Read more about the article The Basics of Growing Your Sales Career

The Basics of Growing Your Sales Career

“You are the best person who can help yourself best.” This is one of the statements I keep repeating to myself since I was a teenage boy laden with difficult life situations until now that I am working on my life mission.

Whether you are struggling with an inner battle with yourself or experiencing difficulties caused by outside forces, the decision to allow such challenges to bring you down is with you. This mindset helped me in all aspects of life, most significantly in my career as a salesperson.

When I struggled to obtain the required sales results in the past, I helped myself move forward and be better by first deciding to do whatever it takes to improve my character and skills. I learned and kept learning throughout the years because I chose to and accepted the different lessons that can help me. Here are the most significant pieces of knowledge that I decided to follow and, in turn, helped me be better in my chosen career:

  1. Find your one thing and put your 100% energy into it. So many of us have tried saying yes to a lot of things and opportunities. We believe that if we have more things to do, the better. That is why we keep on adding tasks as we go along. We should learn to subtract something from our plates and focus on one thing at a time. Going small in what we do and putting our energy into it will help us achieve what we want. If we direct our energy and time to many things simultaneously, we only get minimal results. Learn to say no to be busy and say yes to be productive.
  2. Focus on your mission, not on the commission. It is sad to say that many salespeople enter the world of sales solely for the commission. Their actions make people feel that they intend to gain money and not fulfill their supposed purpose as company representatives. This type of salesperson usually can’t connect with the buyers because the heart is not in the right place. Inadvertently, buyers are left to feel that the transaction is favorable to the salesperson but not to them. As I always say, selling is a transfer of feelings or beliefs. Focus on your mission, and commission will follow naturally.
  3. Have strong self-discipline every single day. A lot of salespeople don’t achieve what they want. Not because they are not able, but because they don’t have self-discipline. For example, we should not only be working hard when the deadline is close or when somebody is watching us. Instead, we should be working regularly and productively to achieve our goals consistently – every single day. It does not mean that you cannot relax. It only means that you should use your time wisely, set a daily goal, and do whatever it takes to accomplish it. Remember, your self-discipline plays a significant role in your success.
  4. Build harmonious relationships with your valued clients. We should not only be friendly when we are still convincing them to buy or avail of our product or service then become cold when they finally do. Our clients buy because they trust that we will help them when they encounter difficulties with the product or service. Leaving clients to figure out things about the product or service on their own or waiting for them to contact us for whatever they need will make us unreliable, untrustworthy, and not an expert. Communicate with them regularly.
  5. Keep learning new things and improving yourself. Whatever information we know now may still be true but no longer applicable tomorrow. The skills that we use now may no longer be practical the next day. If you are still having a hard time selling your product or service using your old strategies, try to learn something new and make it work for you. We need to keep updating ourselves with further information and skills and engage ourselves in training to upscale our knowledge and skills. Learning and improving ourselves must never stop.

You may accept all these pieces of advice or not. The decision is yours. No matter how much knowledge and skills we learn from other people, it will be up to us to accept those or not at the end of the day. But, I got life-changing results when I applied the above learning in my life. I hope that it will help you, too. Will you allow me to help you through these recommendations?

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Read more about the article 8 Life Lessons I Find Most Valuable

8 Life Lessons I Find Most Valuable

I have always heard people say that life is hard. For me, life is easy, but living is hard. There are different reasons as to why I say that life and living are such. From childhood until now, I have encountered varying difficult situations that I deem very challenging and disheartening. 

These circumstances, however, helped me to transform into a stronger person. I overcame each difficulty by allowing the lessons that the different people of my life taught me to guide me. Throughout my life, I have acquired great opportunities of learning from these people. Here are the top eight lessons I value that led me to live my life the way I do now:

  1. Always do your best in everything you do.  If you perform each task at 100% level and consider every single day as your last day here on earth, no matter what you do, you can guarantee that you’re doing things excellently. Even when you fail, you will feel less disappointed because you know that you have done your very best. There will be no regrets or what-ifs at the end of the day. 
  2. Never forget the people who influenced and helped you to be where you are in life. You can only indeed be happy with your achievements when you give credits to the people who aided you in reaching your goals. There’s no such thing as self-made success. We succeed because of the help of other people.
  3. Give and help without hesitation. Giving will not make you have less; instead, it will fill your heart with a sense of fulfillment and happiness. No matter what ideas, things, support, care, time, or how much or how little you can give, you always have the power to touch the lives of other people, and you can influence them in ways possible.
  4. You can’t please everyone. Whatever good things you do, there are always people who don’t agree or appreciate your ideas, opinions, or efforts. Therefore, avoid getting affected by negative comments or criticisms about you, and focus your energy on people who love to support you.
  5. Do not be ashamed of having weaknesses. No human being is perfect. Instead of sulking about it, embrace it and focus on turning that weakness into a strength. Use it as your testimony someday to inspire people.
  6. Self-discipline is a must. Without discipline, you will acquire nothing you dream of achieving. The knowledge and skills you have can only be put to good use when you have the self-discipline to use them consistently.
  7. Be responsible for your life. Instead of blaming people or circumstances for your misfortune, work on alleviating yourself from the difficulty you are experiencing. Remember, your results come from your own decisions and actions.
  8. Always be a learner and an action taker. We all know that life is a never-ending process. The more you learn, the more you realize that there are so many things you do not know. Therefore, the more you learn, the more you will grow. When you learn, make sure to apply the lessons and maximize them to fulfill your mission here on earth.

Living by these lessons, I experience a lesser surge of negative emotions. I can appreciate the beauty of life and the different experiences in it. Life is not perfect, but you can make it an incredible journey. Embrace and apply the lessons that life wants to teach you.

What lessons do you value in your life? Please feel free to share in the comment section below.

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Read more about the article 5 Things to Do to Ensure an Effective Online Training

5 Things to Do to Ensure an Effective Online Training

Before the pandemic, I was never really keen on conducting training online though I believe that learning could occur through any medium. However, I have to accept the inevitable and pivot in that direction to avoid getting stuck, waiting for things to go back to normal. 

Was the transition easy? Definitely not. Change, especially sudden and radical, is never a piece of cake. The transition from in-person to online training required a lot of courage, patience, and commitment. It is not easy but successfully doing it is not impossible.

For those who wish to conduct online training, seminar, coaching, or meeting, you should put the following things into consideration to ensure achieving the goals of the activity:

  1. The medium (Zoom, Streamyard, Google Meet, etc.) and materials (virtual whiteboard, flip chart, virtual background, etc.) to be used should be secured, checked, and tested before the event. It would be unfortunate to discover that your Zoom application subscription, for example, can only accommodate 100 participants while your 500 participants are already in the waiting room waiting to be accepted. 
  2. There should be a thorough preparation of the content and delivery. Although you cannot avoid mistakes, you can lessen the frequency if you are well-versed about the topic and you practice the delivery. Equip yourself with related information that the participants may ask during the event. 
  3. Having reliable assistance from other people makes a lot of difference. As a host or trainer, you cannot possibly do all the small tasks successfully (e.g., accepting late participants, sending messages to participants) while the event is ongoing; you would be highly needing a teammate or teammates. The team can also help address participants’ concerns, especially if the host or trainer’s focus is on the main task.  
  4. Energy is a must. Getting the full attention of an audience is much more challenging in the online setup because of many factors, including distractions. The audience will most likely feel bored if the delivery is not energetic or enthusiastic. It is a transfer of emotion, so if you want to inspire your participants to participate, you have to give them 100% energy.
  5. Interaction should be encouraged. Many say that what people hear, they quickly forget. Yet, when they are actively involved with the activity, they will most likely understand and learn. Thus, it is vital to encourage the participants to participate in drills, share their thoughts or ideas, and ask questions. 

It is essential to focus on these factors to ensure successful online training, seminar, coaching, or meeting. Although it took my team and me several tries before we made our online training smooth-flowing and effective, identifying these factors made those challenging times all worth it. 

Do you think these can help presenters, trainers, salespeople, and teachers alike?

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Read more about the article 4 Things To Consider Before Joining Any Training Courses

4 Things To Consider Before Joining Any Training Courses

What do you usually expect when attending training courses or seminars? Do you expect to learn something or improve your skills? Or do you attend for the sake of obtaining a certification?

I am not discounting the benefit of obtaining a certificate because it has various purposes – mostly to the career growth of the person who obtained it. However, there are times when the participant neglects the main purpose of the training course or seminar. The main purpose is to educate or provide further learning and skills. I have encountered many professionals who just join a training course or workshop because it is mandatory or can give them additional credentials.  

