Personal growth doesn’t occur randomly or by accident. You must make it happen. Here are eight tips that will help salespeople achieve personal growth:
- Believe in yourself. Some salespeople never attain their full potential because they have poor self-esteem. They don’t believe they deserve to grow. To improve your self-image, don’t engage in negative self-conversations. Become a cheerleader for yourself. Comparing yourself to others is a fruitless exercise. Instead, compare yourself to you. Always be positive with yourself.
- Embrace discipline daily. Personal improvement requires time, hard work and consistency. Without discipline, you can’t grow or accomplish anything of value. Having a purpose is not enough. Try to pinpoint areas where you need to improve.
- Become highly strategic. Some salespeople take control of their lives, while others let life happen to them. Instead of choosing, try to develop a strategic mindset so you can operate with a clear sense of urgency. Being strategic means designing what you want your career to be.
- Turn negatives into positives. Selling is a career with many ups and downs. Try to make optimism your basic frame of reference. Embrace the value of bad experiences. Treat each trial as an opportunity to learn and grow. Make changes after learning from bad experiences.
- Get used to stretching yourself. Some salespeople don’t stretch themselves. They accept the status quo and remain stuck in their comfort zones. That makes it harder for them to grow. Be willing to try things that have stymied you in the past. Think about the goals you want to achieve, and then motivate yourself to do what it takes to reach them.
- Learn to ask more questions. Intentional growth depends in part on acquiring additional knowledge. The more you learn, the more you can grow. Approach new knowledge with wonder and curiosity. Be inquisitive, and always ask “why.” Try to gain a bit of new knowledge or a fresh experience every day.
- Focus on enlarging your potential. Have you reached your full capacity as a salesperson? Could you grow more? To change your thoughts, don’t ask, “Can I?” Instead, think, “How can I?” The first question limits you but the second one opens you up to amazing possibilities. To change your actions, break out of your mold. Start doing things you’ve never done before.
- Don’t fall prey to common misperceptions that may hold you back. A few examples are:
- “I don’t know how to grow.” Start by reviewing your goals. Write down steps you can take — starting today — to reach them.
- “This is not the right time to begin.” Right now is always the best time to start a self-improvement program.
- “I’m afraid of making mistakes.” Everyone makes mistakes; learn from them.
- “I have to find the best way before I start.” To discover the best way to grow, first you must start on that path.
Adapted from: How Successful People Grow, by John Maxwell, a leadership expert and best selling author.
