So I’ve noticed for a long time now that there are a lot of really important skill words that start with the letter P.  I’ve always valued the importance of these words and often recited them. 

At first I called these P words traits – like you must a have these 5 traits to be successful in Sales and Sales leadership.  Then I realized that although a few people have these traits naturally, most people have to work on them, just like a skill that is practiced (another important P word). 

A few things I know that you will get out of this, for better or for worse, you will never hear P words the same.  

Every time you hear a P word, you will analyze it for it’s importance from here on out. Part of my devious plan :).  Not really, but we will take a deep dive into some tactical skills that are tied to the traits that these words represent.


The first important P word is Process.

Some people get this confused with a system.  A process is the way in which you help someone to do something; a system is what supports a process.  So when I think of a system I think of Salesforce, or HubSpot where a customer inquiry is put in the system, and it is up to the salesperson to make sure that they take the customer through the right process.  


When you have your own business, you need to make sure the process is very clear in your head, because that is what will give your customer the best experience.  

Many times when you’re not clearly expressing to your customer what the next step is for someone, it can be confusing and they might be left hanging. And it’s generally because the process hasn’t been clearly explained to you, and you don’t have a clear process outlined with every customer.  

The most important phrase is “The next step is….xyz.” That way it is a clear agreement with your customer, builder, or new recruit. Closing the loop on every NEXT step of the process is the most important key I want you to take away from this.



The next word is Perseverance.  

Perseverance is associated with the mastery of a skill, completing tasks, steadfastness to learn and keep growing.  Now persistence or resilience is the ability to bounce back in the face of adversity and this will get you far in the business, but perseverance will be the key skill to develop to go to past the next level and the next one after that.  


How do you develop perseverance?  That, my friends, is for another day, but the short answer is this: you need to understand the purpose of setting a goal, then you set an achievable goal, (not just a number or a level that you want to achieve- actual profit), you reverse engineer it including the details of the activities so you understand the time and effort that it will take you.  

And then you commit to yourself that you will develop the skills you need before executing your plan. 


Now if step 1 or 2 seem confusing, then you can develop the skills of understanding that part first, because that is your foundation, right?  

So perseverance, persistence and resilience is all about letting go of your EGO: that’s my take on it and let me explain. 

If you are scared, or feel fear of helping someone beyond their resistance, or following up after they said that they wanted to look at something down the line, that is your ego holding you back.  Let that stuff go, and remember to serve people well. We must let go of ego and be humble and kind. And the funny thing is there is more power there anyways :).

When I think of people in history, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Martin Luther, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu.  Their Power was in letting go of EGO and serving.


That leads me into Patience.  

The 2nd key to perseverance is having Patience with your customers and, of course, finding out what will be the best option for them.  Having patience with your team members as they’re learning new skills developing and working through struggles and emotional roller coasters that you may have already figured out how to overcome.  You just want to tell them what to do so badly, but many times your truth isn’t their truth.


Lastly have patience with yourself.  Perseverance is mastery of skill. How long does mastery take?  

Now, you do not need to master skills before implementing action.  In fact, mastery of a skill comes much faster when implementing skills learned immediately!  You will make mistakes as a salesperson, a business owner, and a leader. Know that is a reality, have patience with your own struggles, and try not to talk negatively to yourself.


The next key is Purpose and Passion.

You must have a clear mission to understand why you are getting up every morning to do what you do.  Your purpose can be simple. It does not have to be some intense passion, but a passion to do more, get better, and work with more people is a must. 


A trick that I’ve used sometimes when motivation is waning is look at testimonials of people you’ve helped.  If you don’t have those yet, look at others. Then it’s easy to make that next call. It is truly important in sales, leadership, and in team culture to understand that you a have a specific purpose.

Now, what is the one P word that you need to avoid?  

Perfection

Something that I struggled with personally was this pursuit of perfection.  

I experienced this personally, because anyone that knows me, knows that I am not a polished individual by any means.  When I reached success very quickly in my sales career I noticed right away that I had people watching me from every level.  

Then feeling this pressure that everyone was watching me, and I need to look perfect and in control of everything at all times. This also was part of the culture that was created that I was in.  But in comes EGO and, for me, it made me really unhappy to have this facade of perfection, that I probably never pulled off anyway. 

There is the image of perfection, which is not perfection, so who cares about perfection??  If your customers are happy, we’re really happy, and you’re making a profit, who needs perfection? 


So lets be real and let go of ego (aka fear).  Let’s open up our mind to the pursuit of progress, making benchmark goals that are achievable, ensue pursuit of progress and ignite our passion.  When you start with your targets closer, you can hit the bullseye. Then keep setting the target further and further away because you’ve practiced your skills.

🙂

Well thanks for hanging with me and have a great day!