The Top 1%: Final Words

Credit: Tiffany Fox

Since just before Christmas, I've been blogging about the Top 1% of sales pros. What makes them different? How do they do what they do regardless of obstacles? What can you learn from them? How can you earn similar success?

This is the final segment of that series. It's a bullet point review and some parting observations. I hope you'll read and share your thoughts.

#1: They Have a Plan. They know what they want their life (professional & personal) to look like. This includes who they want to work with (business segments and specific targets). They identify prospects that fit their goals and passions.

#2: They Expect to Win. These guys don't make excuses. They don't let bid collectors or prices stand in their way. They identify where the business is, go after it, refine and repeat the process. Any no they hear is just a speedbump not a dead end. They know they're as good as whoever has the work now and never stop their pursuit.

#3: They Never Stop Asking Questions. They want to learn everything they can about their clients and prospects. They want to understand every department, what motivates them, what they buy, why they buy it and who they buy it from. They create client profiles and examine how they might solve problems for each area of business. They sell solutions not specs. They are NOT controlled by bid collectors.

#4: They Don't Accept Limits. Their focus is on clients, their goals and how they might solve what matters most. Doing what you were hired to do is compliance, not innovation.

The Top 1% encourage clients to dream big, share their ideal business world and set about making it happen. They don't submit to the possibility limitations. They ask, "What if" and invent new solutions.

#5: Parting Observations. They never stop. The Top 1% know that today's innovation is tomorrow's commodity. The new service or solution they just sold will be copied by others. They know their lead, thanks to this idea, is short lived.

These winners, and I've worked with lots of them, never stop pushing the envelope. They get up every day looking for ways to put more distance between themselves and the 99%. They continuously ask, "what can I invent today to make myself more valuable."

They know that the moment they ease up is the moment they lose margin. They're relentless. It can feel like pressure, but it isn't. It's positive. It's creative energy and entrepreneurship at work.

These pros excite their employers. They talk about possibilities, not problems. They excite their customers too for exactly the same reason. Their prices don't matter because their value is crucial to client success.

Look around your organization. Do you have one of these winners on staff? If you do, spend time with them. Learn what you can. Success can be quite contagious.

The sun sets brighter for these guys. If you want what they enjoy you have to do what they do.

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