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It was mid-2019 and I found myself at an uncertain crossroads in my career. After a long, fruitful stint as VP of Sales in the wireless industry, I was thrown on the back burner by a merger without a golden parachute, a backup plan, or even a dinghy to navigate the choppy waters of the job market.
Since the urgency was great, I had to get something quickly to replace my income. This led to us securing one of the first opportunities that came along – a commission-only position in solar sales. When I heard the earning potential, I dove in headfirst.
Since I have no solar experience whatsoever, I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a little nervous. But one thing was certain: challenges always helped me and I was ready for a fresh start in a booming new industry.
For me, it is the ascension process that has always driven me, not the prize itself at the end. Where's the fun in laying a dead gazelle in front of a lion? It's the chase, the adrenaline of proving myself and exceeding my own expectations that fuels me and pushes me to new levels (okay, sure, and maybe also the need to succeed so my family doesn't end up homeless). , decreased a little). also to do with that.)
Nonetheless, I knew that my previous sales experience gave me the skills and ingenuity to win. What I didn't fully grasp, however, was the impact of a single productivity hack that would be explosive on my results in a commission-only environment. I attribute this hack to bulldozing my way to the top spot in the winnings list and obliterating the company records for most earnings ever.
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The power of persistence
Sales is not about suggesting a product and relying on the customer to buy something. Great salespeople who truly excel know that closing a sale requires a unique blend of persistence, finesse, and strategic thinking. However, being a great salesperson doesn't automatically make you a great broker. You see, good salespeople are also good salespeople, but good salespeople are not always good salespeople. Disruptive salespeople closing requires a strong mindset – the mindset of closing every single customer you interact with. Sounds unrealistic? Perhaps. But it is precisely this attitude that separates the extraordinary from the average.
Understandably, you won't close every deal – that's an unrealistic expectation. But the power of a “Close to Every Customer” mindset gives you the potential to elevate your performance to incredible heights. This mindset can turn an extra sale or two per week that you would otherwise have thought impossible into doubling your sales results for the month.
But the question remains: How do you cultivate this mindset? What matters is that you have an unwavering belief in your abilities and fight tirelessly for every sale as if it were your last – no half-hearted attempts, no giving up when obstacles arise. This isn't about overconfidence; It's about resilience, tenacity, the unyielding will to succeed and the use of a simple hack.
Related: Why persistence is more important than brilliance for business success
The ultimate productivity hack for closers
This hack is not an underground, newly developed technology or a secret script hidden from the public in the underground tombs of Egypt. No, it's much simpler, but even more powerful. This is what I call “success amnesia.”
Success amnesia is the practice of mentally rebooting after each victory. It's about leaving past achievements behind and approaching each new opportunity as if you were under great financial strain, regardless of reality. It means convincing yourself that you're going to your next appointment like you're three months behind on rent and can't even afford a pint of milk for your two-year-old toddler – regardless of whether you're currently making money have a commission of $20,000 for your previous appointment four hours ago.
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Success amnesia is a deliberate forgetting of past victories, a conscious reboot that allows you to seize each new opportunity with tireless determination. It is this success amnesia that fuels your hunger for success, fuels your tenacity, and compels you to disrupt the status quo in every interaction.
If there's one thing you take away from my story, it's this: success amnesia can single-handedly transform your sales DNA, strengthening its strands with resilience and a hunger for disruption. It was this change in mindset that paved the way for me to achieve $5.7 million in personal sales or $320,000 in commission in my first year in the solar industry, despite having no experience in the industry . With the right attitude, relentless determination, and the powerful tool of success amnesia, you can easily catapult yourself to the top of your industry and introduce this practice to your sales team.