You Didn't Come Here to Be Mediocre
Sales reps only want a few things out of their professional lives.
They want to do good work.
They want to be paid for that work.
They want to help others with their work.
They want to be told they did a good job.
That's really it. It doesn't sound like much, but you'll go a long way to get it. You want these things so badly that you're willing to scour the Earth to find the templates, scripts, and tips that will help you accomplish these goals.
Maybe you're brand new, wide-eyed, and looking at nothing but pure potential. You're not sure what the heck you're even doing yet, but you're motivated. Somebody else's blueprint will help you get where you want to go much faster than trying to figure this all out on your own.
Maybe you've been doing ok, but if someone has come before you and done it better, then they can probably teach you something. Continuous improvement is something we're told to strive for, so it all lines up. Never stop learning, and never stop getting better. Blow through your number this year and get that fat bonus check...
Either way, you're dissatisfied with your current state and looking to be influenced. The temptation to take someone else's templates and scripts and make them your own is right there in front of you.
"They worked for her, and she's had amazing success. I'm going to follow these directions and make big strides!"
Well, kinda...
There's nothing wrong with being inspired by someone else's frameworks, but let me tell you what happens when you take them too literally.
The best you'll ever be with them is mediocre.
Follow this logic. If the scripts were perfect, everybody could take them and win with them. If everybody followed the same patterns, results would likely be better but predictable. Everybody would succeed at the same level, which is the very definition of mediocrity.
You didn't come here to be mediocre.
Let's take it a step further. It's tough to use someone else's words as your own. They just don't feel right, so there's a level of discomfort there. That's going to make you hesitate a little bit; create a little friction.
Then let's add the concept that someone else will publish their own scripting that works really well for them too. You like it, and there's some conflict between your two models. Now there's more dissonance in your head.
This resistance inhibits your execution, and now you're actually performing worse than mediocre.
This is what happens every day in sales. People with tremendous intentions and more talent than they even realize water themselves down into the worst performing versions of themselves... accidentally.
Don't do that.
The key? You have to step back and dig a little deeper. Take both of those scripts that inspired you, and distill why they work. Figure out the principles that are underlying their success and note the commonalities. What do they get right that you're not doing well right now?
You're not missing the right words, you're missing the principle that their words are addressing. Figure out how to check that box in a way that feels good to you.
Most people are afraid to do this. They fear they'll screw up some opportunities and never recover. Maybe copying someone will only get them to mediocrity, but the devil they know is better than the uncertainty, and "it'll still be better than what I'm doing right now."
That's a compromise you don't want to make. Your customers need what you bring to the table. So does your company. They deserve it, and quite frankly, so do you.
If you believe enough in what you do and why you do it, then you owe it to everybody to do it in a way that only you can.
Here's what happens when you do:
You sell with more integrity
You sell with more pride
You sell with more creativity
You have more fun
You're more likely to win
You sell more effectively
You sell more often
This is what exponential growth looks like, and all that stands between you and it is a willingness to dig a little deeper and try some things that make intuitive sense to you because you gave yourself the time and space to go there. You can do this.
You didn't come here to be mediocre, you came here to do a great job, get paid for it, make an impact, and be recognized for your efforts. You'll never sell better than when you #selllikeyou, and this is how you do it.
