Today my friend told me she’s found a new way to handle the challenging personal issues she’s facing in her life. When I asked her what it was, she said, “I just ask myself, ‘What would Jill do in this situation?’ And I use that as my guide.”
I was, to say the least, rather surprised but when we talked further, I remembered using that very same strategy myself when I first started selling.
I didn’t have a clue what it took to be successful. For my first few months in the business, I trained under Jim Farrell. He was a top-notch sales rep, masterful in his dealings with people and so very savvy. I was in awe.
When I finally got my own territory, I was scared – really scared. Now I had to do it on my own and I was no Jim Farrell. I didn’t have a clue how to handle the variety of situations I’d soon be encountering. And I certainly couldn’t sell.
I remember sitting in my car one day, trying to get up the gumption to make some cold calls. My mind was creating all sorts of tough sales scenarios: “What if the customer asked me about the new system and I didn’t know the answer? What if they said they weren’t interested? What if, what if, what if….”
Then it hit me. I may not know how to respond, but Jim Farrell did. By thinking about how he’d react and using that as my guide, I could figure out what to do – even when I was meeting with customers. Amazingly enough, it worked until I developed the self-confidence and skills to handle these situations on my own.
Many years later, I read that Hilary Clinton used the very same process when she became First Lady. She had no idea how to handle her new role, so she used Eleanor Roosevelt as her touchstone.
So if you’re ever stumped in your sales efforts, consider finding yourself an invisible sales coaching mentor. You’ll be amazed at what a difference it can make.
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