---
title: "The Three Key Elements for Salespeople's Fastest Self-Improvement"
description: "In marketing practice, among 100 salespeople, only one rises to director level or above, and about ten reach manager level, while others remain at the salesperson level. The author identifies three factors that set them apart: clear goals, self-discipline, and continuous learning."
author: "梁胜威"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
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published: "2017-02-16"
language: "en"
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# The Three Key Elements for Salespeople's Fastest Self-Improvement

> In marketing practice, among 100 salespeople, only one rises to director level or above, and about ten reach manager level, while others remain at the salesperson level. The author identifies three factors that set them apart: clear goals, self-discipline, and continuous learning.

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In marketing practice, we often see a phenomenon: among 100 salespeople, only 1 can rise to director level or above, about 10 rise to manager level or above, while others remain at the salesperson level. What causes this result? After years of observation and research, the author found that the following three points set them apart.
**1. Goals**
What drives people forward? Life? Work? Study? Answers vary. **According to surveys, career success is often the result of two drives: goal-driven and resource-driven.** Over 90% of successful people are goal-driven, whether it's life goals, work goals, or study goals, ultimately falling into one goal. Resource-driven people are often mediocre, with a relatively low success rate, unless they are given a heaven-sent opportunity.
**Therefore, to achieve a career, one must first set a goal.** Without a goal, success is difficult, just as humans cannot survive without air. Without clear goals, or with non-specific goals, even hard work is futile; instead, diligence becomes useless effort. Without a goal, one is like a ship without a rudder, drifting aimlessly, only to reach the shores of disappointment and failure. There is a saying: diligence is not a guarantee of success, but failure often comes from doing useless work and wasting time.
History has many such examples. When Liu Bang and Xiang Yu saw Qin Shi Huang in their early years, they each set their own goals. Liu Bang praised, "Ah, a true man should be like this!" From this, we see Liu Bang's affirmation of Qin Shi Huang's achievements, and his "broad-mindedness" is evident in his goal. Xiang Yu said, "He can be replaced by me." This shows Xiang Yu's arrogance and selfish desires, but he also set his own goal. Although their goals were roughly the same, their different personalities led to different outcomes in their careers. If they hadn't had such grand goals, there would have been no Chu-Han Contention, and no Liu dynasty's centuries-long rule. This shows that although goals vary from person to person, goal-driven motivation is indispensable.
There is also an interesting story about the relationship between goals and life success. A father took his three children to the desert to hunt camels. When they reached their destination, the father asked the youngest, "What do you see?" The youngest replied, "I see a hunting rifle, camels, and an endless desert." The father shook his head and said, "No." He asked the same question to the second child. The second replied, "I see Dad, eldest brother, younger brother, a hunting rifle, camels, and an endless desert." The father shook his head again and said, "No." He asked the same question to the eldest. The eldest replied, "I only see camels." The father nodded happily and said, "Correct." This story tells us: if one wants to walk the path to success, one must first have a clear goal. Once the goal is set, one must focus wholeheartedly, concentrate all energy, and advance bravely.
In reality, most salespeople are resource-driven and lack goals, so most find it hard to be promoted to manager or director, and struggle to become career successes. **Therefore, I believe that to improve themselves, salespeople must set clear business goals and promotion goals. Short-term, medium-term, and long-term, quantitative and qualitative goals should be clearly outlined. Only then can you become the eldest in the story!**
**2. Self-discipline**
What is self-discipline? Self-discipline is self-control, learning to restrain one's emotions, and using a strict schedule to control habits, routines, and daily behavior. Self-discipline is essentially forging good habits and character.
Self-discipline has ancient roots; the ancients called it "shendu" (being cautious when alone). "Shendu" means that when one is alone, one can consciously be strict with oneself, carefully consider one's thoughts and actions, and prevent immoral desires and behaviors, so that morality accompanies the individual at all times. Of course, few can achieve "shendu."
There are many stories about self-discipline.
Xu Heng was an outstanding thinker, educator, and astronomer in ancient China. Legend has it that one summer, Xu Heng fled with many others. When passing through Heyang, due to the long journey and hot weather, everyone was hungry and thirsty. Suddenly, someone discovered a large pear tree nearby, full of sweet pears. Everyone scrambled to climb the tree to pick pears, except Xu Heng, who sat upright under the tree, unmoved. People found it strange, and someone asked him, "Why don't you pick a pear to quench your thirst?" Xu Heng replied, "It's not my pear; how can I pick it casually?" The questioner laughed and said, "The situation is chaotic now; everyone is fleeing. The owner of this pear tree is not here. Since the owner is absent, why do you care?"
Xu Heng said, "The pear tree has lost its owner, but has my heart also lost its owner?" Xu Heng remained self-disciplined and did not pick the pears.
Former Chinese richest man Li Ka-shing was known for his diligence and self-discipline. His schedule is famous: no matter when he sleeps, he wakes up at 5:59 a.m. when the alarm rings; then reads news, plays golf for an hour and a half; then goes to the office to start the day's work. Whether it's windy or rainy, or welcoming visitors, this routine has remained unchanged for decades.
