I have been blogging lately about the future of professional selling. Recently, I found something that resonated with what I have been writing about, and I wanted to share it with you:
From "Becoming a Sales Superstar: The Challenge of Change," by Kathleen M. Adams, Ph.D.
Becoming a strategic and consultative Sales Superstar requires significant changes in your "world view"—how you think about yourself, and how you think about your relationships with key stakeholders. You are faced with new ways of thinking, many of which directly challenge what you have been taught and believe.
When faced with significant innovations in thinking, we tend initially to find ourselves in one of the following three characterizations:
- The "Authoritative Critic"
- The "Authoritative Expert"
- The "Enthusiastic Apprentice"
We can think about these three characters as being on a spectrum that runs from outright rejection to eager acceptance. As we take a brief look at each of these, allow yourself to wonder where on the spectrum you fall in your process of becoming a Sales Superstar.
The Authoritative Critic
This individual quickly dismisses new ways of thinking, outright rejecting them as ridiculous, foolish and unwise. What is this individual's motivation?
Motivation of the Authoritative Critic? Fear of change, of loss.
The Authoritative Expert
This individual is one who typically responds to the introduction of innovative ideas by rejecting the reality that the ideas are indeed innovative. This individual is typically thinking "What's the big deal? I've always done it this way."
