You can’t please everyone

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I’ve met a lot of very nice salespeople. Some sell a lot, some not so much.

Part of being a professional at anything is not only knowing what it takes to succeed, but being single-minded in the pursuit of your goals. The big difference between the “nice salespeople” who succeed vs. those who fail is this:

Those who succeed are focused on their goals and results, and treat people well along the way. Those who fail are often caught up in how they treat people, how they come across as treating people, and how much people like them, while the results are left hanging in the balance.

Here’s another way of putting it. The “nice guys” who succeed want continued success more than nearly anything else in life. And at their foundation, they treat people well. The nice guys who fail want to be successful, but more important to them is being liked or being considered “nice” when they’re not around. While there’s nothing inherently wrong in this, in sales it’s an insecurity that can become its own ugly obstacle.

I’m not even talking about the root cause issues, but how the idea that a worthy desire in life (being liked) can become an unhealthy preoccupation and hindrance to success.

If you’re reading this as a “nice” salesperson who struggles with the daily demands of selling, you need to give some thought to your primary focus when selling. Do you want to be successful? Or do you want a population of people out there to simply “like you?”

success, failure