How Do You Know What Your Sales Talents Are?

How Do You Know What Your Sales Talents Are?

by | Aug 18, 2019 | Strengths

First of all, if you’re drawn to sales there’s something that intrigues you about selling, enough to try it out. Maybe you just ended up in sales on a fluke. Whatever the reason you’re in a sales role, it could be that you get to connect with people, whether it’s deep or simply the thrill of winning them over in the moment and helping them fix a problem.

What being in sales looks like can vary between different businesses. Being in retail vs. wholesale, short-term vs. long-term sales, selling a tech product vs. building equipment or dental implants, all require a different set of talents.

When you fail in sales it could be as simple as selling a product you don’t believe in, being in a business that you don’t really connect with or having a personality that could be better served=appreciated in a different business area.

Take the BP10™

The BP10™ is another cool assessment that Gallup® offers as it measures your level of entrepreneurship aka builder talent. In this assessment you are measured against the top builders in the world who have all 10 builder talents high, think Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, Oprah.

Why does this matter? Knowing your entrepreneurial talents will add a layer to your CliftonStrengths® profile as it identifies how you can be successful in business.

There are 10 builder talents:

1 CONFIDENCE

You have a strong belief in your business and that you have what it takes to be successful in business. You know yourself, are action-oriented and can influence others.

2 DELEGATOR

You delegate with ease and know that more gets done by not doing it all yourself. You recognize other people’s talents and draw on their abilities.

3 DETERMINATION

You’re quick to make decisions and act. With a high work ethic, you don’t give up and face conflict fearlessly. You have a persistence and grit to recover from setbacks and keep on going.

4 DISRUPTOR

You’re curious and a quick learner filled with ideas and initiatives. You’re constantly thinking of new ways to propel your business forward by introducing new products, services, and/or technology.

5 INDEPENDENCE

You take an idea from start to finish and have the ability to build and operate a company on your own. You’re a jack of all trades with a high level of competence, responsibility and multi-tasking abilities.

6 KNOWLEDGE

You have a strong desire to know everything you can about all aspects of your business and anticipate needs. You will constantly search for new information and add new experiences to navigate your business.

7 PROFITABILITY

You have sharp business instincts,  making money with a profit-focus focus is your main objective. By establishing clear targets, objective measurables of the progress, growth strategies you’ll run a tight ship.

8 RELATIONSHIP

You have a high social awareness and build mutually beneficial relationships with people that will benefit your business, and often beyond. You’re open, with a positive attitude and personal integrity that helps build trust.

9 RISK

You instinctively know how to manage high-risk situations. With your strong personality, charisma and confidence you enthusiastically take on challenges with a rational approach to decision-making.

10 SELLING

You’re the influencer and evangelist of your business. The person who represents the face and voice of your business, spreading the word boldly as often as you can with a clear growth strategy.

Take the BP10™ assessment HERE and then:

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    1. Start with your Top 4 Talents

    …and the primary role that have been assigned to you based on your ranking (Conductor, Expert, Rainmaker)

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    2. Ask yourself

    … How are you currently applying these talents to your business? What can you add or do differently to use these talents, even more, moving forward?

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    3. Review the profile

    …in your BP10™ Report and the personalized action items in your report, how does this align with how you see yourself in business? (or how you run your home)

Try it and let me know how it goes!

Learn how we can work together HERE.

3 Actions to Identify Your Sales Process and Fix Your Problems

3 Actions to Identify Your Sales Process and Fix Your Problems

by | Aug 11, 2019 | Strengths

You’re a high-achieving salesperson who normally hits your targets and now you’re all of a sudden falling behind.  You don’t know how to dig yourself out of the hole.

When you’re not hitting your numbers, do you have a problem? Yes.
Is it a symptom? Yes. 

When you think about it, the reason you’re not hitting your numbers is that there is something missing in the process that you haven’t yet identified. 

Fixing symptoms won’t fix your sales

When you identify the actual underlying problem, it goes away, and you hit your targets. When you’re fixing symptoms, different issues continue to pop up. You keep taking actions yet don’t hit the desired targets.

When you’ve lost your mojo and aren’t hitting your numbers you have lost sight of what you bring as a salesperson…. So what can you do to solve your problem, and how can you make it more “fun”?

