You work hard right? Doesn’t every salesperson think they’re working hard?

Last week, I spoke with someone ... holding quota, managing 3 reps, helping with investors and taking his fiancee to Europe for 2 weeks whilst moving from West Coast to East Coast to start a new life.

Someone who is building a business, has relocated to a different European country, has just started their MBA, has 2 dogs and all the admin that comes with the relocation.

Someone who has 3 kids under 7, 60 days into a new role, in the office 5x a week but back for dinner, has had 10 off-sites to ramp fast, up at Navy SEAL O’Clock, 4:30AM.

When I started out, I got a key from the CEO to be able to get in first, leave last. I sold into the EU by day, and NA by night. Hard work matters. It’s necessary. But recently, I’ve heard:

• A few hours isn’t going to make a big difference - it’s just a job.
• Yes I’m always reachable on Slack but stick to 9-5PM.
• I’m frustrated at the moment, so I have taken my foot off the pedal.
• Our market slows down in summer so I’ve been cruising, need to pick up.
• I'm more focussed on "Working Smart"...

Working Smart? Don't you have to earn that? Here's how it went for me.

1. When I first started out, I got more repetitions, more feedback, more mistakes, more wins, more coaching, more visibility, more luck, more, more, more just by doing more, more, more.

Just one additional hour a day gives you 365 extra hours a year which is a full working year after five years and eight months. What about one before, one after and one over lunch? 

2. That compounds. But, what it also does is forces evolution. When you bleed, sweat and cry you’ll notice that you naturally think of ways to imagine, improve and innovate your operation. 

3. You also start to experience accelerated serendipity, which could be a lucky introduction, or your manager sponsoring you or your friends supporting you. It doesn’t matter, but God loves a tryer.

Then 4. you are consistently top of the board, but know you have way more potential and working harder won't get you the results that you need to give you and your spouse the life that you want to live.

Finally, 5. you eventually start to deeply explore "working smarter". You feel like a professional salesperson and you start to wonder about the difference between pro salesperson and Rainmaker...

Once you get there, it's a good time to block off 60 minutes to stop, think, reflect, get uncomfortable and figure out why, what, how, who and when.

It can be disorientating, so may I suggest you start by asking yourself hard questions?

*** Hi, Rick here. Last week, Elliott told me that he was gonna write an article a day for a while and I feel extremely privileged that he asked me to read, suggest edits and/or comment before the article was published. So, I've had the pleasure of reading the past few articles before you, but I'd like to comment on this one. When I read work "hard" the way Elliott is saying it, I think work "long" and "long" will give more. More success, more failure, more reps, more debriefs, more everything and if you're awake and paying attention and learning from people that have been there, you will improve. My "more" was Success Secret #3. I focused on finding buyers not prospects (and still do).***

Back to Elliott...

Rick and I have compiled a 100 Question Reality Check which you can access here.