Now I'm on Michael Jackson Overload; But One Last Thing...

It's been two weeks since Michael Jackson's his passing. We've been bombarded with commentary, video clips, interviews, remembrances, and reexamination of the King of Pop. I've been a moderate fan of Mr. Jackson and have enjoyed the retrospective of his life and career, but I don't want to hear any more about him for a while. I'm ready to move on. I need to move on.

But before we move on: I have been touched by many of the comments I've heard from his friends and colleagues. Portraying Michael as a tireless perfectionist and serial hard worker, many have commented on his unrelentless pursuit of excellence and his work ethic: The long days of rehearsals; the constant repetition of practicing dance moves and music riffs; and his incredible insight into all the elements of pop music performance, production, and song-writing.

So what can salespeople learn from Michael Jackson?

• Be tirelessly committed to your craft.

• Be curious. Learn.

• Improve your skills.

• Work your ass off.

Many salespeople expect success, but the reason many of those expectations aren't met is because these traits have been missing. For most of us, success doesn't just happen; it's engineered by extraordinary hard work, long hours, commitment, and ceaseless effort.

Yes, Michael was apparently a troubled soul. But he was also brilliant. He achieved prominence in pop music like no other. Even though, as sales professionals, we work in an entirely different field, can't we learn from him? Shouldn't we?

 

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training.

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