And by fun, I mean what drives you? For someone with Positivity it needs to be fun, for other talents it will be a different driver. Your strengths will provide the clues.  

How you sell varies from person to person, as does the strategy for planning. What IS needed is some sort of an action plan that aligns with who you are and that supports  you in hitting your targets.

Review your sales process

Looking back at what actions you took in the past can sometimes be helpful yet how you approach a target will vary from person to person. Let me expand on this:

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    STRATEGIC THINKER

    If you’re a thinker, you may need time alone to process, collect facts, data, past success data, or simply have a bit of dreamtime where you muse about your future targets

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    INFLUENCER

    An influencer will in all likelihood simply jump into action whether it’s talking to strangers or as many people as possible to explore a new approach, jumping off the cliff and figuring things out on the fly, connecting within or simply take charge of the situation

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    RELATIONSHIP BUILDER

    A relationship builder needs to connect with people, heart-to-heart, and often build more long-term relationships. Reach out to someone you trust and talk it through, it could be a friend, current client, or a mentor. 

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    EXECUTING / DOER

    A doer, have a mix too of processing data prior to taking action to simply just doing it and making things happen while doing

Your strengths DNA profile (CliftonStrengths® All 34 Report) has your unique blend of any of the groups above, review yours and then take the “action” needed that sparks for you.

In sales, there are never any guarantees of closing a deal. What can make the process easier is having plenty of prospects in the pipeline for one and identifying the best way for you to close the deals. 

Identifying YOUR sales process is key to increase your performance, and what actions you tend to take to make it happen is another. And no matter who you are, you do have a process even if the order changes from person to person, I recently identified that myself 🙂 

Call it your magic sauce. Your predictable formula. Your mojo. You have one.

Here’s how to get started: 

1. Your Success Formula

a. Write down the different actions you take from identifying a prospect to closing them. Pick 5 different clients and compare them side by side to see what you did for each and what actions overlapped. 

b. Create a list of what the actions are and look at your current prospect list to see what you have done and what steps you may need to take

2. Determine Your Ideal Client

Who is your ideal client? Have you sat down to think about and describe what that person would be like to interact with? Where would they live, age, gender, values, interests, etc.?

Doing business with people that you enjoy serving, that appreciates you, makes life a heck of a lot more fun

3. Apply Your Strengths Daily

Shine every day by making sure that your talent needs are met daily. If you use your talents with intention, they will develop into strengths. You’ll feel fulfilled, and find yourself in the zone more often than not. 

 

Try it and let me know how it goes!

Learn how we can work together HERE.

The Clues Inside Your Natural-Born Talents

The Clues Inside Your Natural-Born Talents

by | Aug 4, 2019 | Strengths

In the coaching process, you dive really deep into exploring how each of your talents shows up in your life currently and how you can apply them more intentionally moving forward.

You become a detective of your own life studying how and when you’re using your talents, what really energizes you, when you’re in the zone, and what you’d like to do more of. The process creates a lot of self-awareness and it’s fun.

One thing that I take my clients through is creating a collage, tagline, and a personal playlist. It’s fun, and you’ll be blown away at how awesome you are. How’s that for a change? It beats putting yourself down, doesn’t it?

A blindspot with a purpose

Embracing your greatness, talents, and strengths could potentially be intimidating but in this case, since it’s your hardwiring it’s talents that you use all the time that you didn’t even think of. It’s a blindspot in a sense, all that comes so easy for you. And why no do more of that?

There are also scenarios where you may think you have talents that you don’t.

Sometimes it’s a talent combo that looks very similar that comes from a different perspective and with different driving forces.

Your talents are grouped into different domains, they are:

  • Strategic thinking
  • Relationship building
  • Influencing
  • Executing

You can be a strategic thinker living in your head, or depending on your lineup of talents, come from a heart-based or influencing approach.

Others simply achieve by doing.

In other words, there simply is no right or wrong way to achieve your targets, only your way.

And yes, we all have blind spots. When you own who you are, delegating what you’re not, becomes really easy and enjoyable.

Creating a life with intention

Another thing that you learn in the process of deep-diving is what to pay attention to with your dominant talents especially.

There’s a penthouse mode and a party pooper version for all and it’s your responsibility to manage them if you want to create a life that nurtures you and the people around you.