**Self-disciplined people not only achieve themselves but also influence others.** A story goes that in a Japanese class at an American university, a woman in her 50s suddenly appeared. At first, no one found it strange. In this country, everyone can do what they enjoy. But after a while, young people discovered that this woman was not there to fill emptiness after retirement. Every morning, she was always the first to arrive, reviewing lessons and seriously following the teacher's reading. When the teacher asked questions, she would sweat. But her notes were neat and tidy. Soon, young people borrowed her notes for reference. Before each exam, she was nervous and reviewed thoroughly. One day, the old professor said to the young people, "Parents must be self-disciplined to educate their children well. You can ask this respectable lady; she must have well-bred children." Upon inquiry, indeed, this lady was Zhu Mulan, and her daughter was the first Chinese-American female cabinet member in the U.S.—Elaine Chao.
**Many self-disciplined people are almost self-abusive.** The successful people in my impression are all strict self-disciplined types: either self-abusive or abusive to others, or both.
**IBM founder Watson is said to be such a person who had both. He required all salespeople not to enter bars to drink, and must wear white shirts, ties, and leather shoes.** He established IBM schools to train all IBM employees. All employees entering IBM had to sing the "IBM Song," with no exceptions. It was Watson's self-discipline and strictness that built the IBM empire that stands firm today.
In fact, isn't every successful person managing themselves like professional athletes? They are very self-disciplined in daily habits such as sleep, diet, hobbies, physical strength, and desires. If one can achieve this, that is, controlling one's mouth, moving one's legs, and running or exercising every night, then one's work will not be too bad.
**So, to become an excellent marketing executive, you must start with self-discipline.** Sales work often goes against self-discipline because salespeople often start with laxity. If you drink at a dinner tonight, can you get up on time tomorrow? Can you get to work on time? These challenge your self-discipline.
**3. Learning**
What is the fastest way to improve yourself? It is learning and practice. Learn in practice, practice in learning. There are three methods of learning: learning from books, learning from others, and learning from oneself.
Books are the ladder of human progress, the passport to the future. Books, especially classics, are the crystallization of human experience and practice. The difference between people is largely due to different education, knowledge, and acceptance, resulting in different understanding of things and different judgments. Modern society is an era of fast-food culture and learning through mobile phones; only a few people still read classics, but in any case, only those who know how to learn from classics progress fastest.
**Learning from others first means finding a good mentor.** As the saying goes, "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles; traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as having a good mentor." A good mentor can quickly guide you onto the right path and avoid detours. Most successful people have good mentors, some known, some unknown, but they always have one. Salespeople must identify a good mentor who can guide them. Ask any successful person: don't they have mentors? Even a famous person like Li Ka-shing had his own good mentor; in his early years, he was guided by his uncle, who was also his father-in-law and chairman of the chamber of commerce. Smart people usually find someone they deem necessary as their life and career mentor.
**Learning from oneself means constantly summarizing one's past,** seeing what was done right and what was done wrong. Smart people never repeat the same mistakes. Character determines life, but character can also be changed; the key is whether you are willing to change.
**Since ancient times, those who are good at summarizing are the fastest progressors and remarkable figures.**
Mao Zedong was a person very good at summarizing. In military affairs, he summarized many strategies and tactics. From December 25 to 28, 1947, the Central Committee of the Communist Party held an enlarged meeting in Yangjiagou, Mizhi County, northern Shaanxi. Mao Zedong delivered the report "The Present Situation and Our Tasks" at the meeting. In this report, he proposed the famous "Ten Military Principles." The main contents are: first strike dispersed and isolated enemies, then strike concentrated and powerful enemies; first take small cities, medium cities, and vast rural areas, then take large cities; make the annihilation of enemy effective strength the main objective, not the defense or capture of cities and places; in each battle, concentrate absolutely superior forces, encircle the enemy on all sides, strive for complete annihilation, and not let any escape; do not fight unprepared battles, do not fight battles without certainty of victory; promote the style of brave fighting, not fearing sacrifice, not fearing fatigue, and continuous operations; strive to annihilate the enemy in movement, while paying attention to positional attack tactics; on the issue of attacking cities, resolutely seize all enemy strongholds and cities with weak defenses, seize when appropriate those with medium defenses, and wait for conditions to mature before seizing those with strong defenses; replenish oneself with all enemy weapons and most of the enemy's personnel; the main source of our manpower and material resources is at the front; make good use of the intervals between campaigns to rest and train troops. This is the entire military secret of the People's Liberation Army in defeating the superior with the inferior and the strong with the weak. It was precisely by using these strategies and tactics that the PLA later swept forward and achieved absolute victory in the War of Liberation!
In marketing, Philip Kotler is also a mentor good at summarizing. He summarized the "4P marketing" theory of the industrial era, which has guided and directed China's marketing practice for over 30 years. To become a rapidly growing marketer, we should also learn from Philip Kotler, learn from predecessors who are good at summarizing, learn their summarizing ability, and then conduct self-summarization. I believe your future will be bright!
The above may be the three key elements for the fastest self-improvement that you never knew.
Introduction: Liang Shengwei, twelve years of marketing management, ten years of enterprise consulting management; former marketing director of Guangdong C&S Paper Group, assistant general manager of Guangdong Huihailong Group; published over 200 management and marketing articles in various management and marketing magazines and websites; in recent years, focused on research and promotion of "internal management model for quasi-listed companies"; marketing expert, management expert; currently serves as marketing and management consultant for multiple companies.
Contact email: lsw812@163.com
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