Born or Made?

Some are born most are made. Born salespeople are as rare as painters like Monet and Picasso or basketball players like Michael Jordan and Lebron James or Tenors like Boccelli and Pavoratti. But even they did not emerge on the scene fully developed. Monet broke internal barriers and helped create the impressionist movement. Jordan spent hours in the gym and set a new standard of excellence on the court and Pavoratti took many voice lessons and practiced for hours to redefine what a powerful tenor should sound like. The difference between successful salespeople and the “also ran’s” is motivation to develop skills through consistent practice and the willingness to uncover hidden obstacles (like discomfort discussing money) and to put in the effort required to overcome the obstacle. You don’t have to be Jordan, Monet or Pavoratti to succeed. Anyone can do it if they are willing to put in the effort and they know what obstacles they need to overcome.

Singers and basketball players have coaches who make them aware the obstacles they have to overcome to progress from level to level. The individual then puts in the effort (or not) to overcome the shortcomings. If they do this enough times and put in enough energy they will eventually move up the ladder and earn large salaries as professionals. However, most never make it out of the amateur ranks and have to get a real job. Salespeople are no different except that the weaknesses are hidden. It’s obvious to even the most casual observer when a basketball player misses a shot or a singer can’t hit a note. But in sales it is not so obvious what causes a salesperson to fail. Most salespeople want to blame it on outside forces like the economy or the market or the competition. However the optimal salesperson® realizes that the obstacles to success are most often within himself. It could be lack of a particular skill or it could be an internal obstacle like fear of rejection or discomfort talking about money or a belief that it is not ok to ask a particular question. There are many hidden obstacles but just eliminating one or two makes a dramatic difference in effectiveness. If you were lucky enough to be born without some of these weaknesses, then you have a natural advantage sort of like being born 7 feet tall. But that alone will not make you successful. You must still practice and work hard to make it as a professional salesperson.

The truly great salespeople are not born that way they are the ones who got an early start in their career identifying the weaknesses they had and working diligently day by day to eliminate them. If you are not where you want to be, are you taking responsibility for identifying the weakness holding you back and working to overcome it?