremely limited.
Salespeople who falsify during business trips are easily eliminated Some salespeople exploit management loopholes: first, falsifying travel time, claiming to be on a trip when not; second, falsifying travel expenses, claiming to have spent more than they did. Once such bad habits form, they are hard to break. But "if you often walk by the river, your shoes will get wet"; once discovered by management, you'll fall into the river.
Salespeople with dissolute private lives are easily eliminated Due to long periods away from home and company supervision, a considerable number of salespeople become dissolute in their private lives. Once they fall, they can't cultivate the market like an "old ox"; they only indulge in "bars, mahjong, saunas, massages," and then vanish.
22 "Victory Rules" for Salespeople
- Survivors design themselves At a Harvard master's graduation ceremony, students were asked to write their life goals; only 3% had clear aspirations. Years later, a survey found that those with goals achieved far more than those without.
Salespeople must design themselves to clearly know how to walk their future path.
Score yourself constantly Constantly "score" yourself to discover strengths and weaknesses, and check if you can survive. The principle for scoring is "objectivity."
Obedience gives you a platform Your platform is given by the company and superiors. They give you a "place to use your talents" because you obey management and can implement their intentions. When you go from "obedience" to "disobedience" and then to "non-compliance," that may be when you lose your platform.
Focus on goals Once goals are set, they create drive, prompting salespeople to focus on them. In Taekwondo, there is a move of breaking a wooden board; whether with hand or foot, it splits. It focuses on the target, concentrating all strength on one point, making it easy to break.
Talk about methods, not difficulties "No way" is the three words salespeople should never say when facing problems or superiors' questions, but it's also the most common phrase. Even if you really have "no way," replace it with: "We need to think of new ways."
Copy company capabilities to distributors Only by pulling and helping distributors improve their operational capabilities and accelerate development can the company grow faster. Salespeople are the ones to achieve this task. Even if a salesperson's individual ability is less than a distributor's, they must be able to transmit company capabilities. Without this, salespeople won't grow and can't meet the common needs of the company and distributors.
Move your superiors with reports You work hard, but does the company and your superiors really know? Many salespeople only know market marketing, not that "internal marketing" is also needed. Use all communication channels to communicate and showcase fully, and move your superiors with reports to win more understanding and support.
Turn resistance into support Just as moving an object encounters resistance, pushing work forward means obstacles appear. At such times, find the fulcrum and lever to turn resistance into support.
For example, if others have opinions about you, analyze the real reasons; adopt correct ones immediately, and patiently communicate about wrong ones; when they "hear" you, they will "exert force." This is the difference between "resistance" and "support."
- Nothing is impossible At West Point, students are required to walk with chests out, whether in training or not. For soldiers, this is both a posture and a temperament requirement.
Salespeople must overcome negative mindsets; when superiors give orders, you must answer "I will do it," "I can," or at least "I execute" or "Yes."
Give without waiting for returns In sales, you can't do a little work and expect sales to rise immediately. Without accumulation of a lot of work, the market won't change qualitatively. Regarding market investment, always remember the "input-output ratio," but for personal gain, when you work with the mindset of "give without waiting for returns," one day you'll find your seeds have sprouted, blossomed, and borne fruit!
Face setbacks correctly Without setbacks, there is no success. Learning lessons from setbacks and summarizing experience in time is crucial in a sales career. Salespeople should do three steps: summarize experience, build confidence, and seek new opportunities.
Not only do setbacks you've experienced give you more experience in similar projects, but also through others' setbacks, you can re-test your summarized experience, continuously improve it, and increase your chances of success.
- Spend time on the cutting edge Only through effective time management can you do things well in less time, organize your work, achieve better results, and gain greater satisfaction.
Effective time management generally follows four steps: list work items, prioritize them by importance; set completion times and plans for each; turn into an action calendar—planning level; draft a to-do list and execute—execution level.
Record every day well Companies may not be able to manage you with "3E management," but you should learn to manage every day and every thing yourself. By keeping a "marketing diary" daily, you not only arrange your day but also see your growth curve—it's so "beautiful."
Be a responsible person Salespeople must be responsible to four types of people: first, consumers; second, channel partners; third, the company (legal entity); fourth, themselves and their families.
Emulate the person you want to become Whether inside or outside the company, there are people worth learning from. Find someone you want to become, set them as your goal, first emulate their words and deeds, then learn from their thinking and methods, and you'll gradually shape a new self.
Learn to smile and praise others Being appreciated is a spiritual need everyone desires. Smiling opens the door to friendship and helps build good relationships. While smiling, learn to praise others: praise has infinite power. Churchill said: "If you want a person to have a virtue, praise him for it."
Smiling and praising will win you a harmonious work environment.
Listen to others before speaking Good listeners are also good observers. Salespeople should be adept at discerning the inner world of speakers from both content and non-verbal cues, value others' opinions, give positive feedback, and gain recognition. When appropriate, repeat key points to show interest and seriousness, making the other feel respected.
Integrate into the team and work together Ornithologists found that a single flying goose or a straggler, no matter how strong, has almost zero chance of reaching the destination. Why? Because the flock forms various shapes that use atmospheric buoyancy and wind direction, so each goose expends little energy. For the flock, 1+1 is definitely greater than 2—this is team effectiveness.
Salespeople should get along with team members and achieve collaboration by overcoming three chronic problems: attacking others, being argumentative, and arrogance.
Find a mentor In your marketing career, you'll encounter many unfamiliar fields. How to adapt and respond effectively in the shortest time? Salespeople need to sincerely find a mentor who can guide you when you're in a dilemma.
Determine monthly must-read books and newspapers Books and newspapers are windows for salespeople to grasp the latest market trends and marketing methods. During the day, work hard; at night, read hard. Summarize experience in practice and elevate in theory; you'll become a "dual-capable" salesperson who can both do and speak.
Be grateful to everyone in happiness Finding happiness in work income, friends, family, and society is a realm. It's because of the help of everyone related to you that you have today's job, friends, and wealth. The more people you're grateful for, the greater your achievements and the more connections and wealth you accumulate.
Become the superior's favorite Becoming the superior's favorite doesn't mean "PMP" or "MPMP." Superiors may occasionally need "PMP," but they truly like salespeople who can be models for others. If you want to be the favorite, start with the "10 Elimination and 22 Victory Rules" for salespeople's survival and promotion.
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