5 Motivations to keep going and when to quit

Successful salespeople are generally motivated people.  They have a drive to succeed.  As their managers, we try to motivate them in various ways:  Sales meetings, financial incentives, pep talks, etc.  Some work sometimes, but none of them work every time.  The reason is based on the motivation theory that you can’t really motivate another person.  Motivation comes from inside each person’s mind.  What motivates me may not motivate my fellow salesperson. 

So then, what to do and how to motivate our sales brain?

When I say sales brain, I’m referring to the motivation to keep selling when everything indicates you should not.  It’s different than non-sales employees.  Salespeople will spend 80-100% of their time with prospects and customers.  They will spend that time on tasks that may or may not produce an ounce of results.  Yet they have to remain internally motivated to continue despite not knowing if their efforts will be rewarded. 

So, again, how do we motivate our sales brain? Especially, when it’s difficult economic times on the farm like right now, when producers are unhappy, when cold calls seem like an intrusion, when prospecting seems unproductive, or when you just want to help but can’t. 

Recently, while completing my ninth ironman triathlon, I realized 5 self-motivation techniques.  These five have proven to get me through both physically difficult races as well as the long journey of growing a successful sales territory.    

At some point in every ironman race, there is that moment.  The moment when you are not sure your gonna make it.  Your physical energy is depleted, and your body begins to shut down.  Essential electrolytes are used up, blood glucose is burned up, and hydration is on empty.  Your last hope in your desperation to finish what you started is your brain. 

The last line of defense is your mind.  More specifically, your motivations.

Selling is no different.  You do everything right to sell great products that save your customers money and provide better results in their business.  You try to do everything right by following a good sales process.  Yet the sale can still be lost or delayed indefinitely.  At times, you feel depleted and have nothing left to go on – except your sales brain. 

Your sales brain knows that you have to persist somehow.  If you quit, you lose that sale.

Motivating your Sales Brain:

Think about this – motivation is an emotion.  And like any emotion, it’s all in your head.  It’s interesting that one of the most powerful sales resources you have is inside your head in the form of an emotion.  Few salespeople would want to admit it, but it’s true.  Most salespeople think the biggest strength needed is technical knowledge or better pricing.  While those are great, someone always comes along with a lower price and a more technical product advantage.  We can always strive to have those advantages, but it’s your internal motivation to sell that keeps you going. 

If you truly believe in your products, your company, and your ability to help customers, then you are motivated on every sales call.  You will eventually succeed in sales.  If you have ever tried selling when you don’t have that confidence, then you realize how hard it is. 

One key thought:  Motivation does not allow you to do everything.  By that, I mean if I have trained my physical body for a 13-hour result in my race, no amount of motivation will get me to a 10-hour finish.  Motivation can inspire me to train for a future race and maybe get to 10 hours, but not today.

It’s no different in sales.  If you haven’t done the correct selling steps, competitively priced your products, and positioned them as solutions for your customer, then motivation by itself is not going to overcome those basic steps.  Your motivation might keep you in a positive mood, but customers will soon tire of your poor selling skills. 

Lastly, motivation is very individual and internal to you.  It’s different for every single person.  Don’t be discouraged if you are not motivated by those things that are supposed to motivate you.  A great example of this is motivational speakers at sales meetings.  By their very title, they are designed to motivate us to sell more.  Some do, but many don’t.  In racing, the cheering fans calling out your number and telling you, “Looking great, number 1029!”  are supposed to motivate me to keep going.  While I appreciate their comments, it does little for my mental strength to keep going.  Yet, I am very motivated to know that family and fellow racers are somewhere on the course or in the audience waiting for me to complete the race.  So, know your own motivation triggers and feed them into your head daily…hourly if needed.

Here are the 5 motivations that have helped me get to the end of an ironman as well as build a successful sales career.:

Listen to the podcast version of this blog to hear more about the following elements of motivating yourself.

3. Visions (only ones that help): 

4. Awareness of how your mind works:

5. Comparisons (only to those that help)

Final thought on motivation:  Don’t use these techniques to “Never quit”.  There are obvious times in a race that require us to quit – torn Achilles, complete dehydration, or your bike breaks on mile ten.  However, that is not quitting the overall goal of racing.  That is repairing or regrouping for a better recovery to get back in the next race.

Same thing in sales.  I have worked with many salespeople who needed to simply quit on a customer or customer segment.  Their inner drive to never quit was admirable, but it held them back in their ultimate goal of becoming a high-performing salesperson.  Persistence is an absolute must for a successful sales career.  However, knowing when to persist and when to quit is key.  There is a fine line between being persistent, being a pest, and moving on to better opportunities. 

Successful people in any endeavor have a strong ability to quit what is not good or not working and focus on what is working.  Fight the instinct to never quit.  Realize the key points of when it is better to quit and move on to better opportunities.

I wish you all the best in your ability to harness your motivations for selling success!