04/09/2012

Discipline is a Good Thing for Salespeople

By Tom Reilly, author of Value-Added Selling (McGraw-Hill, 2010)

…For salespeople, discipline is the difference between feeling organized and agonized. It is pushing through when all else tells you to quit. It is resisting the seductive powers of the urgent for the important. You can develop this strength by doing these things:

1. Plan every call in writing.
2. Review every call immediately after making it.
3. Follow up on your promises on a timely basis.
4. Begin each week and day by listing your priorities, and pursue them in order of importance.
5. Proof read twice everything you create, and then proof it again.
6. Resolve to return all calls on the day you receive the message.
7. Respond to emails immediately.
8. Complete paperwork on time, every time.
9. Resolve to daily professional study.
10. Practice discipline in your pricing. Resist the urge to cave when buyers object.

Discipline is something you develop for yourself, not something you do to yourself. Treat discipline as a gift you are giving yourself, not something you mete out for your failing to perform. If you live your life with discipline and commit to the best practices of your profession, you will discover the meaning of Harry Truman’s words: "In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves. Self-discipline with all of them came first." 

To read the full article by Tom Reilly, please click here.

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