Have you read “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens lately?
Seen the movie?
I once had a chilling reminder of the bad “Ghost of Christmas Future,” that I narrowly avoided all those years ago.
This is a cautionary tale, and I highly recommend you take a moment to read it:
One bright Monday morning, I was on my way to meet with a new client when I stopped at Starbucks for a cup of coffee.
As I stood in line, I saw a city bus stop on the corner and a bunch of people got off. One guy—mid 40’s, tall and lanky—started walking towards the Starbucks, and there was something familiar about him.
When he entered the store, I recognized him from many years before when we were both struggling reps trying to sell investments over the phone. His name was Brad.
After I got my coffee, he came up to me and said, “You’re Mike Brooks, right?”
“Yes” I said.
“Hey, we used to work together!” he said.
“I remember,” I said.
He asked me what I was up to these days, and I told him I was an inside sales consultant.
I asked him what he was up to, and this is when the chill hit me: he said he was starting a new sales job today, and then he rolled his eyes as if to say, “And this one will suck, too.”
We walked out of the store together and said goodbye and went our separate ways.
He went to wait at the next bus bench, and I got into my Mercedes and drove away.
As I sipped my coffee and listened to the jazz tunes in my plush car, I thought about how different our lives had turned out, and I wondered what happened to make them so different.
As I thought about it, I knew exactly what it was.
During our time together as struggling reps, the owners of the company brought in a sales trainer, Stan Billue, to motivate us. Stan spoke to us for an hour about what makes the difference between the top money earners in sales versus all the other sales reps.
He said that you have a choice to either commit to learning and using proven scripts and sales techniques that would double or triple your income, or you would just keep doing what you were doing (ad-libbing), getting what you had been getting (poor results).
Stan said: “If you are willing to do what most sales reps aren’t willing to do, then soon you’ll be able to enjoy the things that most sales reps will never be able to enjoy.”
I was sold on scripting out my presentation. Brad wasn’t.
I invested in Stan’s training materials, and I committed to learning, practicing, and doing what he suggested.
My sales and income soared.
Brad thought what Stan taught was just a bunch of old sales techniques that wouldn’t work for him.
Brad thought he knew better.
Brad didn’t believe in using scripts.
“I’ll sound like a telemarkerter,” he moaned. “I have to go with the flow because each prospect is different,” he persisted.
Brad didn’t believe in putting in the time, energy, or money to get better.
So, he didn’t.
Fast forward to our Starbucks encounter. Over 20 years had passed between that Stan Billue talk, and I realized, Stan’s training was the moment I made the decision to change my life.
When Brad showed up that day, he was the Ghost of Christmas Past that could have become my Ghost of Christmas Future.
My life has changed because my commitment to investing in proven sales material, and then learning and using it diligently. I have no doubt that had I not committed to learning and using proven selling techniques, it would have been me who was taking a bus to my next, new job.
It still sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it.
The moral here is that you, too, can avoid the Ghost of Christmas Past from becoming your future. There are a lot of great sales training books, CD’s, and courses you and your team can take advantage of to get better.
One of the best (in my humble opinion) is my bestselling book of phone scripts: Power Phone Scripts.
Amazon has it on sale for just $19.15 with free prime shipping!
If you already have my book, then consider my CD-Series or enrolling your team in my On-Demand Inside Sales Training.
Bottom line is that any investment you make in your career will pay for itself, month in and month out.
Make this best holiday season you’ve ever had. Invest in yourself!
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