Confidence grows through discipline.




We’ve all experienced days when we feel like energy is surging through our veins and we are hitting all of the green lights. How about the days when we don’t feel quite so warm? In the auto industry, you might be at the top of your game one day and then, for some reason, feel like you’ve been through a meat grinder the next. Of course, it’s normal for commission-based jobs to experience ups and downs, but how do excellent salesmen always seem to be on fire?

The secret that all of those excellent salespeople never share with you—or perhaps they do—is that their discipline—regardless of how difficult the day may be—is always present. There is always a process to follow when it comes to sales. Everything simply seems to fall into place when we are working on a deal and are at the top of our game. Before you know it, you have a referral or two from your customer who can’t get enough of you.  Some days, all you want to do is pack it all up and head home because you’re worried that, at the rate you’re going, you might accidentally hurt yourself while trying to cross the parking lot.

What does discipline have to do with any of this, then? The same as the rest of us, even those GREAT salespeople who appear to never have a bad day do. The distinction between a decent salesperson and a great salesperson is that the latter continues the process even on poor days. They don’t stray from the tried and tested; rather, they simplify everything and use… You guessed it… plain discipline to make sure they aren’t skipping any stages.

You can still complete the procedures required to sell a car, schedule an appointment, or finish a follow-up even if the words aren’t coming out naturally and your smile is forced. Great salespeople cross their ts and dot their i’s in an almost robotic manner on challenging days. The best and only thing you can do is to break the procedure down into steps and make sure that each one is accomplished. In the end, even though it didn’t feel nice, you executed, which means you succeeded. Knowing you completed your work correctly will give you confidence. Having positive momentum in the right way implies you’ve won the day. The adage that “the best time to sell a car is right after selling a car” is also accurate. With that minor victory, get some momentum, get the confidence boost you require, and keep the ball moving!

Everyone experiences bad days; however, how we respond to them decides whether or not we will continue to experience a “bad day” or whether we will rise above it and succeed. We’ll build the momentum we need to stand up and move in the right direction if we continue to carry out our chores and procedures with discipline. Once we gain the confidence we all require, and momentum in the right direction, we can swiftly get back to business. Knowing that you have taken the steps required to finish your assignment and that they have been done correctly can give you confidence. In many of these situations, you may not immediately see the results of your labor, but when the seeds are properly sown, you will prosper and feel proud of yourself. For any salesperson, discipline will always produce confidence rather than fear.