How to Perfect (Improve) Your Craft
An artist, “Shana”, revealed that while her artwork is displayed in many shows but she never sells. Yet other artists seemt to do quite well. She was in a quandry of what to do.
Shana’s dilemma brought back fond memories of how i was always able to greatly improve my status while employed as well as how I always worked my entrepreneurship. In the corporate world, beginning each new sales job, I took the top producer out to lunch. I fed them and their ego just a bit letting them know how impressed I was with their ability to always be the top producer. With that, I then asked how they continually made their bonuses and asked their thought as to what they attribute their success.
Putting my ego aside, and through conversation, I quickly recognized the work ahead of me and charted out my plan. Within a few months I became the person of whom to ask advice.
As a job seeker and entrepreneur the same principles apply. Determine who in your network is succeeding at what you wish to accomplish. Offer to meet for a cup of coffee (and pay for it); ask for time on the phone or correspond online. Show appreciation for the other person’s time, let them know why you need help and precisely the type of information you are after. Most likely you will receive some of the answers you need.
Entrepreneurship is a continual commitment to education. As budget allows, private coaching and workshops will advance you more quickly. In the interim, non-stop reading on subject matter where you are weak, asking questions of those who have gone before you, and observation of poor strategies as well as the better ones that others implement will all contribute to moving your business forward.
To answer Shana’s cause for concern, she should consider taking a successfully selling artist out to coffee to learn the better strategies. Selling art is no different than selling high tech software. They both require speaking to the interests of the buying audience and proper delivery.
All of the above is also true for job seekers about to go on an interview. Getting called back and receiving an offer require improved skills.
I don’t believe we actually perfect our craft, but we do get better. There is always room for improvement and new tools in our fast paced world to implement. Perfecting implies complacency whereas improvement indicates continual learning.
When you are committed to continual learning, you will find the Smooth Sale!
Read Additional Sales Techniques:
(Paperback and Digital formats)
International Best-Seller:
Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results
and
Best-Seller:
HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews.