Becoming aware of when you’re at your best vs. not is powerful. When you’re aware of what’s helping or stopping you, you can do something about it.

To quote Marianne Williamson “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?”

In the strengths process, ou focus on what you have going for you, and while you’ll be stretched it’s a painless journey when you focus on turning your talents into strengths.

Are you curious about what your talents/strengths are? CLICK HERE to take the assessment.

Want to learn more about how you can make the most out of your talents & strengths? Learn how we can work together HERE.

Do You Have the Talent for Sales?

Do You Have the Talent for Sales?

by | Jul 28, 2019 | Strengths

The process of understanding your strengths include things such as knowing what you bring and what you need. When you read the report you will in all likelihood say “Yeah, that’s so me!” yet getting to know your individual strengths in depth go way beyond what the reports include.

What the reports really illustrate is who you are when you’re at your best, and it’s really just a starting point of what you have the potential to be or do.

 

The question is, are you using your strengths every day intentionally? How?

 

For a talent to develop into a strength it needs attention much like a business. In business, you know that if you don’t invest time in staying on top of your game you’ll lag behind. When you don’t invest time and effort into applying your talents, that talent simply doesn’t develop into a strength.

We all have raw talents. Not everyone invests the time in themesleves to the point where they know that they need and bring.

The strengths conversations help cut a lot of “red tape” so if you’re looking for a fun and inspiring conversation about one aspect of you, your hardwiring, then this is for you.

 

Strengths Inspire Others

 

I thrive when I see you step into your potential and take it to another level, and others will too.

When you’re happy and empowered, you’ll inspire others and that will impact people in ways you can never forsee, unless, of course, you have a talent that actually can, like Futuristic®, for example. And even with that there will be unforseen variables.

We are all unique, per Gallup® 1 in 33 million people have the exact same lineup in their Top 5 as you do.

Your “strengths twin” could be anywhere on this planet with a different age, gender, skills and experiences, so suffice to say, you’re even more unique and special when you’re simply being your best you.

 

Are you wired for sales?

 

Some are naturally wired to sell, no matter what the product or market is like. For others, it’s a matter of finding the product or business that you really click with.

Being in sales can mena a lot of highs and a lot of lows depending on how intentional you are.

Using your talents/strengths can help you minimize that gap as confidence is one thing, at a minimum, that everyone gets from a coaching journey.

When you’re confident, not cocky, and believe in yourself and what you and your product bring, you sell.

 

How are you currently appling your strengths to sell?

 

Do you walk into an office with confidence, intention, and a [backup]plan or strategy in place, or are you winging it? 

Are you using a cookie cutter template that someone said that you should follow to be successful?

What challenges are your customers/prospects currently facing that you can help them with?

While some strengths thrive when creating on the spot, and that includes someone with Selling® (BP10™) in their Top 4, not all do and even those that do will be more effective and productive when having an intention.

 

What strengths can help you with

 

When you really hone in on your talents and develop them into strengths, you will find that your performance will increase.

Applying your natural talents intentionally with a plan and focused action that works for how you’re wired will energize you.

Have you ever mapped out who your ideal client is? It could be an age group, gender, ethnographic, specialty. personality, etc. Who would you love to do business with? Why not do business with people that you enjoy interacting with that can receive what you offer?

When you’re super clear on who you want to sell to, it’s easy to say no to anyone that doesn’t fit. For example, spend the majority of your time on the clients/prospects that appreciate what you bring, that buy from you consistently and that have an interest to grow.

 

Are your needs met?

 

Imagine having customers that you really enjoy interacting with.

When your needs are not met and when you don’t know what you bring, other than product knowledge and experience, it’s very easy to get cranky or simply lose your mojo. You have a sense that something is missing but just can’t put your finger on it.

On the other hand when you know what you bring and what your dominant talents/strengths need to be energized and feel fulfilled, then it’s easy to put together a plan.

Creating success based on you being your best you naturally is a heck of a lot more fun. When you feel great about who you are plus the product you sell and take intentional action you will create the success that you desire.

Here are three great books on strengths selling that you may enjoy – I sure did 🙂

 

 

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    1. Discover Your Sales Strengths

    By Benson Smith & Tony Rutigliano
    How the world’s greatest salespeople develop winning careers

    A timeless book of stories that may affirm what you already have a sense of with more meat added, published in 2003.

