The Three Ps

The Three Rs are familiar to most people. As a child we quickly learned that, Reading, ‘Riting (writing) and ‘Rithmetic (arithmetic) were the keys to scholastic success. Mastering these three disciplines was the foundation to success in all other courses.

Likewise successful sales people are familiar with the Three Ps. They have learned that Passion, Persistence, and Patience are keys to selling success. The sales community is populated with many people who have passion, and some who are persistent, very few are patient. The patience of some sales people is best illustrated by the impatient petitioner’s prayer, “Lord, give me patience and give it to me now!”

Patience is the ability to uncover the real needs of your customer or prospect. If they don’t have a problem, they don’t need you or what you are selling. Patience is spending time asking questions to discover how you can help solve your customer’s problem. Patience shows you respect your customer and his time. Impatience is attempting to get an order before you have determined if there is a need for your product or service. Thus impatience causes a sales person to focus on the sale and not his or her customer. While a sense of urgency is important, impatience is deadly.

Patience aids in the ability to take a large goal and break it down into manageable tasks. Facing a 20% sales decline for the first half of the sale year, patience helps you develop action steps to replace that short fall and also get back on track for achieving your annual goal. Without patience you push yourself to make up the shortfall overnight. This doggedness is sensed by your customers and they often respond in a negative way creating more missed goals.

Not only is it hard work to practice patience, but many people fear patience itself. People don’t want to be patient. Practicing patience helps reduce stress, tension, and frustration. Therefore, patience is a prescription for living longer and living a happier life.

"Success doesn't come overnight. It comes overtime." Remember, with time and patience the caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly.

Hog Thought. Obstacles and problems are evidence that a person is on the road to success. How far you travel is often determined by your patience and perseverance. John Quincy Adams once wrote, “Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” Patience is essential to spectacular sales achievements. Hogs know that in selling, the result is always their final judge and patience helps provide a favorable verdict.