By Michael Caron
Don’t forget that you have a wealth of knowledge and support all around you in the form of colleagues and management. Consider enlisting their support in these ways . . .
(1) Make them into a prospect Ask them to pretend that they are a prospect and give you honest feedback on your skills. Of course, before you do this, you need to be willing to listen and take constructive criticism. Send them your typical e-mail, leave them your typical voicemail, do a customer sales meeting with them.
Sure, it’s uncomfortable “acting” in front of your peers but where do you want to make your mistakes? In front of your friends where they can give you valuable feedback or in the field where prospects are far less kind and where it can cost you thousands?
(2) Take turns riding shotgun Ask a coworker to go along on a sales call with you. (If you ask your manager to go with you rather than waiting for them to ask you, just think of how much of a keener you’ll look!)
I’ve never seen someone ride shotgun where they haven’t noticed something the salesperson hadn’t.