In the sales profession there are a lot of good salespeople who work hard and get the job done. There are also GREAT salespeople who go beyond good and become legendary within their company, industry, and to their customers. In this episode we’ll take a look at what it takes to go from good to great in sales.

But first I have an excellent free offer for Sales Guy listeners. Get a free copy of my new audio book Sales Guy’s 7 Rules for Outselling the Recession when you go to www.audiblepodcast.com/salesguy

This weekend I had the privilege of hearing Coach Pat Dye, the former head coach of the Auburn University football team, give a speech. Though I am not an Auburn fan it was fascinating to listen to success secrets from a man who pulled himself up from the dirt roads the rural south to coach championship football teams in the Southeastern Conference.

In the audience were a group of boys and girls and towards the end of his talk he turned his attention to the kids and said, “I don’t know if you will understand what I’m about to say, but try to listen closely because I’m going to tell you how to become special.”

At that moment I looked around me and all of the adults in the audience leaned forward. How to be special was something that they wanted to hear about too.   I guess we all want to be special which is why we idolize, imitate, envy and become inspired by those who are. Pat Dye is a special person and no one wanted to miss his secret.

But coach Dye also believes in simplicity. He has a unique ability to take complex ideas and make them simple. He doesn’t waste time on minutia.

He looked down at the kids, paused for a moment and said, “There are two parts of anything you do in life: the first mile and the second mile. Most people do a good job in the first mile. They work hard and do the right things. But it is what you do in the second mile that makes you special. In the second mile you go beyond just being good. You give more, work harder, hustle, practice longer, overcome obstacles, and do the things that others are unwilling to do.” 

In other words, becoming special, standing out, being legendary is less about talent and skill and more about heart, passion, and drive.

Later, at lunch, I had an opportunity to spend some time with one of the top Sales Professional in the conveyer belt industry. This guy produces almost 30% of his company’s new sales all by himself. His performance is truly special. And he is not a one hit wonder. He has been a top producer for nearly twenty years.

He told me that for years his company has been trying to figure out what makes him special so that they could use him as a model for hiring other salespeople. He has taken tests and spent hours in interviews with consultants in an effort to create a hiring profile based on his characteristics. But unfortunately it hasn’t worked. The reason is the characteristics that make him a good salesperson are not what make him a great salesperson and these are the things that the consultants have a difficult time measuring.

You see this guy is a second miler. If you spend even a little bit time with him you’ll quickly realize that he loves sales. It is his passion. He’ll even tell you that he can’t turn it off. During our conversation he told me about a recent vacation where he spent an afternoon making sure that the installation crew from his company was taking care of one of his new customers – a customer, by the way, that he had pursued for five years. He ended the story with – it made my new customer very happy and they placed another order. Good salespeople would have turned their phone off and dealt with the issue when they returned from vacation. A second miler will always give more.

Second milers make cold calls on Friday afternoons when everyone else has gone home. When second milers are tired they make one more call. Second milers are constantly learning so that they become the de facto experts in their field. Second milers put their customers before commissions. Second milers invest in relationships over the long-term. Second milers do all of the things that good salespeople are unwilling to do. And that is what makes them special.

For our audience members who listen to this show every week I have a question for you. You’ve heard me talk about my new audio book 7 Rules For Outselling The recession. Have you take action to download it? If not what are you waiting for? Did you know that you can get a copy for free by going to www.audiblepodcast.com/salesguy?

7 Rules For Outselling The recession is receiving praise from all quarters as an audio book that will help you get ahead and sell more during these tough economic times. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by downloading your copy today. Take action now. Go to www.audiblepodcast.com/salesguy to get your free copy of 7 Rules For Outselling The Recession.

This is Jeb Blount, the Sales Guy. Please take a moment this week to connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Sales Gravy and be sure to join the Sales Gravy groups on LinkedIn and Facebook for more great discussions and tips on sales on selling. I also highly recommend the NEW Winning Investor Podcast right here on QuickandDirtyTips.com.