Attitude is the first path
to sales success. In this context, attitude refers to both a
positive, persistent approach to the business and an outward focus to embrace the best interests of the client.
both an attitude about the business and a sales strategy.
The intertwining results from the dependency one path
may have on another. Consider: Experimenting with
different marketing approaches (a component of
the Sales Strategy Path) is bolstered by possession of the business tools and discipline needed to analyze results (part
of the Business Practices Path).
The Attitude Path
The positive persistency displayed by High-Growth
Producers should not be confused with the spouting of
feel-good platitudes. In this context, attitude is not about
convincing yourself that the glass on a sinking ship is half
full. It’s about realizing there’s a big problem and doing
something about it. Nor is the attitude of High-Growth
Producers the act of seeing only the positive side of every
situation. It’s about seeing the world as it is and taking realistic steps to improve it.
This is not a knock on those who always see the glass as
half full and focus only on the positive. These approaches
may make you feel better for a while (until the ship goes
under, for instance), but they do not seem to correlate
with more sales.
Attitude refers
to both a positive,
persistent approach to
the business and an
outward focus to embrace
the best interests of the client.
High-Growth Producers are not naïve. They are, how
ever, more positive and excited about their profession
than their less-successful competitors. They take more
pleasure from the sales process. For example, High-Growth Producers were more likely to enjoy educating
their clients than Low- and No-Growth Producers. They
viewed the future in a positive light and they more often
found selling their products “enjoyable and stimulating.”
Part of the Trailblazed Sales Project survey asked participants, “What advice would you give an agent entering the
business?” Unlike other elements of the survey that required responses such as rating statements on a scale of
one to five, this question was open-ended. The answers
were diverse, candid and illuminating.
A successful Texas producer offered, “You can expect
more back than you’re giving out.” Another, from
California, noted that “if you’re getting into [the business]
