Driven to Success

You are driven. You have a specific sales goal in mind. It consumes you. It motivates you. You worked day and night, even weekends, striving to cross the finish line and hit that number. And then one day, something terrible happens …

You reach your goal.

Shortly thereafter, you notice a complete and utter loss of motivation. There is no excitement. Your love for your work has completely disappeared and worse still, you find that there is nothing you can do to snap out of it. The frustration builds. You think it's a temporary funk, yet the feelings continue day after day, night after night, and even weekends.

Everyone in sales focuses on the goal — the number — and reaching that goal becomes all-encompassing. Rarely does anyone think about what to do once they get there. That step was not included in the Sales 101 course you took. After all, it's a crazy thought: Success is your enemy.

It's not, of course. What's important is to understand that an occasional motivation checkup is necessary. As a sales coach, I witnessed this firsthand and just this morning had a conversation with the client who was surprised to hear me say, "Be careful. You're headed for success. What then?" For him, it was all about the hunt.

Sound familiar?

People get into sales for a variety of reasons. For some, it's the money. Check that. For most, it's the money! Flexibility, being in charge of one's own financial destiny, problem-solving, etc. Sales can offer all of that and more.

Salespeople who just start out are typically motivated by sheer terror. There is a fear of failure that, while unhealthy, is incredibly effective. Once sales start coming in, the source of one's motivation must shift. Either a higher goal must be established or you have to look to some other aspect of the job in order to find fulfillment.

The point is, keep your finger on the pulse of what is driving you. Know that it will and should change. As the saying goes, what got you here won’t get you there.

Need sales? Go to BillFarquharson.com, watch the 3 minute video on sales training, and then call me at 781-934-7036 to discuss how I can help you achieve sales success.