There are three kinds of people.

Those who make things happen........
Those who watch what happens................
Those who wonder what happened............

Although this phrase is often used to describe the leadership tendencies of various people, it also has a lot of validity for those involved in personal sales. Sales people must be self starters. For the most part, they work on their own, regardless of whether the sales environment is in a store, outside, in a business or in the home. When a sales presentation is made, the sales person is totally alone to succeed or fail. The sales manager may be in the vicinity or close at hand, but it's usually just the sales person and the customer.

People who are successful in sales are those that make things happen. They don't sit around waiting for customers to appear, they get out in the marketplace and find them. Even if selling in a store environment, they don't wait for a customer to merely come in, look around, and leave. They approach walk-ins, offer a greeting, ask "needs-based" questions and try to develop a selling situation. They talk about their products to friends and acquaintances, and try to get people to come in and look. If appropriate, they maintain contact with customers after the sale in the interest of developing future business. To see the difference between sales people and "order takers", walk into several stores or shops and assess how the sales staff reacts to you. You can quickly gauge the difference.

So what is the real difference between those who watch and wonder, and those who make things happen? I believe it's the fact that successful sales people are focused. They know exactly what they are doing each day, each week and so on throughout the year, and they know what effort they have to make to reach their personal goals. Focused people are not necessarily "driven" or obsessive", although they may be, but more importantly, they maintain a sense of balance and reality in their everyday activities. They tend not to be "time wasters", and make sure that every activity leads to their goals.

In direct sales or sales management, it's easy to get diverted from your goals. Many tasks leading to success are dull and mundane, so if something more exciting comes along, prospecting or appointment setting gets put aside. People who are not focused tend to sit around the office telling stories and visiting while they wait for the phone to ring. Their plan is to make some appointments "later" if nothing develops.

Focused people on the other hand are active in pursuit of people. If not making sales presentations, they are out and about meeting prospects and developing leads, or on the telephone setting new appointments. The question "focused" people always ask is, "Will this activity help me see more people?".

I believe anyone who truly wants success can be focused. All it takes is a few minutes at the beginning of each day to think about what will get you to your goals. Here are the principles of "FOCUS".