According to John Wetmore, sales is one of the most individualistic and competitive career paths out there. Even when you’re on a team, it’s all on you to hone your skills, chase leads and nurture prospective clients to earn their business and your commission. The more successful you are, the more you earn.
Wetmore is the founder of Family First Life Agent Force, a $200 million dollar business, and a managing partner at Integrity Marketing Group. Hailing from the Boston projects, he has built his career up from the bottom—from working night shifts in a warehouse to starting his own agency.
As someone who specializes in insurance and sales, Wetmore sees similarities between his world and that of professional athletes. In both, people reach the top by aiming to be the best and spending countless hours honing their skills and showcasing their abilities. His mission is to empower sales reps, insurance agents and entrepreneurs to achieve “all-star” success in sales with his six-step game plan.
1. Practicing learned skills
Wetmore loves to keep the path to success as simple as possible. “Sales professionals should be immersing themselves in their career just as athletes do by spending countless hours training on the field [or] court or in the gym,” he says.
For salespeople, this means getting more hands-on experience so they can practice and make money at the same time. Wetmore recommends making calls, meeting clients and closing deals as much as possible because the more you practice and learn, the better you become.
No one is born a natural salesperson. It takes time and hard work to develop the necessary skills. Putting in the hours is about building muscle memory so you’re ready to perform at your best when game time comes.
2. Coaching and game review
In sports, a coach provides guidance, feedback and strategies to help players improve. Wetmore believes that having a mentor or coach is just as valuable in sales.
“Being able to learn from others’ mistakes as well as your own puts you way ahead in this business,” he says, “so I fully believe in seeking out someone with more experience and knowledge in the industry who can offer you insights, identify areas for improvement and provide constructive feedback.”
Whether or not you have a coach, Wetmore suggests reviewing your own game by recording and analyzing all your sales calls and meetings. “Chances are, you’ll find things you want to immediately tweak to refine your approach,” he adds. “We often have a different perception of ourselves compared to what others may feel through our tone, mannerisms or general presentation, and game review gives us a new lens for improvement.”
3. Maintaining physical and mental fitness
Pursuing a career in sales is often a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Pressure and anxiety to succeed stem directly from a need to earn commissions as a main source of income.
Athletes recognize that their physical and mental well-being directly impact their performance, but the same is true for sales professionals, according to Wetmore. This means that having a resilient mindset is key for success.
“There will always be times we don’t feel quite as motivated day-to-day or we face some kind of failure that bursts our confidence,” he says. “We know this happens to athletes constantly too, and the difference maker for those that find success is the work they put into building a strong mindset to be able to make the active choice to get up and move forward, no matter what they’re facing.”
4. Devising a winning strategy
Wetmore recommends planning your days, tracking all your activities and following your routine as closely as possible.
“Athletes are known for their discipline, and it takes a lot of it to get someone onto a podium at the Olympics,” he says. “Imagine training for over four years for one under-10-second sprint like Usain Bolt.”
Wetmore believes that sales professionals should strive to achieve that same level of discipline because “showing up every day to put in the work is 99% of what it takes to see success.” Even if it feels like you’re going nowhere, staying committed will lead to results, he adds.
5. Embracing loss
While some professional athletes may walk off the field when they’re having a bad game, the top players whom we admire and look to for inspiration do not. Wetmore says that though loss and failure don’t feel good, they are the best possible learning experiences—something that the greatest athletes know better than anyone.
He has seen salespeople stop making calls after tough days of chasing leads and seeing no conversions. But giving up like this is a surefire way to miss out on making more money and improving your phone skills, Wetmore says.
“Embrace the challenge instead of accepting the failure,” he adds.
6. Being a tenacious captain
For those leading a sales team, Wetmore’s final piece of advice is to learn to be a strong captain who sets an example by putting into practice everything you’re telling your teammates to do and proving that it works.
“One superstar could carry a team quite far, but in the end, you’re only as strong as your weakest link, and it takes an entire team working together to win championships,” he says. “You’re only winning if your team is winning, so learn to lead and teach. It will make a world of difference in terms of success and to those following you.”
Though Wetmore’s six-step game plan may seem straightforward, he warns that it’s not easy to follow. “If you want to perform like an all-star athlete, it takes time, persistence and consistency to start seeing major results,” he says. “This is the best business to see your hard work pay off and your efforts directly impact how you’re paid, so embrace the athlete mindset and dig your heels in.”
This article was written in partnership with Alexis Vogue Media.
