Take your business to the next level

From survival…to stability…to success…to significance

There’s a learning curve or development process to just about any job or endeavor.

Cristeta Comerford spent 10 years in the White House kitchen before first lady Laura Bush tapped her to become the first female executive chef at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. A 40-ish naturalized citizen originally from the Philippines, Comerford is known for her extraordinary ability to rise to any culinary occasion, from a late-night peanut butter and jelly sandwich to a state dinner for 900.

Jeff King, a four-time winner of the Iditarod, doesn’t simply show up on race day in Anchorage, Ala., with a pack of dogs, some cold weather gear and any old sled. He’s achieved a high-level of success in a grueling, demanding sport by inventing (and re-inventing), testing, and fine-tuning some of the most critical tools of his trade.

Both Comerford and King learned the how and why’s of their profession’s ropes, developed and honed their skills, enjoyed a significant level of success and recognition along the way…and have now become significant role models for others striving to make their mark.

The sales profession is also marked by a four-stage development process, according to Charlotte Landram, a highly successful leader of sales organizations, professional coach and founder of High Impact Systems in Phoenix. Landram refers to the four stages as survival, stability, success, and significance – and routinely coaches both new and more seasoned sales professionals on techniques to take their business to the next level.

“There are a variety of group training opportunities and more personalized one-on-one discussions and exercises I’ve developed to help people move through the stages,” Landram says. “If anyone struggles with how to be more effective in prospecting for clients, how to provide extraordinary customer service, or how to embrace all the opportunities at their disposal, I can help.

“Together, we’ll structure learning to become more successful, internalize traits that will help propel business forward, and find a sense of significance – or completeness – that may be missing from their sales experience.”

I can survive
New salespeople may learn the ropes from a more seasoned sales pro or mentor, or attend company-sponsored training sessions before ever making their first prospecting call. Whether they’re building a real estate business or selling widgets, salespeople working in the first stage of development are focused on survival.

What will it take to make it?
Will I make it?
What important tools and services do I have available?
What are my priorities?
What can I do to find more prospects?

“At this survival stage, a salesperson is inwardly focused,” Landram explains. “Everything is about them – and most of their thinking and conversations are punctuated with questions and statements about ‘me.’

“The primary focus is on their survival – meeting a sales quota or simply getting through the week with some sense of accomplishment and self-worth,” she adds.

“At this stage a salesperson will often feel anxious and uncomfortable, yet mask these feelings with high levels of energy, excitement and enthusiasm,” Landram adds. “Their managers will see inconsistent performance. It often takes salespeople performing at this level longer than expected to achieve goals or results, and early successes are often very difficult to maintain without a systematic development plan.”

Tools Landram designs for salespeople who want to move their careers past this stage include:

Accountability partners
Development opportunities with high-performing colleagues
Training classes and individualized coaching

I’m calmer, more stable
In the next stage – stability – salespeople are becoming more comfortable with the day-to-day rigors of their profession. They’re developing successful systems for prospecting, problem solving and administrative tasks. They’re learning critical time management techniques. They’re also building a lasting client base to work with.

Salespeople working at this level remain inwardly focused, Landram says, but their development questions address success:

What do I need to do to succeed?
What do top performers do that I’m not doing?
How can I get help to perfect my process?

“At this stage salespeople are calmer,” Landram says. “They don’t have the extreme daily highs and lows they may have felt in survival mode…but they will often feel embarrassed if their success suddenly plateaus.

“They also know their products and services well, they know what they need to do every day to succeed, and they’re familiar with the professional resources they have available to propel their careers forward,” she adds.

The development tools Landram designs for early-stage salespeople can be very useful here as well.

“Continuing to work with an accountability partner and taking advantage of development opportunities are critical success drivers,” Landram says. “I also recommend salespeople work with their manager and/or coach in the field to develop specific sales strategies that will improve productivity and help ensure sustainable sales growth.”

Learning to embrace success
At the next stage, sales professionals display more success-directed traits, and routinely question the “why”: why some strategies work more effectively than others; why clients behave the way they do; why having a deep belief in what they’re selling is critical.

“A lot of the sales professionals I coach at this stage will say things like, ‘If I could just find out what my clients are really thinking…I could make everything so much easier’,” Landram says. “Or, ‘I really nailed the presentation at XYZ Company. They’re sold. That deal will make my month.’

“Their core mindset is still on themselves – but through others,” Landram explains. “They understand their success comes from performing at a high level and from developing good relationships. They also know it’s in their best interests to nurture long-term clients, and earn repeat business and referrals.”

Landram says sales professionals who have achieved this level are highly confident…and stressed for more time; they feel pressure to stay on top of their game; and they fully understand their internal business – as well as their clients’. They’ll accept company and industry awards – and often earn more recognition by being asked to mentor others.

Common questions sales professionals ask at this level include:

How can I find more time in my day?
How can I help my customer more?
How can I maintain this pace and not burn out?

The biggest challenge for people at this level is learning how to leverage time to their best advantage.

“Bigger demands come with success,” Landram says. “Everything from the pressure to achieve more and more…to the responsibility you feel to fully support others on your team – and all these demands require time in your day to be your best.”

Shifting to significance
Landram refers to the fourth and highest stage of development as significance.

“Here is where salespeople truly believe they are living their mission – or something of a personal calling,” Landram says. “They recognize their actions, knowledge and dedication are actually helping others – both their clients and co-workers or business partners – succeed.”

According to Landram, if you’re asking questions such as these, you’ve made the shift to significance:

Who need my help?
How can I help others be their best?
Do I have enough time to help?
How else can I give back?

“When I’m coaching sales professionals who perform at this level I’m working with individuals who are very reflective and have a very strong self of who they are. They are peaceful – and they’re committed to creating a very positive legacy,” Landram says.

Sales professionals at this level also thrive in this role of significance, and will often mentor younger or less-experienced associates, teach classes, and develop networks of like-minded people in supporting businesses. More and more time is spent with clients and colleagues – and the personal rewards grow right along with these strong relationships.

“I love hearing stories from these performers – stories that others have shared with them about how they’ve helped build success all around them.”

“At the significance stage, you’ve developed purpose,” Landram adds, “and that’s a very powerful way to ensure you always operate your business at the highest possible level!”