Sunday, March 30, 2008

Know Thy Self

Author and sales expert Debbie Mrazek has released her first book, The Field Guide to Sales. It is a good read and a wonderful reminder on how to weather all terrains in regards to the hills and valleys of sales.

Experienced and successful sales people know that it requires long hours and much strategy to bring in the bacon. Many others think sales folks have it easy, with big expense accounts, golf outings, fancy dinners, etc.... but it is all hard work.

Mrazek has a great comment in Chapter 8 about knowing yourself, as too many people (not just sales people) have a gigantic blind spot when it comes to understanding their own self:

Knowing and accepting what you do well and what you don't do well is one of the most valuable qualities you can have. Knowing your own working style and what really hits your emotional buttons is a benefit when working through issues that are an inevitable part of the sales process.

Ignoring or being ignorant to personal strengths and weaknesses can set us up for failure and embarrassment. The advantage to working as part of a great team is that we do not have to cover up our short-comings, but instead we can augment our strengths by partnering with others.

We bring to every situation all of our "baggage". When we can see what we are not capable of doing well, we can delegate those tasks to others who can and will do these with expertise. Never feel you have to do everything, instead surround yourself with "A" players and together you will all accomplish amazing things.

Have A Great Day.

thom
www.thomsinger.com

1 comment:

The New MBA said...

I agree with this post so much! As the CMO of a financial institution, my CEO was continuously telling me I needed to be more analytical. I got a masters degree in finance, I took numerous pricing courses, but still our company wasn't thriving. Finally, it dawned on me - he was wrong. He and the CFO had the analytical side of the house covered. I needed to be more innovative, more creative, more passionate, more zany.

I convinced him of this. I threw out my Wall Street Journal and never looked back.

Now, I do get on their nerves more often but I am much happier and the company is doing much better.

I guess I'd add to your post that you not only need to understand what you are good at, but what your team mates are good at (and not good at) as well and have an appreciation for skill sets different from yours.