Be a sales-maker, not a sales-taker. Seems simple, doesn’t it, yet as a sales trainer for all these many years I’ve come across more than my share of takers.

Sales takers: tend to rely solely on referrals for their business, do not creatively up or cross sell or probe for additional opportunities, or engage in biz dev efforts. They’re passive during the sales process, and follow more than lead.

Sales makers: tend to create their sales opportunities by assertively engaging in proactive biz dev activities and while they get referrals, are not comfortable relying on them to fill their sales funnel. Yep, they prospect!

Now I know sales reps can be a bit of both, but, it truly boils down to your primary style.

What about you? Are you one or the other or a mix of both?

BTW, there’s nothing wrong with getting referrals; in fact, it’s the best feeling in the world. I just caution any sales rep to not depend on referrals for their livelihood because one day, for no apparent reason, the referrals may dry up.