In the sales profession, just like any other profession, there are the Good, the Better and the Best types of salespeople.

What’s the “Sales Success” difference between the “Good Salesperson” and the “Best Salesperson”? The difference comes down to their attitude, their discipline and their skill set.

This article is Part 1 of 2 articles on the 11 Fundamental Rules for Sales Success. In this article I will cover numbers one through five, but don’t worry I won’t leave you hanging to long, the second part of these 11 Fundamental Rules will be posted within a week. After all I want to help you along your journey to Sales Success, not delay you! So with out further adieu…

By following these top 10, I mean 11 Fundamental Rules for Sales Success; a “Good Salesperson” can become one of the “Best Salespeople” in a very short time. However, if you don’t know or understand sales fundamentals than you will never achieve true success in sales. Also knowing these Fundamental Rules for Sales Success, but not following them will lead to slow but sure failure.

Here are my 11 Rules for Sales Success, study them, learn them and practice them every day. Remember success is not a destination but it is what happens during the journey to your destination.

Rule #1 – Develop a Positive Attitude

• This rule applies to having success in life and not just sales success. If you commit to developing and maintaining a positive attitude you will be unstoppable. But this is just not something you decide to do when you get up in the morning, it takes a consistent daily effort to maintain a positive attitude.

Rule #2 – Believe in You

• Puff, puff, chug, chug went the little Blue Engine, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” Just like the little Blue Engine in Watty Piper’s 1930 “The Little Engine That Could” story, you need to believe that you can. If you don’t believe in yourself how can a potential customer believe in you? You are in control of the most important tool in the sales process, your mind. “Yes I can, Yes I can.”

Rule #3 – Believe in your company and your product

• If you don’t believe in your company and your product how will a potential customer believe in them? You must have absolute belief in your company, the products and services you offer, and that the customer is better served to buy your product from you. This belief system determines your fate, not just in the sales process but also in your sales career.

Rule #4 – Set your Goals and make a plan to reach these Goals

• Your goals will be your success road map that will take you to where you want to go and what you want to achieve. Define your long-term goals first, and then from that list determine your short-term goals. Remember that your goals must take into consideration the sales goals set by your company.

Rule #5 – Learn, develop and implement new sales skills

• Once you start the learning process you must never stop. To be successful in sales and life you must be constantly in learning mode. Read, listen to audio recordings, attend a webinar, or sales seminars and then practice what you have learned. Take the new skills you learn and adapt them to real-world sales experience, then analyze how you did and refine it.

Ultimately you and only you are responsible for your sales success or failure, that is why you must be proactive and guard against failure. If you are serious about continual improvement and creating success in your career and your life post this list somewhere and look at it every day.

Again this article is part 1 of 2 on the 11 Fundamental Rules for Sales Success, stay tuned for part 2, which will be posted here within a week.