Maximizing your potential

"The average person has prodigious reserves of energy which can be used at need. Repeatedly throughout our lives, all of us have had the pleasant shock of discovering that if we are really vitally interested in something or really want to do something, we are able to develop tremendous energy and enthusiasm. This rarely experienced energetic and invigorating level of functioning gives you an indication of your potential.''

Otto, Herbert A., Guide to Developing Your Potential (New York: Charres Scribner's Sons, 1967), pp 12-13.

As a successful sales representative, you expect to improve and achieve higher goals in the future. The two major purposes of this segment are:

Do any of us really use all of our ability? William James, the great psychologist estimated that the average person use's only 10 percent of his potential ability. This means that 90 percent of our ability or potential is never used. Does this sound far-fetched? When you stop and think about it, isn't it amazing how much someone can do in a pinch when forced to call on more resources than normal? Think hack to some emergency situation in which you accomplished so much that you literally surprised yourself!            TOP

Welcome to the club!

Even the most casual observation shows us that everyone has some things which they are overly concerned about. Some people are afraid of cats. Others are afraid of high places, open spaces, etc. In other words, in the process of growing up, all of us have acquired certain individual fears. It is not unusual then that sales representatives have some of these problems.            TOP

Often it isn't necessary to overcome an obstacle completely. All that may be required is that the degree to which the obstacle interferes with your effectiveness be reduced. For example, even experienced actors and public speakers typically experience a certain amount of nervous tension just prior to starting to speak or starting to act. However, once the initial apprehension has passed and they have gotten "into the swing of things," the nervousness seems to vanish or at least to be reduced to such an extent that the individual and the audience no longer notice it.

A certain amount of alertness or nervous tension is desirable in order to do a good job at almost anything. The persons who are not concerned about what they are doing may wind up doing a very poor lob. Consequently, the fact that you're somewhat reluctant to do something, or worried about the outcome, doesn't mean that you won't do a good job.

The inclusion of a specific obstacle or difficulty in this section does not necessarily mean that it applies to you. No two sales representatives are alike or have exactly the same personality and, consequently, things which represent problems to some people may not represent problems to you. However, the five major obstacles which are discussed in this section appear to be those which are most frequently experienced by sales representatives. The degree of difficulty which a given sales representative has with any one of these five areas may vary greatly.

It's very helpful to remember that you are not alone in having these personal obstacles. Every sales representative, to some extent, has certain emotional or psychological obstacles. It is simply inherent in the nature of selling an intangible product such as life insurance.

A practical approach

There are two general ~ays to overcome personal obstacles to success:            TOP

Children must be taught certain basic rules, such as to obey the law, to be honest, etc. Unfortunately! they may also be taught many things which interfere with a high degree of success such as fear of failure, resistance to change, reluctance to persuade other people, etc. Consequently, one approach to overcoming personal obstacles to Professional Safes Development is to recognize and compensate for the obstacles acquired during the child-raising period.

By using the procedures and the mechanical devices which have been incorporated into Professional Sales Development, you can go far toward removing almost any type of personality obstacle. The techniques and procedures which are presented in the course are transterable. They have been used by sales representatives who had problems similar to ones which you may face. By making use of what they have learned, you can reach your own objectives.

There is no point in inventing the wheel all over again.' Some sales representatives fail to achieve maximum success because they feel there is something "wrong" in using the ideas

of others. This simply isn!t realistic. The whole purpose of all education is to give you the benefit of what other people have learned in the past.            TOP

All of us like to think of ourselves as unique individuals, and each of us is unique in many ways. However, all sales representatives face the same basic problems to a considerable extent. The problem of obtaining the names of qualified prospects, of persuading prospects to take action now, of meeting objections successfully, of controlling their own time, etc. are common to all.

It has been said that a wise man profits from his own mistakes, but that the wisest man is he who profits from the mistakes of others In this section we are taking this philosophy one step further. We will attempt to point out mistakes or obstacles which have occurred in others in the hope that you can recognize these potential obstacles and take personal corrective action whenever you notice these obstacles developing in your own career.

Examples are used where sales representatives have faced up to personal obstacles and overcome them In some examples, the sales representatives have had more experience than you. These vignettes are used to indicate that obstacles may occur throughout a career and that they can be overcome as long as they are clearly recognized and practical remedies are applied.

After all, as a newly appointed sales representative, it's Unrealistic to expect to be able to solve air of the problems you'll encounter on your own. Don't hesitate to take advantage of the advice of your Sales Manager and the techniques and devices in Professional Sales Development.

The best way to overcome obstacles is too simply adopt, or adapt, techniques which have been successfully used by others.            TOP

Mechanical solutions to emotional problems

White the obstacles we will be discussing are primarily emotional or psychological in nature you will find that throughout this material we suggest that these types of problems may be overcome by employing the mechanical devices and procedures in Professional Sales Development.

We will be discussing obstacles which are emotional or psychological in nature. The suggested solution, however: is often a mechanical or procedural one. Why? Because professional Sales Development has been carefully developed in such a way that the methods presented are fully transferable, with perhaps a few minor modifications for any sales representatives-

In order to have the-maximum degree of confidence in the various mechanical devices, tools, procedures, sales talks, answers to oblections, etc., it is important for you to practice. The importance of knowLng what you're going to say to prospects in advance simply can't be overestimated. The more familiar and comfortable you are in using the various procedures, the more effectively you can use them. The importance of over-learning in this connection cannot be over-emphasized. It isn't enough merely to learn something-if emotional factors such as fear are present, the person should learn something and keep learning it even after he has learned it perfectly. This is known as over-learning, and it is especially valuable because it makes it possible for the sales representative to be interrupted during a sales presentation and then return to the track without difficulty.            TOP

Perhaps the best way to feel more competent is to practice doing something the right way over and over again. When we mention practice, we assume that the person is practicing the right thing in the right way. (Practice makes perfect only that which is practiced.) consequently, you should be certain that what you are practicing will cad to successful result for you.

It's difficult for any of us to feel confident in a brand new situation in which we have had no previous experience. However: a sales representative can avoid this by practicing in a "safe environment," such as at the office or at home or by role-playing with other sales representatives or his Sales Manager. You can practice what you are going to say and do in advance, over and over again, in the correct manner before you actually get out in front of prospects.