WEEK 50

BECOME A LIFELONG LEARNER

You are only as good as the people you meet, the books you read, and the tapes you listen to.

—Charlie “Tremendous” Jones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pace of change both in the world and almost certainly in your industry is rapidly accelerating. Technology is streamlining operations, transforming markets into global communities, and enabling salespeople to go mobile. You can now vacation on the French Riviera while following up with clients in Colorado. In addition, selling is becoming more of a team sport, empowering sales teams to increase efficiency and boost both productivity and profits.

To thrive in this world of ever-increasing change, you have to keep up with the latest information and technology. You must constantly educate yourself in order to adapt and take advantage of new tools and opportunities that change delivers to your doorstep. You must become a lifelong learner.

Yet, when I talk to salespeople, I hear all too frequently that they just “don’t have the time to keep up.” I know real estate agents who subscribe to RISMedia’s Power Team Report and Power Broker Networking Report and don’t even take the time to read these valuable publications—publications that could ultimately save them tons more time than is required to read the articles.

 

 

Tip: Remember, the more you know, the more you need to know. And, when the student is ready, the teacher appears.

 

Some salespeople refuse to attend industry conferences, falsely assuming that they are a big waste of time and resources. Many salespeople won’t even crack open a book to learn a new sales or marketing technique or listen to an audio book. All of these salespeople are losing out big-time—in time, profits, and personal fulfillment.

Becoming a lifelong learner means plugging yourself into the industry grapevine. Here are some suggestions on how to do just that:

• Attend at least one industry conference every year. You can usually find one or two valuable sessions or speakers, and even if you don’t, the networking opportunities alone make the investment well worth it. In Week 42, I discussed the importance of attending conferences and seminars.

• Read several articles a day on industry-related topics that interest you. Go to Google News (news.google.com), click “News Alerts” in the left navigation bar, and set up news alerts to have Google automatically notify you about late-breaking news on topics of interest. (Enter very specific search instructions, so you are not inundated with irrelevant articles.) You need to know what’s happening in your industry as well as in your market. I spend about an hour every morning checking and reading my Google News Alerts stories.

• Pick up a book about selling or any business-related topic that interests you and start reading. You can find plenty of great books on the market that reveal new techniques you may never have discovered on your own and can teach you new skills. In addition, reading always stimulates thinking and inspires you to come up with your own innovative ideas.

• Listen to tapes, CDs, or podcasts from the top salespeople and motivational speakers. If you usually listen to music as you’re driving to meet clients, consider listening to something that’s a little more educational.

• Take classes and obtain certifications. Taking a class can help motivate you and hold you accountable for learning the information. You can take classes on sales techniques, management, customer service, cross-cultural selling, or industry-specific topics. Get certified in a particular area and you obtain instant credibility.

• Learn new technologies. Spend time learning how to make optimum use of your computer and the software installed on it. Explore your software’s help systems, read a book, or take a class to learn how to boost productivity with features you may not even be aware of. Focus your efforts on learning more about Internet marketing through web sites and blogs. In Week 26, I encourage you to learn new technologies.

• Connect with a mentor or coach. One of the best ways to learn fast is to connect with a top producer. Consider shadowing a real estate professional whom you admire or asking the person to act as your mentor or coach. Success leaves big footprints. Follow them. Skip back to Week 32 to learn more about pursuing opportunities to shadow top producers.

• Subscribe to online newsletters related to your industry or to other topics you would like to explore.

• Get an iPod and take advantage of books on tape, podcasts, and other electronic media.

• Become involved in a community group that can provide you with contacts and knowledge.

• Take a class at your local community college or community adult education center that is totally out of your realm—believe it or not, you will find something there that you can transfer to your industry.

• Partner with someone who is willing to exchange knowledge.

 

You do not need to limit your studies to topics related to your industry and the sales profession. Recently at a surprise birthday party for my nephew, someone I have known for some time, a retired GM executive, told me of his recent interest in genealogy (the second most popular subject on the Internet). He is having a great time with it, researching his own family tree and learning about world history and geography at the same time.

I know, I am probably preaching to the choir. The fact that you are reading this is proof that you are part of the minority of salespeople who actually care enough about your profession to become a student of it. Others in our field, perhaps even some of your closest colleagues haven’t gotten the memo. Do them a favor. Send them a copy of this book. Working together, we might just be able to convince our colleagues to take at least one step toward improving their future.

 

Ralph’s Rule: People who think they know everything are often the most ignorant and arrogant of the bunch. No matter how successful you are, there’s always room for improvement. Be curious and keep on learning to become a better salesperson and a better person overall.