Persisting
It always seems impossible until it’s done.
– Nelson Mandela
Imagine starting a new job, full of excitement and ready to succeed, only to find yourself stuck right at the beginning.
That was me when I first started working in sales.
I had just got my job after struggling for almost 4 months. It wasn’t the kind of job I had expected, but that was what I could get then.
Or, I should say that was the only job that was paying well.
It was in a cold calling contact center.
The job was one where I had to call people and convince them to buy mobile phone plans.
The people I was calling were cold leads. So they had no clue that they will be called by a mobile phone salesman, was not really planning to buy one and was not even in a buying mode.
I had never done anything like this before.
I struggled for 40 days.
After 40 days, I hadn’t made a single sale.
I only had 20 more days to make a sale and show that I was fit for the job, or I would be fired.
The Moment Everything Changed
Feeling like I was out of options, I walked up to my team lead and told him, “Boss, I don’t think I’ll be able to do it”.
He looked at me and said, “You’ll be able to do it”, and gave me two tips –
- “Forget you are selling. Stop thinking like you are a salesman. You are helping a customer make a decision. Talk to him like that!”
- “Do this exercise. Assume you are talking to a customer. Take a sheet of paper and write down the complete conversation between the two of you. Include every objection you will hear from him and every rebuttal you would make”.
I did it for the next 15 days.
That advice made me see things differently.
My mindset changed. I wasn’t just selling; I was there to help somebody.
Writing down these pretend conversations helped me learn a lot more about what I was selling and how to respond to people’s concerns. I got hold of my product’s features and benefits.
I was ready for every rebuttal.
I knew I could handle every objection.
Turning Things Around
This new way of thinking not only helped me keep my job but also helped me become the best at it.
Within 10 months, I was the top salesman with the lowest canceled orders, and by the 11th month, I was promoted to Team Lead.
This was my first real experience of turning a tough situation into an opportunity to get better.
I grew not only in my career but as a person.
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
Finding Opportunities in Challenges
We all face tough situations like these, whether it’s problems at work, not growing personally, or just everyday issues.
These problems might seem too much to handle, but here’s something important to remember: they are actually hidden chances to get better.
If you look at it the right way and are prepared to work through it, you will emerge a totally different person.
But then it will require a lot of courage and a drastic shift in perspective.
More so because there is no real tried and tested map that can get you out of these situations.
It is about how you approach it.
Ready!
Then here’s how to do it.
Six simple steps:
Acknowledge the Problem:
The first step is in agreeing and understanding that there is a problem
Accept the challenge that you need to work on it and fix it.
The more you resist, the harder it gets.
If you feel that you might not be able to fix it, then I would recommend getting a mentor or, an accountability partner.
Talk to them about the problem you are facing.
Be open and tell them what you are expecting out of them.
It makes it easier for them to help you and it becomes easier for you to get helped.
Identify the Lesson:
Every tough situation has something to teach us.
Think about what this particular situation is trying to show you.
In my case, I lacked product knowledge and objection handling.
I was too stressed on making sales rather that helping the customer decide, who at that point wasn’t even thinking of changing his mobile plan.
All the while I was thinking that I lacked sales skills. But that wasn’t the real problem!
Take some time out. Stay calm and composed and try to find out what the real problem is.
You are probably not looking at the real problem.
But once you find the real problem, it becomes easier to fix it.
Develop a Strategy:
Once you know what you need to work on, put together a plan to get it done.
Your next moves should be based on all the learnings from the earlier step.
In my case the strategy was to pre-empt the objections and prepare the rebuttals. Because it was here that I was losing out.
The plan was to write it down. Writing it down helped me learn more about the product/service and also learn more about objection handling.
My plan was to think ahead about the most common objections and help customers make a decision.
Spend some time to think through the steps needed to fix the core problem.
And most importantly – Don’t do mind calculations. Ensure you are writing it down on a paper in as much detail as possible.
Take Action:
The next is the most critical step. Take action!
Sometimes the things you need to do might seem small, trivial or not that helpful.
They might look lame and useless.
It might feel like it won’t give any significant results.
But just go and do it.
Even if you don’t see results immediately, continue to implement your plan.
It might take some time but it will work!
Reflect and Adjust:
The one thing that we all miss our on is reviewing our performance.
A review can do wonders to your progress.
Continuously evaluate your performance to find out –
- What worked?
- What didn’t?
Then based on your finding, fine-tune your approach.
Make corrections where ever required.
In time corrections is always better than regretting at the end!
Celebrate Your Growth:
And finally remember, every challenge you overcome is a victory.
Celebrate it!
Don’t become a celebration miser.
Celebration doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to spend a lot of money or, throw a party!
You can celebrate it small.
Treat yourself with something that you like.
After my first big sale, I was so happy that I bought a mobile phone for my dad—it was the first one anyone in our family had.
The best part – I got better at writing!
Wrapping Up
The next time you run into a tough situation, try to see it in a new way.
Problems aren’t just roadblocks; they show us where we can grow.
Face them head-on, and you won’t just get past them; you’ll come out stronger and more capable.
Remember, every challenge is followed by a celebration.
Embrace each one as a chance to learn, improve, and eventually succeed.
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What am I reading?
I finished reading “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying” by Bronnie Ware!
You might remember that it was the book I bought last week after I saw a recommendation on LinkedIn.
The book is simply amazing.
It is a must read for anyone who feels that they don’t have enough time to do the things that they want to do in life!
Go and get it.
You will be able to find it in my list of books on Amazon!
Go ahead and check it out!
My YouTube Channel
This one video did really well on my channel. It was about the “10 hard facts about podcasting that nobody tells you”.
Everything isn’t as black and white as it looks.
And the thing that I hate the most is when influencers and creators make it look like the internet and success is a cake-walk.
It is far from the truth.
There is a lot of hard work required and it is not easy.
While the fact is that if you are ready to work, you can succeed, it isn’t as easy as it is made to look.
==> Click here to check it out!
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That’s it for this week!
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