Conquering the Seven Summits of Sales by Susan Ershler

Author:Susan Ershler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

Don’t Be a Soloist

Imagine facing a situation like this alone. Without help, could you excavate and assemble a windbreak of ice blocks while the wind howled around you? Would you be able to sustain your confidence and strength after weeks of uncertainty, hunger, and isolation? It’s no accident that climbing is typically a team activity. On the mountain, as in business, teams outperform individuals.

Of course, there are many climbers who would scoff at the notion that a mountain, even one as forbidding as Vinson Massif, can’t be climbed alone. They’re right. Throughout history, lone wolves have achieved remarkable feats. An Austrian climber, for example, climbed all of the Seven Summits alone without stopping at intermediate camps or using supplementary oxygen.

For most climbers, however, going it alone is neither the safest nor the most efficient way to reach the summit. Inevitably, soloists run smack up against the limits of what they can achieve on their own. Without the support and experience of a team, they can expose themselves to extreme risks that reduce their chances of a successful outcome.

In sales, too, lone wolves can leave themselves vulnerable when they fail to forge the long-term relationships, teams, and networks they need to achieve at the highest levels throughout their careers. They may find intermittent success thanks to their great instincts, confidence, and drive to achieve. But these attributes will only serve them well for a while. Inevitably they will experience a major setback, such as a lost sale caused by their failure to consult with colleagues to confirm the technical feasibility of a proposed solution.

Top sales performers refuse to be stymied by their personal limitations. They set lofty goals and find ways to achieve them on an ongoing basis. Because they recognize that they must rely on others, they establish partnerships with influential members of their civic and business communities to acquire industry knowledge and client access. They invest in building strong relationships with their company’s leaders to secure the organizational resources they need to mount successful sales campaigns. Then they leverage these relationships to recruit and lead cross-functional teams to the summit of sales success.

After reading the first four chapters of this book, you may have come to the conclusion that our goal is to groom you to become a solo performer. Not so! The skills you’ve been developing will certainly help you become a successful salesperson: a Competent Climber. However, our goal for you is much more ambitious. We want you to achieve your full potential as a top performer!

On Everest, climbers rely on Sherpas to help them reach the summit. In this chapter, we’ll show you how to build and lead your own “Sherpa sales team.” In the process, you’ll advance from Competent Climber to Team Leader; the next stage in your ascent to top performer status.

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