Why?
Some days it is hard to remember why you went into sales.
Some days you get your head handed to you. Some days that big client you were counting on (and had already spent the commission check in your mind) backs out of the deal.
Really, Why?
Why do you keep going? Why is it that you believe things are going to get better? Maybe like many salespeople, you are overly optimistic. But I don’t think so.
I think you have a bigger reason than just making money (at least I hope so.) The challenge is that it is easy to sometimes lose sight of what really drives us.
There was a reason you went into sales. There was a reason you chose the company you represent. There is a reason you are still there. There is a reason you don’t have your resume on CareerBuilder.com
Powerful
One of the most powerful exercises I have done with my team isto have them go around, introduce themselves and tell why they are working for (fill in the blank) It doesn’t matter the carrier, the responses are always inspiring. Sometimes they make people in attendance cry.
I have had people talk about
- Not missing their kids grow up
- The desire to not have to travel for work every week
- They were stuck in a dead end job and saw no future for advancement
- They were sick of making other people money
- They wanted to chart their own destiny
- They never wanted to say no to their kids, for a legitimate opportunity, due to finances (mine by the way)
- Being able to set their own schedule
- Building a business that will pay them for years to come
- The desire to help someone get the same benefits they were able to get when they made a claim
- And on, and on, and on…
He’s a Lumberjack…
I’ll never forget a gentleman on my team who talked about the first Christmas after he started with Aflac. He was able to buy presents for his wife and all his kids (not an insubstantial number by the way.) He still had some money in the bank and a full pipeline of future clients who had committed to moving forward.
Until he started his insurance career, he had been a lumberjack in Washington state. He talked about how during the winter months the work was almost non-existent and they were always broke at Christmas.
His wife told him, in no uncertain terms that Christmas morning, that he was never doing anything else. He cried. I cried. The entire team was at least misty.
What’s Your Reason?
So what about you? Why are you here? Why do you stay in this business? What keeps you putting one foot in front of the other?
I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send me an email to tim@successisvoluntary.com