We have all had days where we walk around with what feels like electricity pulsing through our veins; we’re hitting all of the green lights, and we feel GOOD! But what about the days when we don’t feel that hot? In the automotive industry, one day, you are on top of the world, and for some reason, the next day, you feel like you went through a meat grinder. It’s part of the ebbs and flows with a commission job, of course, but how do the great salespeople seem to be on fire ALL THE TIME?
The trick that all of those great salespeople don’t ever tell you about, or maybe they do, is that their discipline – no matter how challenging the day – is always there. With sales, there is always a process to follow step by step. When we are on our A-Game, and the words flow seamlessly while we are working a deal, everything just seems to fall into place, and the next thing you know, you have a referral or two from your customer because they cannot get enough of you. Other days you just want to pack it up and go home because you’re afraid that at the rate you are going, you may just hurt yourself just trying to walk through the parking lot.
So, what does this have to do with discipline? Those GREAT salespeople, who – from the outside – seem to have no bad days, do have BAD days just like the rest of us. The difference between a good salesperson and a great salesperson is that on the bad days, the great salesperson is still completing the process. They don’t deviate from the tried and true; if anything, they strip everything down to the basics and make sure they aren’t missing any steps with… you guessed it, straight discipline.
Even if the words aren’t flowing smoothly and your smile is forced, you can still complete the steps necessary to sell a car, set an appointment, or complete a follow-up. On the hard days, great salespeople make sure that their t’s are crossed, and i’s are dotted in an almost mechanical fashion. Breaking the process down step by step and making sure that each step is completed is literally the best and only thing that you can do. At the end of the day, even if it didn’t feel good, you executed, and that means you’ve won. Confidence will come knowing you did your job correctly. Winning the day means that you have positive momentum in the right direction. The old saying rings true as well that “the best time to sell a car is … right after selling a car!” Get some momentum with that small win, secure that confidence boost you needed, and keep the ball rolling!
Bad days happen to all of us; it’s how we handle ourselves that determines whether we will continue having a “bad day” or whether we get back up and win. Continuing to execute our tasks and processes with discipline will create the momentum that we need to get back up and move in the right direction. Momentum in the right direction builds that confidence that we all need quickly, and then we’re back in business. Confidence will come from knowing that you have followed the steps necessary to complete your task and that they are done correctly. Even if you do not see the fruit of your labor instantly in many of these incidences, when the seeds are germinated properly, you will prosper and feel great about it. Discipline will always breed confidence over fear, which is extremely valuable to ANY salesperson.
As the COO | Partner of Phone Ninjas, Chris delivers leadership, coaching, and mentorship to 55 team members providing software sales and phone skills coaching. He fosters powerful partnerships and collaborations with leaders across various business sectors, establishing expectations, communicating vision, and escalating performance to maximize productivity and effectiveness.
Chris is an innovation-driven business executive with over 25 years of experience delivering leadership to teams of up to 75 overseeing development, launch, and sale of website lead acquisition, reconditioning process software systems, and technology that support automotive dealerships across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