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    2. Strengths-Based Selling

    By Tony Rutigliano & Brian Brim
    Strengths-Based Selling explains sales talent and how to identify and maximize it

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    3. Born to Build

    By Jim Clifton and Sangeeta Badal

    A builder can create companies just like a salesperson creates a territory. This book reviews the Builder Talents with exercises to explore

Want to learn more about how you can make the most of your expert knowledge? Learn how we can work together HERE.

Why Talents Do Matter

Why Talents Do Matter

by | Jul 21, 2019 | Strengths

Google “talent” and you’ll get over 2 million hits. So, why does it matter and do we all have talents?  

One of the things that I love about the Strengths movement is that you really get, first of all, that everyone has talents. It’s awesome to be part of, and help individuals embrace their natural talents, sometimes personality traits that they were made wrong for one way or another.  

Taking these talents and creating environments where people actually can be their best at work and in life is truly a win-win situation for everyone involved as it affects every area of your life. 

When you use your talents and invest time in your talents you automatically increase your performance levels, feel better, simply you’re engaged.  

When you invest time in nonexistent talents a.k.a. weaknesses you will at best be average and we all know how crappy you can feel when that is the focus.  

So why are so many people still focusing on weaknesses rather than looking at what each individual naturally has a talent for, what they already may be contributing and then allowing that person to invest time doing more of that?

 

Who it applies to 

Well, all of us, every single one of us on this planet. Question is, how are you using them?

We all have areas where, no matter what we do, we simply don’t do it, get it, or get any better at it. If we’re smart, we delegate those tasks, if we have someone to delegate to, or we’ll hire the job out. And yes, there may be some issues that we can’t delegate.

When applying a Strengths conversation and lens to the task at hand we may actually be able to reframe whatever the “it” is and make it fun or interesting to us. 

Now, in all honesty, some tasks will never be fun yet when a team focuses on what they are best at there’s a big chance that someone on your team actually loves doing what you hate doing and you could potentially trade tasks.

 

What if you love sales but feel the pressure to be a manager

Imagine waking up every day and looking forward to going to work, even on a Monday. You’re energized, and doing what you love.

Many salespeople and entrepreneurs love the freedom that the job provides but spend a lot of time stressing out when sales are not coming in. Not everyone is wired to build a business aka territory on their own. 

Some are hunters, others are farmers, some have both. Knowing your talents helps you see what your greatest contribution to your company can be and set yourself up to win.

Many salespeople want to become managers, some have the talent for it, others do not.

If you’re someone who thrives on selling and the sales process, invest time in being the best salesperson you can be and take pride in that. Use what you have going for yourself naturally.

If your passion is to manage people, and the paperwork, then management might be your thing.

When selling energizes you, you’ll automatically add that little extra sauce that has your customers appreciate and stay loyal to you. A great product helps too, of course. 

While many of us thrive on change, some of us don’t, and when you’re in sales there are so many variables. Talented salespeople handle challenges with ease and sell no matter what’s going on.

 

What to do to get started

So what’s next? Well, it starts by exploring what your talents are as an individual. While you may have a sense of what it is reading the report will often confirm what you know deep down but haven’t had the words for.

Getting a coach and going deeper will create even more self-awareness resulting in more confidence and well-being for one, helping you sell you better too. Talking strengths is an empowering conversation that will make you smile, it’s painless.

Next step would be to bring it to your team whether that team is your coworkers, field team, family or your community. Starting a conversation that explores where you shine and how you can be better now doesn’t that sound like way more fun than fixing what you suck at?

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    1. Take the CliftonStrengths® Assessment

    …connect with a coach or go HERE and take the assessment. The report that you get after taking the assessment will in itself be worth gold. You will be blown away, and likely say “Yup, that’s me”.
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    2. Talk to a coach

    …if you want to dig deeper into how YOU can best invest in yourself.
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    3. Spread Strengths to your communities

    …including work. Remember, this assessment measures HOW you approach anything, it’s your hardwiring. Other talents, experience and more get added to this. So it’s about becoming more of who you are naturally. Honor you in other words.

Try it and let me know how it goes!

Do you want to learn more about how you can make the most of your talents? Learn how we can work together HERE.