Stay Open to Possibilities

"I Never Learned How Not To Do What I Can't Do"

Sales trainer Tibor Shanto heard the above expression on the radio the other day, and was taken with the fantastic outlook it presented. Here are his thoughts on how it applies to you as a sales professional:

"As a sales coach, and in corporate life I can't tell you how many times I have seen good sales people limit their opportunities by taking up the opposite mantra, and strictly focusing on how to succeed at not doing things they currently can't, won't or even consider doing," says Shanto. "Let's be clear - we are talking about perfectly legal things done daily by successful sales professionals every day. As a result they end up making less money than they could, but more importantly end up enjoying their jobs less than those open to possibilities."

"What I have always been curious about is where they learned that they can't do what they don't do, especially having never done those things. I have written before about the "I couldn't do that", but this is different; in that case those people were reluctant to change or take on new things. Here we are talking about people who cannot fathom the possibilities, rather than just reject them due to the effort or change involved.

The freedom of curiosity that come with the attitude of not learning what you don't know is not only liberating, but makes life fun even when faced with challenging and frustrating situations.

As a salesperson, I am challenged everyday, I know how failure and giving up looks and feels like, been there done that, it's OK and repetitive. But the wonder of the unknown, now that's a high, knowing how it ends, but not always knowing what it will take to get there, how deep inside I'll have to reach to get the deal, is exhilarating. What will I have to do to get the next high; the next grade of nastiness is much more rewarding than the outcome, i.e. a deal and the commission. But not giving it a go because one thinks they can't do it is just average - which is not you, right?

Tibor Shanto brings over 20 years of sales experience to Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., from telemarketing to leading a global sales team focused on providing top end solutions. Tibor has helped to improve performance for sales professionals in a wide variety of fields, from financial services to on-line B2B specialists.