"Without professionalism I'd be an amateur, and the clients I want don't hire amateurs."

David Airey

Professionalism is not merely a trait but a vital component of sales success.

By embodying professionalism, you position yourself as a valuable partner for your clients who seek expertise, reliability and trust.

There's no free ride to success. There's no easy button, and for sure, there's no short-cut.

Without hard work, dedication, and an extreme tolerance for frustration, you will never become a sales champion, the true sales professional.

If you really want it, then you must be willing to back it up by taking massive action. I am concerned that far too many in sales lack a basic understanding of what’s necessary to become a sales professional.

Are you putting in the hard work?

You must be willing to get off of the comfy couch. You must get outside of your physical, mental and emotional comfort zones. You must be willing to push the envelope, to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Success is simple yet difficult. I get it occasionally, you'll work your butts off.

Occasionally, you will get motivated to step the pace up and sweat just a little bit more especially when your sales funnel is running on empty.

Unfortunately, many in sales are consistently inconsistent and will turn their head and mentally say, "No thank you, I'm comfortable just where I am at."

In today's business environment, your clients are seeking true sales professionals not sales amateurs.

Your clients crave:

1. Trust and credibility: Based on track records of many of their experiences with salespeople, this becomes mission critical.

2. Quality of service: Your clients expect superior results. They want assurance that their needs will be met with skill, care and no excuses.

3. Long-term relationships: Your clients appreciate consistency. They simply want to know that you give a rip about them and not just when you want to sell them something.

4. Problem-solving skills: When problems arise and you know they will, your clients desire smoother processes and outcomes.

Question for all you... Are you being perceived as a sales professional or a sales amateur?

Would you even know?

"Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Sales greatness is not a prerequisite for sales success.

Without consistency and commitment, one will always be labeled a sales amateur.

Consistency is your ability to maintain a steady effort over time. It requires persistence and dedication to achieve and over-achieve your sales budget.

Consistent hard work involves putting in regularly scheduled effort, regardless of immediate results. What this starts to build is resiliency, and this is 100% required for you to achieve any kind of sales success.

What do you think separates sales professionals? Do they have more talent? Not necessarily. Are they more gifted than others? On some occasions, yes. Do they want and smell sales success more than you? Do they practice, plan and prepare more than others?

I believe, the very successful professionals work harder, and on a more consistent basis, because they want it more than sales amateurs. Their inner drive propels them.

If you truly desire to become a sales professional, then your biggest obstacle is the very person you see when you look in the mirror.

If you want it badly enough and are willing to go after it daily, week in and week out, month in and month out; then you must buckle-down by elevating your training, performance and the level of self-accountability.

"Without hard work and discipline, it is difficult to be a top professional"

Jahangir Kahn

To become a sales professional requires more than just talent or ambition; it demands hard work, discipline and deep commitment.

THE CHOICE, A PROFESSIONAL OR AN AMATEUR

The differences between a professional and an amateur is the variance in their thought process, behavior, attitude and approach towards sales.

As noted by Oxford languages...

A professional is defined as:

• Relating to or belonging to a profession.

• Worthy of or appropriate for a profession, competent or skillful.

Let's look at amateur as defined by Merriam-Webster...

• One who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession

• One lacking in experience and competence in an art or science

Curious... Did you notice how the word competence was used? Allow the word to sink in for just a moment.

Are you treating sales as a pastime rather than a profession?

The only way to become better at sales is to spend time working on it.

How can you become a sales professional if you’re not consistent or disciplined enough?

"The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits. We can never free ourselves from habit. But we can replace bad habits with good ones.”

Steven Pressfield

Let's play on the above quote...

Amateur habits include procrastination, lack of organization, inconsistent effort, and reactive behavior. Sprinkle in excuse making and finger pointing and all this does is hinder progress and limit potential.

Professional habits encompass discipline, time management, goal setting, continuous learning, massive amounts of self-accountability and proactive behavior. Professionals cultivate these habits to achieve sales excellence.

Could the difference between a sales professional and a sales amateur lie within their habits and mindset?

