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A successful sales career is built on three principles.

The most helpful insights we receive in our lives and careers are always the most simple. The following three principles are no exception. These principles apply whether we want to dramatically improve our sales skills, significantly enhance our industry knowledge, move into sales management or even change employers.

If we’re not happy with our sales careers we have to decide whether we are going to put the effort into improvement or continue with the status quo. Continuing with the status quo is always the easy decision. It’s also a decision that provides no benefit.

Principle #1: “A decision must be made.” Tony Robbins says that the decision to change is the most important and difficult part of self guidance. It takes a lot of guts to genuinely commit ourselves to make a major change in our careers.

When we decide to make a significant change we often find lots of reasons to abandon ship and never get to the planning stage. “This is going to be too hard. This will take too long. Am I really going to be able to make this happen? Who am I kidding?” Being able to ignore those thoughts is an essential element of success. Everyone doubts their abilities initially.

Principle #2. “A plan must be laid.” Once we decide to make a change, then we have to put together a plan to make that change happen. To skip this step puts us into a very large crowd of people known as “those with good intentions.”

We’ve decided to change and now we have to pay our dues. Success in our careers is never easy. We’re never handed success.

Principle #3. “A price must be paid.” There aren’t any shortcuts to hard work over time. I’ve never seen a mega-successful sales professional who didn’t pay his or her dues to get where they are.

I told you it was simple, but it’s also profound.

A decision must be made.
A plan must be laid.
A price must be paid.

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Tags: career

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