I went to the local beach this weekend. First time this summer and I had a grand time watching the waves as well as the people cautiously, carefully, almost fearfully approach the water.

You see it’s early in the season and the water is still very cold and given that the air temperature isn’t all that hot, the urge to get into the water is somewhat subdued.

But lots of people went in. Slowly and carefully they approached the water, first up to their ankles and then they went in all the way,

Yes, careful at first and with more confidence afterwards.

Of course there were also the folks that took a running leap and dove straight into the waves caring little about the coldness of the water.

It was fun to watch both styles.

As a long time sales trainer I have seen similar behaviors with sales reps. Some jump in with total abandon and simply go for it. After all, there’s a sale to be made.

Others, well they dip their toes. move forward with some hesitancy and when they gain confidence, they move ahead.

Sales and swimming; here are some success tips for both:

Practice. Whether it’s swimming or selling, practice is required, and while practice might not make you “perfect” it sure as heck will make you better than you were before. And for certain, practice will ALWAYS enable you to be a better salesperson.

Know your own strengths and weaknesses. Not the kind of person that leaps into
the waves. That’s fine because you can also get into the water by going slow and steady.  As for sales sometimes a more conservative approach will reap greater rewards than the “take no prisoners” school of sales.

Be confident in whatever it is you do. If you know you can’t swim then stay near shore and should swimming look desirable make a plan to learn the required strokes. How true this is with sales. Confidence is key and the more you learn of sales skills, techniques and tactics the more competent and successful you will be.

Be true to your own style. If you’re not an ocean swimmer, then stay in the pool. If you’d prefer working with small to mid-sized companies rather than corporate mega-brands then develop a sales and marketing strategy to grown your desired market.

As they say, everyone into the pool.

Need help developing your swimming, er, sales skills, give me a call at 516-445-1135.