A recent article in New Scientist offered hope for any would-be genius by debunking the idea that greatness depends on being born smart. Apparently, having a high IQ or any other natural talent, doesn't give you any significant advantage. Even hothouse nurturing of gifted children does not produce any higher incidence of Nobel Prize winners or otherwise successful people.
The secret is out. What makes a genius is a modicum of talent, the right encouragement, favourable circumstances, and ten years or more of working five times harder than ordinary folk.
Few barriers stand in the way of getting a novice-level sales job. You rarely need any qualifications. All you usually have to do is convince one or two people in one or two short interviews that you can do the job.
There is a vast difference between a bottom rung sales role and being at the peak of the profession. Top sales people earn more than prime ministers do.
The following tips will help anyone with sufficient desire and determination to climb the ladder. Funnily enough, it takes most people about ten years.
- Choose an industry, market or product set that interests you. If you are interested, you will find it easier to become a subject expert.
- Become a subject expert. Learn everything that you can about your chosen industry, market and products or services. Do not wait for your employer to educate you. Read books written by subject experts, sign up for the best ezines and get on the circulation list for appropriate trade or industry magazines. If the subject matter is new to you, book yourself on a relevant evening class or distance learning programme.
- Complete your apprenticeship. It is always tempting to take shortcuts, particularly if you enjoy some early success. If you don't master the basics properly and talk yourself into a higher paid job too early, you may find yourself without the skills you need to succeed.
- Find a mentor. A mentor is someone who has done what you are planning to do and is willing to give you some time when you call. The protege usually has to has to choose his own mentor and maintain the relationship.
- Be enthusiastic and welcoming around anyone willing to teach or coach you even if you don't like what he or she has to say. The people who most upset us are the ones from whom we can learn the most. The lessons we most need to learn are frequently the ones we least think we need.
- Recognise early that you must win people's trust before they will listen to you or allow you the freedom to demonstrate what you can do.
- Learn something about everyone you speak with or meet. Collect their contact details and record how you met them and what you learnt about them. It is never too soon to begin deliberately developing and maintaining a network of business contacts.
- Set your career goal and make a development plan to acquire the skills and capabilities necessary for doing the job you ultimately want to have. Don't leave it to the benevolence of your employer.
- Read professionally. Even if you can only manage a few pages a day, you can absorb three or four books a year. Keep it up and you could gain the equivalent of a degree-level education, every two or three years.
- Take the time to help others grow and develop along the way. It is repayment for all the lessons others taught you, it multiplies your contribution, and it equips you for taking on greater responsibility.
If this seems like a lot of work, it is. It's about five times more work than most people are prepared to invest in their careers.
But then, extraordinary earnings depend on an extraordinary contribution.
By Clive Miller, Founder of SalesSense
