by Alen Majer

Created on: January 28, 2008   Last Updated: October 02, 2011

I am sure you have heard about salespeople earning $200-300k, a million or even more. Do you think this sales person is better than you are? They are not much different from you; they are not geniuses or impeccable experts in their field. They probably don't know much more about their products or service than other salespeople in the same company.

So you are probably asking yourself how is it that they can make six or seven figures and you are struggling month by month to make ends meet and reach your quotas?

The first and probably the most accurate answer is that they see themselves as professionals. How can you grow if you don't adopt new ideas or learn about new things in business and in sales? How can you expect to advance to better, higher paid positions if you stop investing in your knowledge?

In my 15+ years in different roles in sales, I have met many sales people who never bought a book about sales in their life. They never attended a seminar about sales, which was not part of their company at the time. However, they were always complaining about how companies are not investing enough in their sales force, yet expect them to be perfect and up to date. That is the reason why they don't want to invest in seminars on their own.

They believe that if their company does not see the value in it, why should they pay for it by themselves? Also they feel they know everything about sales, so there is no need for spending money on books and seminars, or finding time for reading magazines or specialized websites. Many of those people who don't learn continuously wonder why they don't advance in their career or are skipped over for a promotion.

I am giving you perfect examples of how the amateurs are thinking while blaming everyone around them for being unsuccessful in sales. You are the one who is making the decisions. Every morning, when you look in the mirror, are you seeing the reflection of an amateur or professional?

Sales professionals are someone who invests in his knowledge, who reads magazines and web portals dedicated to sales people and attends seminars and conferences. A sales person who follows the trends understands how essential it is to improve himself personally. Professionals are ones they know how necessary this is to start selling more. And of course they are the ones who are earning more.

Be different from the 95% of salespeople out there who are not investing in their knowledge, and you will start seeing the change. It will start first inside

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>