More than the benefit of obtaining a certification, our end goal when attending training or seminar should be learning and improving our skills. After all, such programs are created to help people grow. 

Besides viewing training courses and seminars as tools that can help us improve or acquire new knowledge and skills than just a means to obtain a certification, we should also know how to make the most out of it. To use it fully to our advantage, we should consider the following before joining any training course: 

  1. Make sure you do not have the I-already-know-that syndrome. One of the reasons why some people do not take training programs or seminars seriously is that they think that they already know about the topics covered in those events. However, hearing or encountering such concepts or information in the past is not enough, especially if you have not applied those to make yourself and your work better. For example, knowing the information that exercising daily is best for your body does not lead you to have a healthy body unless you do it. Having this kind of mindset hinders you from getting the most out of a learning opportunity. My advice is to have an open mind, empty your cup, and develop a growth mindset before joining a training course. 
  2. Identify your challenges in your business, career, or life. Seminar hopping for me is really not advisable, especially if you are investing money in it. Ensure that you know what you need or what you want to improve on before investing time and resources into it. Therefore, before attending any training course or seminar, assess yourself and identify your current challenges or the areas you need to improve.
  3. Know the topics or lessons you will learn. After identifying your challenges or the areas you want improvement on, choose the training courses that will help you meet those needs by identifying the training topic. Take time to do enough research about the training program and ask questions for more clarifications for your peace of mind. 
  4. Make sure you are trainable/coachable. You have to know that a trainer or teacher can only provide you with the necessary knowledge needed to improve your skills. If there is no willingness on your part to learn, there will be no change no matter how hard the trainer or coach tries. Be ready to learn, relearn, unlearn, and be pushed. Learn to trust the process. 

Being a trainer for a few years now, I have met many people who have a misplaced view of training courses or seminars. I put this out there in the hopes of helping others to have a changed mindset. Use training courses or seminars as a tool to grow wholly.

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Read more about the article How I Found a Path to My Future in a Bookstore

How I Found a Path to My Future in a Bookstore

          I have always been vocal about how grateful I am to the people who served as the bridge for me to be on this mission I have now. These people include the Laurus Enterprises team, who brought some of the world’s greatest inspiring individuals, motivational speakers, and professional trainers here in the country. From attending the National Achievers’ Congress that they organized to being one of the speakers of their recently concluded TakeOff Summit 2021, I can say that they have been a significant part of my journey. To say that I might have been on a different path now if I hadn’t known them is something I would not discount because it’s a possibility. For this reason, I am forever thankful that I followed the urge to visit the National Bookstore one fateful afternoon years ago. 

          When I was still working as a salesperson, I barely had time for other things because I was always busy entertaining inquiries, talking with clients, or conducting orientations. I barely even give myself time to breathe. Yet, one fine afternoon, I suddenly felt the desire to visit the bookstore across our office to buy some books. While I waited for my turn at the cashier counter, I saw this poster about the National Achievers’ Congress that would be held in Manila.  It included who the speakers were, and I saw that many inspiring speakers would be there. I got excited because I had always wanted to witness those speakers give a talk in person, so I took note of the details on how to register. A day after, I successfully registered.

          Through that event, I learned about the Millionaire Mind Intensive. MMI then led me to Quantum Leap, and the rest is history. I did not keep it a secret that these training events transformed my life for the better.  If I did not follow that urge to go to the bookstore that day, I would not have known about that event which led me to the other life-changing programs that the event organizer brought in the country. Then I wouldn’t be where I am now. I wouldn’t have realized that my mission is to help other people become champions in sales. 

2 Lessons I got from this experience:

  1. We should not take any moment for granted. Any little moment can lead to a big one. Everything happens for a reason indeed. When you feel an urge, do not ignore it. You feel that push because there is a reason. Believe in a force that is working to help you fulfill your destiny or purpose in life.  
  2. More importantly, be never afraid to take risks. You may feel that the situation you have back then is more comfortable than your current one, keep going still. Do not abandon your path right away if it gets more and more challenging. One thing can lead to another. Enjoy the process. See each step through. 

          Go with where life takes you. Trust God that He will guide you to where He wants you to be. Do not ignore signs or symbols no matter how small or simple they may be, and do not forget how you started and the people who helped you achieve what you want. 

 

 

(Photo by Stanislav Kondratiev from Pexels)

Continue ReadingHow I Found a Path to My Future in a Bookstore