I believe sales professionals have developed habits, routines and rhythms that guide them to stay at the top.

Sales professionals are called professionals for a reason, are you willing to do the work?

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THE CHOICE, FIND A WAY OR FIND EXCUSES

The late great Kobe Bryant once said,

"I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses."

You must take responsibility for your own success. Blaming others for your circumstances is a sign of a lack of accountability.

Excuses are barriers to your sales growth.

Are you seeking solutions or dwelling on problems?

Sales success is not handed out; it is earned through hard work, perseverance, and personal accountability.

We all have choices. I do know this... By rejecting laziness and excuses, you cultivate a mindset that propels you toward greatness, not amateurism.

Mirror moment:

• Do you have what it takes to take your career to the next level?

• Are you willing to put in the work to become a sales professional?

Again, you can find a way or find excuses.

Finding a way is about:

Having a proactive mindset. Choosing to "find a way" means having an attitude of determination and resourcefulness. It involves looking for solutions, even in challenging situations. And we do know there will be challenging sales times.

Embracing challenges. You must view obstacles as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable barriers. And we do know this, there will be obstacles you must overcome.

Finding excuses is about:

Avoiding of any kind of responsibility. This excuse mentality often reflects a tendency to avoid accountability. This could stem from fear of failure, lack of confidence, or unwillingness to confront difficulties.

Limiting your potential. Excuses are self-imposed limitations that hinder your progress. Excuses stunt your sales growth, longevity and sustainability.

The power to change lies within you.

THE CHOICE, COMMITMENT

Every single day you will have the opportunity to stray in your sales walk.  However, to stray is to fail in your commitment.

"Commitment is an act, not a word."

Jean-Paul Sartre

You can either be viewed as a sales amateur or a sales professional. There is a choice, and you control it.

You true mirror moment:

• Sales amateurs believe knowledge is power. Sales professionals pass on their wisdom and advice to their clients.

• Sales amateurs see feedback and coaching as criticizing. Sales professionals know they have weaknesses and crave feedback and coaching.

• Sales amateurs focus on the short term. Sales professionals focus on the long term.

• Sales amateurs blame others, point fingers and makes excuses. Sales professionals accept responsibility and hold themselves personally accountable.

• Sales amateurs stall after failure or lost deals. Sales professionals grow after failure.

• Sales amateurs strive to achieve. Sales professionals strive for continuous growth.

• Sales amateurs cave when faced with adversity and tough challenges. Sales professionals lean into adversity and challenges.

• Sales amateurs operate reactively, waiting for opportunities to arise. Sales professionals proactively seek them out.

• Sales amateurs dominate conversations, focusing on showcasing their knowledge. Sales professionals intentionally listen to their clients to understand.

• Sales amateurs rely on instinct or basic knowledge without seeking to improve their skills or strategies. All this does is result in stagnation. Sales professionals invest time in training, mentorship, and self-improvement.

Will you commit to continuous improvement and adopt a proactive approach towards learning, development and taking action?

THE CHOICE, PUT IN THE WORK

If you fail to put in the work, you will never find true success.

Achieving success, especially in sales, demands a commitment to both personal growth and the genuine effort to serve others.

You’ve heard about Malcolm Gladwell and his 10,000-hour rule. He studied and discovered the most successful people are the ones who have put in the hard work. They dive into their craft and study. And they worked and worked some more.

You can’t expect success to come to you just because you want it to. You must be willing to work hard.

You must adjust your mindset. Every morning, look in the mirror in and say to yourself, I'm a sales professional.

Moving from a sales amateur to a sales professional requires:

• A commitment to yourself

• A commitment to a stronger work ethic

• A commitment to a plan

Mirror moment:

• How many of you are willing to double-down on yourself?

• How many of you will do the things necessary to change the course of your sales career?

• Will you commit to doing the work, or dodge it and remain in that sales amateur mindset?

Things for you to think about...

Becoming better is simply, better.

Progressing is simply, progress.

Potential is simply, potential.

“The amateur plays part-time. The professional plays full-time”.

Steven Pressfield

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.