We have all heard about the 80/20 rule. This rule applies in sales and in about every company and industry.
The Associated Press recently quoted figures released from the recent Census Bureau report, revealing what the top-earning 20% of Americans make in income. They found that the top 20% of all Americans earn over $100,000 in income. While that’s interesting in and of itself, what is even more interesting is that the top 20% are also receiving over 50% of all the income earned in the country.
The other side of the equation is that the other 80% of income earners are splitting up the remaining 50%. It tells us that the top 20% not only make most of the money in the country, but that they have a much bigger piece of the pie to split up.
We might be asking ourselves “How do I get there?” Salespeople often point in the wrong direction. They point to things they can’t control, such as:
- If the leads were better, or
- If the economy was better, or
- If I had a better product, or price, or company or training….
Often, the only thing that is holding us back, or will ever hold us back, is own belief in what we think we deserve. In other words, our own comfort zone. The image or picture we hold of ourselves in our consciousness is often the root cause of our inability to get into the top 20%.
Are we more focused on the obstacle or the solution? We can’t see both at the same time, so we usually end up where we are looking.
Try taking this approach:
- Focus on the strengths, not weaknesses
- Focus on solutions, rather than problems
- Focus on competencies, rather than inadequacies
- Focus on “What can” rather than “What can’t” be done
We need to take the same approach with our clients. If we were to dwell too long in the problem stage, the client might get more and more depressed about a situation. This creates an unresourceful state that does not help in solving problems. If we spend too much time focusing on the problem, the problem often seems to get bigger and bigger. It then becomes so big that we might just as well resign to our fate and accept the problem to be part of our lives.
By helping a client be solution focused, we help them move into a more resourceful state of thinking. They are able to explore opportunities or strategies that they may have never used before to get results for themselves. The transition process is also shorter because the time spent focusing on problems is significantly reduced. In addition, the client’s confidence in resolving a situation improves because they realize that they have more choices available to them.
So if you would like to become one of the top 20% earners in America, in the top 20% of salespeople, help your clients get into the top 20% in their industry, or just be in the top 20% of whatever you desire, then you don’t need to change anything else “outside” of you. You just have to change the image you have of yourself and become “rich” in your consciousness first.
Interested in learning how to apply this approach and become a top wage earner? Contact me today.
