You do not have to be the best salesperson, but if you LOVE what you do, you will shine.  This leads me to the 10 steps I have discovered to become a great salesperson.

• Top sales people love what they do.
• They decide Exactly what they want – Set goals and go after it, whatever it is. Do not just think about it, identity the needed steps, prioritize and take action!
• The back their sales and career goals with Perseverance – (Insert Darren Stroud mindset) “Those that refuse to fail rarely do..”
• They commit to lifelong learning – You don’t know what you don’t know… And that is ok, but it is not ok to stay that way. Your industry is changing, every Industry is changing, and your clients are changing. So commit to educate yourself, then your clients.
• Top salespeople use their time well – You can only put 5lbs of stuff in a 5lb bag, so how you maximize your time at work can dictate your success both at work and in your family life.
• Here are a couple of things I have recently deployed.
  •  Make your To-Do List at the end of your day – This way when you start your day you are out of the gate with a purpose and not influenced by someone else’s emergency out of the gate.
  • Commit to control your day – Set a couple of times throughout the day to check your email. Turn off your mail client at your desk/laptop. No where does it say that you must respond upon receipt.

• Top Sales People, Follow Leaders – That makes sense if you think about it. Leaders follow leaders, not other followers. Identify successful traits then, integrate and imitate and adjust to fit your sales style. Successful people enjoy sharing and showing what has led to their success, which is one of the traits that make them successful. Do not be afraid to ask them what has made them successful. Meet them for lunch or coffee and ask….
• Top Sales People, Know that character is everything – Henry Ford once said, You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” If you think about that, your character has everything to do with what you do and how you do it. “Trust is not a matter of technique, tricks, or tools but of character.”
• Top Sales people, deploy the golden rule – Treat people how you would like to be treated. If you focus on the sale for today, there is a very good chance that you will miss the sales of tomorrow. By developing relationships that serve people for the long term, so goes the reward.
• Top Sales People, use their inborn creativity – You have it within you, right now, the ability to do more and be more than you ever have before. It is up to you to dig deep and harvest the genius within you and put it to work. Use the muscle between your ears, God has given most everyone of use an equal portion, but we must put it to use. Take it out of the box, so to speak.

• Top salespeople Pay The Price – They network, network, network. Picture birds on a telephone line (it can be anyting here, just roll with me). The more rocks you throw at the birds, the more birds you will hit. The more you throw, the better your aim. The more you get out an meet people and engage and share who you are and the gifts and talents that you have, the more birds you will hit. Get Up and Throw More Rocks!

Darren Stroud is the branch manager for the Spartanburg, South Carolina branch of Finance America. Darren is a weekly contributing team member on the I Got A Lead For You, Greenville team. Visit his profile page to learn more about Darren’s unique approach to the mortgage industry. He is best known for asking a very important question to his clients and borrowers…. What if…?
Meet Darren by clicking here.