What Glee Can Teach Us About Sales
I am a GLEEK. And I will not apologize for it. I love that show. And last week, there was a scene that for the first time made me say, “Hey, there’s something I can use to blog about.” So here’s the scenario...
Two of the most talented glee club members, both high school seniors, have decided that they want to move to New York City after graduation and attend a performing arts college. They have BIG dreams. They are going to be Broadway stars with a capital “S”—no doubts about it.
They discover that there is a mixer for other hopefuls; other kids just like them, from Ohio, that all want to go to the same school. So they decide to attend to check out who the competition will be, believing that their own talents will far outshine all of the other sorry kids there.
And were they wrong! What they were instead met with were kids with credits. Kids with actual performance experience, who were more talented, more experienced and, possibly, even more driven than they are. They both were devastated, feeling that their entire futures were now in question. Seeing all this other talent gave them huge doubts about their own.
So here’s my point for you out there in print sales land, in the real world: Just because someone out there is a star sales person, winning contests and gobbling up huge commissions, does not mean that you have to take a back seat to that person. There is room on the USS Success for LOTS of us!
So if you know of a competitor that is just lighting it up right now, ask yourself, “What is she doing differently that I COULD be doing?” And better yet, if the star is in your own company, ask that person to go to lunch with you, and be open that you want to pick his brain so that you can find ways to be as successful as he is.
- Categories:
- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
Blogger, author, consultant, coach and all around evangelist for the graphic arts industry, Kelly sold digital printing for 15 years so she understands the challenges, frustrations and pitfalls of building a successful sales practice. Her mission is to help printers of all sizes sell more stuff. Kelly's areas of focus include sales and marketing coaching, enabling clients to find engagement strategies that work for them and mentoring the next generation of sales superstars.
Kelly graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science and, among other notable accomplishments, co-founded the Windy City Rollers, a professional women's roller derby league. She is also the mother of two sets of twins under the age of ten, so she fears nothing.
