You’re so good you can sell without thinking!
No really, I mean it! Think of musicians, craftsmen, and athletes. They all benefit from muscle memory. As a result, they perform complex feats of skill without much thought and their hands just seem to know what to do. Dan Coyle, author of The Talent Code would say their secret is deliberate practice.
But that’s not a surprise, is it? What might be is that you, as an experienced salesperson, you have an equivalent to muscle memory for your job. Experts call it procedural memory and it enables you to work without getting bogged down by details. It’s like an autopilot that lets you focus on the customer instead of yourself.
Sound cool? It is and YOU have it! However, there is a drawback to allowing your brain’s Tesla to take control every day.
While You Kick Butt, Ageism Creeps Up
Over time, we layer new skills on top of previous ones and easily lose sight of where we started. It’s as if your skills become heirlooms, boxed and placed neatly in your mind’s attic. And if we can forget about them, you better believe your managers, present and future, can as well.
As a result, we rarely take notice when our company hires someone with half our experience to the same job we have. Instead our first clue doesn’t come until the resume we post for an ideally-matched position gets no response. No one pulls us aside to announce ageism’s arrival, it just happens.
Skeptical? According to a recent government report, six out of ten American workers reported experiencing ageism in some form. Now consider that, according to best-selling author Daniel Pink, one in nine people in the US workforce are in sales!. Yep, ageism is out there and it’s already affecting you!
That’s Ok. Who Can Question Results Like Yours?
In response to ageism, we think our experience and our numbers will protect us. Companies are dying to have someone like you – until they’re not. Your performance can make you feel rock-solid but, in the eyes of others, you may be inflexible and unable to change. And, you may make too much money, Oh yeah and, at your age, shouldn’t you be a manager?
But what about that procedural memory thing I just mentioned? Can’t managers see how good you are at all that stuff you do automatically? Some managers are sharp enough to recognize and value these skills, many are not. And be honest, are YOU even aware of all the little things you do to be successful?
Before you complain about unfairness, start appreciating yourself.
According the Harvard Business Review, too many older workers believe ageist assumptions about themselves. Therefore, in addition to the unfair assumptions others make, we often put some on ourselves.
So what’s the answer? You know how before you can sell a product you must first BE SOLD on it yourself? Part of that process, I’m sure you’d agree, is assessing the competition. The same holds true for YOU.
The following questions are meant for YOU to ask YOURSELF as a way to size up who you’re competing with in the job market. You might just be STRONGER than you think!
In the process of doing your sales job…
- Do you confuse questions with objections?
- When a customer cancels a deal do you give up on them for good?
- Are you scared by an angry customer?
- Are you unable to put your phone down in customer meetings?
- If a sale takes longer to close than expected, do you automatically assume it’s a lost cause?
- If a customer changes their timetable or requirements, do you get flustered and give up?
- Do you refuse to ask for the help of coworkers or friends?
- Do you not have any contacts or friends from whom to ask help?
- Does a lackluster sales report make you conclude you NEVER will be successful?
- Are you afraid to ask for a firm commitment from your customers?
Like it or not, many of your younger counterparts struggle with these very issues. And yes, you and I are losing jobs to them!
Hopefully by now you see that you bring tremendous value. Perhaps somewhere there’s a 20-something who was born will all the skills of selling. I doubt it. By now, you’ve made hundreds, even thousands, of sales calls. How could you NOT be good?
Unfortunately, there will always be people who don’t appreciate what you offer. One thing’s for sure. You don’t have to be one of them!
Sincerely,