Does Your Team Have TRUE GRIT?
A very popular TED talk guest, Angela Duckworth talks about True Grit and the power of perseverance.
True Grit. What does that mean? When you hear someone give a compliment which states the person has grit, what does it mean? It means the person has the courage and shows the strength of their character. When understanding character education and how character is built, one of the keywords that should be included in True Grit. A person with true grit has passion and perseverance. Goals are set and followed through. A person who works really hard to follow through on commitments has true grit. It is not a term you hear very often.
Your next natural step is to see where your sales team is when it comes to True Grit? Do you know? Find out how your team is doing with the 10 most important characteristics that make up True Grit.
A salesperson shows his confidence level through mental toughness. Confidence is one of the most important aspects of being successful in sales. We frequently misunderstand a salesperson being outgoing and friendly as confidence; this is not necessarily true. Often a person is attracted to sales because they see themselves as a “people person.” We can fall for this trait and ultimately not understand why this person seems to be busy with appointments but have very few people actually closing.
The ability to say and do what you need to is even if it is uncomfortable, one of the most important aspects of being a professional salesperson. When/if a prospect says something that doesn’t seem right or brings up a ‘red flag,’ the salesperson should be able to ask for clarification to truly understand what the prospect means by their statement.
A person with a high level of mental toughness will not allow misunderstandings to occur without addressing them. This skill will push the salesperson to do and ask all that they need to in order to reach a positive outcome (and remember, a ‘no’ can be a good thing). With mental toughness, the salesperson will have a shorter selling cycle and won’t fall into deeply discounting their product/service.
Passion and Commitment
Passion and Commitment is part of true grit. It is the willingness to do whatever it takes. Success is the ultimate payoff. The goal is always within reach and if it’s not, the salesperson that possesses these qualities will figure out how to get there.
If someone has the passion to be successful and is dedicated to doing what it takes to achieve their goals, the likelihood of achieving them is very high.
Commitment is the number one thing that turns a salesperson from good to great. It is the fire-in- the-belly hunger that drives salespeople to greatness, true grit. When you find someone who truly has the attribute of commitment, hire them on the spot.
Personal responsibility is also closely connected with the character when the character is defined as a person’s moral or ethical quality, and the character of a person gives them advantages to respond to the challenges of life.
Without commitment, a person tends to blame others for circumstances and is not able to consciously and purposefully choose his or her own thoughts, feelings and actions. This person often sees themselves as a victim. Victims typically identify themselves based upon attributes of powerlessness, dependency, entitlement, apathy, fear, self-doubt, and the like. It is difficult than to create and follow true direction and destiny.
So how is your team’s True Grit? Do you know? Take a few minutes to find out if your team has what it takes to be sales superstars.