The Challenges of Starting in B2B Sales
I launched myself with enthusiasm into the B2B sales world. With 10 years of retail sales under my belt and a post-secondary education focused on sales and marketing my young self felt extremely confident that I would take the sales world by storm. That is until I actually started doing the job of B2B sales, despite my best efforts and using all the tools at my disposal I seemed to keep hitting a wall of NOs and failing miserably.
After the first 6 months on the job and not having near the sales success I thought, self-doubt started to set in. Questioning my sales abilities I started giving serious thought that I had made a tragic career mistake. We all have an EGO and mine was being battered and bruised daily as I dragged myself out on the road, brave facing it but continuing to have more bad days than good. At the six-month mark I was just about ready to admit defeat and hand in my resignation. But just before I did, I received what turned out to be a very key YES from a very tough customer.
As I think back to the beginning of my sales career, I can safely say I had many tough customers throughout the years. You usually get the difficult to deal with customers as the new salesperson in an organization. But even 30 years later a few stand out as tougher than the rest. In this case I was dealing with an outspoken character in my industry and no matter what I presented, his answer was always NO, and sometimes on a bad day it might be not only be NO with a side of “Why are you wasting my time, I’m busy”. This was tough to hear over and over again, and I would often leave sales calls feeling rejected and down.
A Turning Point
Until one faithful day I was doing my usual sales calls and as always trying to go the extra mile and do a professional presentation as a way to set myself apart from the competition. This day, I was in front of that very tough customer Mr. NO (don’t waste my time). As I did my presentation I can remember to this day that I knew the products were a near perfect fit for his business. With that being said I had this thought before, so as usual, I braced myself for rejection. But at the end of this particular sales call I was shocked to hear Mr. NO say “YES”. I almost fell over and I can say with confidence my career in sales launched that day.
After that key yes from Mr. NO, a string of YES’s followed. Suddenly my ability to close sales soared and I quickly became the top performer in my branch and one of the top sales people in the company. That key YES was the igniter of the forward momentum of my sales career and many things started falling into place. My presentation style or content had not changed much, I do them much the same to this day, but the acceptance of me, the company and the products dramatically increased. The question is why? What changed?
“Commitment is the igniter of momentum” – Peg Wood
There are many variables to achieving success in business, but one of the most powerful forces to tap into is positive momentum. When it is working for us, it is the wind in our sails that propels us in the direction of our hopes and dreams. Forward momentum is energizing, it builds confidence as one success builds on top of the next. When momentum is working for you, even setbacks are seen as temporary or even better, they are seen as learning opportunities. When momentum is working for you it can feel like the universe is conspiring with you for your success.
On the flip side, we have all felt when momentum is working against us. Nothing seems to go right, small setbacks feel huge and the people you normally count on seem to have a completely different agenda that is contrary to yours. When pushing against momentum the world can feel like a scary and small place and our minds slip into a scarcity mindset. When this happens we often look up at the sky and shake our fists. Why me, why now and then Murphy’s Law then kicks in… “If anything can go wrong, it will.”
We clearly want and need forward momentum in our personal and professional lives. I want to take this opportunity to talk about three key factors that will not only help you to create forward momentum but also sustain it. Momentum can be ellusive, as soon as we start riding the wave; it disappears as quickly as it emerged.
“Momentum solves 80% of your problems” – John C. Maxwell
1. The Importance of Consistency in Building Momentum
I have been in the B2B sales profession for over 30 years and I can say the number one key factor for building momentum is consistency. Being as consistent as possible on everything such as your industry, presentation style, follow-up, to even starting your day early to name a few. Whatever your particular success formula, sticking to it with consistency will build forward momentum.
2. How Confidence Fuels Momentum and Amplifies Your Message
If consistency is the foundation builder of forward momentum, then confidence is the fuel that keeps it going. The words you say to yourself matter, and if they are self-affirming the exact same presentation can land dramatically differently when spoken with a voice of confidence. When I turned Mr. NO into Mr. YES, I decided that day that if I could sell to this tough customer, I could sell to absolutely anybody on the planet earth. How’s that for extremely confidant? When we are confident, our words will resonate with enthusiasm and authority.
3. Staying Focused on Personal Priorities to Sustain and Expand Momentum
The push and pull of business life can be extreme, with so many people and situations vying for your energy and attention. Many will have conflicting agendas that will potentially stunt or even steal your forward momentum. So staying focused on your personal priorities is the key to sustaining your momentum. Keep an eye on your goals while still staying open to opportunities that cross your path will not only sustain forward momentum, but will also help it to expand.
Once we have invited sustained positive momentum into our lives we then get to enjoy the amplifying effect that momentum creates in our lives. This is truly where the magic happens. As positive momentum builds and is sustained, people, organizations, and situations outside of us start to conspire to help us reach our goals and dreams. Our consistency is rewarded with opportunity and once tough customers like Mr. NO become the biggest cheerleaders for our success.
By viewing our careers (and lives) through the lens of positive momentum, what we once thought was impossible is now easily achievable opening us up to dare to dream bigger than we ever thought imaginable.
“Keep moving ahead because action creates momentum, which in turn creates unanticipated opportunities” – Nick Vujicic
Dave Fyfe
Business Success Coach and Strategist
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