Are you still learning?

A willingness to learn and keep on learning is essential to a salesperson’s success. When you believe you have nothing else to learn, life will usually find a way of proving you otherwise.

I always encourage salespeople to develop an unrelenting commitment to understanding and learning more about themselves, the industries they work in (including clients), their business and of course customers, and always look for ways to improve what they do.

One of most effective ways to learn more about yourself is to simply ask the people who know you the best. What do they think your strengths and areas for development are? Or what about asking some of your customers? They may have some valuable feedback or insights you can apply. One thing is for sure, they won’t mind giving you feedback as your request demonstrates an interest in better serving them.

In terms of self learning, I read at least one relevant book a month. It used to be one a week, but with two kids under the age of four and one more on the way, my time is limited after hours. I previously found flying unenjoyable, but now I utilise my time in the air by catching-up on my reading. Great study time with no kids!

Reading is an effective way of learning, so too is taking action and getting your hands dirty. But one of the factors that immeasurably contributed to my development over the years is my passion for learning from others. In addition, surrounding myself with people that I respect in different areas of life and using my time with them as an opportunity to advance my knowledge and skills in different areas.

I often see “perceived” successful people who may have the runs on the board in business, but fail dismally in other areas of life like, such as health, relationships or family. So be sure you know what special area you need to develop and leave the others. Some people are naturally gifted in one or a couple of areas but challenged in others, so seeking a mentor or coach that ticks all boxes may prove timely, though not impossible.

What holds a lot of people back in life is their unwillingness to be vulnerable and take on constructive feedback, combined with no investment strategy for new knowledge. If you have nothing more to learn, I say hats off to you, however on the flipside you are as good as it gets, which is a tad depressing. Keep on learning and don’t stop till you drop!

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Trent Leyshan is the founder and CEO of BOOM Sales! a leading sales training and sales development specialist. He is also the creator of The NAKED Salesman, BOOMOLOGY! RetroService, and the Empathy Selling Process.