If you aren’t studying your profession, it is only a matter of time before your competitors overtake you. A rusty salesperson is a broke salesperson.
What are you studying now? And how do you study?
Mix it up
There are mountains of good study material and my advice is to mix it up so we stay interested. The material we study for business purposes falls into three categories:
- Sales Education. Anything that teaches us how to be a better salesperson. It includes Communication, Closing, Prospecting, Listing, Working with Buyers, Marketing, Planning, Goal Setting – anything and everything about Sales. (If you are a leader, substitute Leadership for Sales education).
- Real Estate Industry. We should learn as much about our industry as we can. Read industry blogs, marketing and magazines. The more industry knowledge we have, the more competent we become, and the more we are valued as a trusted adviser to clients. Knowing how to sell comes with education; having good information to present comes through industry knowledge.
- Inspiration. What inspires you? For me, anything by Earl Nightingale, Bob Burg, Dr Denis Waitley or Dr Wayne Dyer is bound to make me feel more inspired, motivated, and imbued with a spirit of ‘can-do’. I recommend that you find your favourites. When times are tough, inspirational works remind us of just how fortunate we really are.
How do you study?
Today we have many options – books, CDs, DVDs, streaming, live webcasts, blogs, online subscriptions, seminars, webinars – we truly are spoilt for choice.
Yet many choose not to study. Perhaps they think they know all they need to know, but only an egotist would think this way, and ego has sent many people broke. I don’t know it all and I am happy about that. Learning is one of life’s joys. It is something we should embrace and encourage in others, especially children.
Skill and knowledge are marketable commodities. Ignorance is not.
I love to read and stream audio programs. It is this love that led me to work with my team to develop iTrain® and Pittard TV. We call it “training that comes to you”.
Self-examination
Sometimes a good self-examination is a worthwhile exercise. Honestly evaluate your strengths and your weaknesses. Then study and practise and turn those weaknesses into strengths.
What and how you study are important. It can make the difference between success and failure, and it can bring happiness.
Gary Pittard