Facing up to a problem can be tough for anybody. As a matter of fact, facing up to any challenge in life can be tough. The old cliche' "comfort zone" is a well established and widely accepted truth of human behavior. Bottom line you? It is difficult for humans to try new behaviours. It is also difficult for many of us to face the daily challenges of our workplace. For sales professionals, facing those challenges may be the difference between the awards podium and the exit door.
Ok you get me. I hear you out there, "Jon, face the challenges? Thats the message for the day? Wow, earth shattering" The message for today is not simply face the challenges. Stick with me for a minute.
I have a good friend that enjoys adventure sports. It is a common interest for both of us. A couple of years in a row, we went to the Teton Range together and attempted to summit the Grand Teton. We were successful on the second attempt. During that climb he said something that has always stuck in my head. There was one particularly dangerous move on the climbing route. Because he was the more experienced climber, he went first. After the move I called over to him and ask how it was. He looked down at me and said, "You miss that one and your dead".
I will never forget the feeling of actually facing something that might REALLY KILL ME.
On our drive back home, I was thinking of the return to my workday and work life. There were several customers in my territory at that time that I found intimidating. It was really difficult for me to call on them. I was scared to sell to them for a variety of reasons. As I thought of the end of my trip, these customers came to my mind. At that point in dawned on me. I had faced something that might kill me, and those customers were not it.
It was a revelation for to my career. The experience of the Tetons left me more confident than ever. Calling on difficult customers was nothing compared to a 1500 foot fall from a cliff!
Thats the message today. Make those difficult calls. It wont kill you.
Ok you get me. I hear you out there, "Jon, face the challenges? Thats the message for the day? Wow, earth shattering" The message for today is not simply face the challenges. Stick with me for a minute.
I have a good friend that enjoys adventure sports. It is a common interest for both of us. A couple of years in a row, we went to the Teton Range together and attempted to summit the Grand Teton. We were successful on the second attempt. During that climb he said something that has always stuck in my head. There was one particularly dangerous move on the climbing route. Because he was the more experienced climber, he went first. After the move I called over to him and ask how it was. He looked down at me and said, "You miss that one and your dead".
I will never forget the feeling of actually facing something that might REALLY KILL ME.
On our drive back home, I was thinking of the return to my workday and work life. There were several customers in my territory at that time that I found intimidating. It was really difficult for me to call on them. I was scared to sell to them for a variety of reasons. As I thought of the end of my trip, these customers came to my mind. At that point in dawned on me. I had faced something that might kill me, and those customers were not it.
It was a revelation for to my career. The experience of the Tetons left me more confident than ever. Calling on difficult customers was nothing compared to a 1500 foot fall from a cliff!
Thats the message today. Make those difficult calls. It wont kill you.
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