5 Lessons From Sales for Entrepreneurial Success When toil is certain and reward is hard earned, you're an entrepreneur. Sales pros know your struggles and what is required to succeed.
By Kate Yanko Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Sales is a long, arduous path. Sales reps endure daily rejections, objections, hang-ups, emotional highs and lows. Most people shy far from that stress but the successful salesperson must meet these seemingly impassable obstacles with quick, calculated responses, relentless positivity and unbridled drive.
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Entrepreneurs face the same obstacles, whether reviewing their business plan with a potential investor or pitching their product to the owner of the corner store. The sales floor teaches five simple lessons that translate into successful entrepreneurial habits.
1. Persistence- You will face resistance and rejection. Do not let that cloud your vision. Lead with bravery, walk the path you chose with confidence. Speak from a resourceful place of clarity.When you are tired of rejection, revise your approach. Something is not working. Sales is the intricate art of communication, entrepreneurship is the art of improvisation. Plan ahead and think on your feet instead of maintaining a reactive state.
2. Radical Honesty. Denial is the number one reason for failure. Speak hard truths with a gentle approach. Do not be too hard on yourself or others for making errors. Errors are valuable stepping stones to success. Look to them as guidelines to what doesn't work. Be honest. You'll be glad you were.
Related: How to Fight Denial and Start Tackling Your Biggest Problems
3. Mastery of Mental State. External influences will slip doubt, even fear, into your daily thoughts but your mind is yours, and yours alone. Confidence, confidence, confidence! You have access to thousands of emotions at any given time. Consciously choose the ones that serve your purpose. You will see incredible yields.
4. Creativity. Money is compensation for value given. Constantly use your creativity to propose efficient solutions to problems. This creative process doesn't stop once the sale has been made. If anything, the challenge grows to continually supplement each conversation with value. It takes a lot of dedication and research to truly understand the desires and needs of your consumer or client. Be a diligent student of your industry. People will notice.
5. Diversity. Every salesperson will tell you prospecting is undeniably valuable. Continually diversifying your streams of income and clientele secures a more stable future for yourself and your company. If you become complacent in any way, you are likely to lose business. Set aside an hour a day for prospecting potential improvements or new clients. Investing that one hour is crucial to long-term success. The only constant in life is change. Being one step ahead will put you in first-place.
