Sales is a tough game – and those who succeed work hard at it.
But did you ever wonder how the top preneed salespeople do it? I mean, do they read all those motivational books and do whatever the book tells them to?
You’re supposed to exhibit the 7 habits, use the power of positive thinking, follow the 21 irrefutable laws of leadership, manage in a minute, win friends, influence people, and try to figure out who moved your cheese.
As much as I like a good personal development book, I’ve come to believe that it must be taken in moderate doses.
My Brother’s Psychic Moment
My father, like his father and grandfather before him, owned a funeral home. From a young age, my older brother and I would help out around the office running errands, cleaning up, and helping out with just about anything that Dad wanted us to do.
One summer while we were both working for my dad, my brother said something to me that has stuck with me to this day. I would estimate that I was probably 11 or 12 at the time which would have made him around 19 or 20.
I don’t know what happened that day that prompted him to say it, but out of nowhere he turned to me and said, “You know, guys like you and me will always do well in this world.”
Not knowing what he was talking about, I asked, “Why do you say that?” He answered, “Because we always show up and we always do our best.”
[pullquote]Out of nowhere he turned to me and said, “You know, guys like you and me will always do well in this world.”[/pullquote]At the time, I kind of took it as a pessimistic comment. It seemed like he was saying that the rest of society was so bad that someone who “just” showed up looked good by comparison.
But as I got older and started working in funeral insurance, the wisdom of what he said started to make sense. In fact, the more I pay attention even now, the more I understand.
After all the books, all the articles, and all the seminars – the root of success really is simple. And my brother nailed it: Show up and do your best.
Always Show Up
Be On Time. I have to give credit to my father on this one. It’s a pet peeve that I still carry with me to this day. He always said “When you’re late, you’re basically telling people that their time is worth nothing to you.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be that guy.
Be There For Others When They Need You. When you commit to someone, show up. Brave the headaches and the bad weather to be the kind of person people can depend on.
Don’t Quit. Show up every day – no matter what. Mentally, physically, and emotionally show up over and over again until you get it right. Even when everything is going wrong. It’s all about fortitude. One of the saddest qualities of the human race is that we seem to have a knack for quitting way too early. Breakthroughs usually occur after a period of intense resistance. Be the person who sticks it out.
Do Your Best
Don’t be lazy. Pretty self-explanatory stuff here, right? It’s hard to get a break or gain any traction sitting on your backside. Doing your best means getting up and making things happen.
Do What’s Right. Your best also means being the best you possible. Do what’s right because it’s right – not just because you might get something out of it.
Challenge Yourself. Whatever baseline you’ve established as your best, raise the bar. Stretch your expectations for preneed sales. Push it further today than you did yesterday – and push it further tomorrow than you did today.
Don’t Quit. Here we are again. There must be something to this don’t quit stuff. Your best requires persistence. You can’t be your best if you quit on yourself.
At The Core, Success Is Simple
By all means, consume your self-help and personal development books. I do. But when it comes down to it, successful selling comes down to two basic practices: show up and do your best.
