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The fourth in the foundational attributes of sales effectiveness is Initiative.

Initiative follows the first attribute, Self-Discipline, because Initiative is based on taking actions before they become necessary. This takes discipline. Self-Discipline is the ability to keep the commitments one makes to oneself and includes the ability to take actions that are in your long-term best interests.

Initiative follows the second attribute, Optimism, the ability to maintain a positive mental attitude. Initiative is enabled by the idea that a positive outcome is possible.

Initiative follows the third attribute, Competitiveness, because Initiative is, in part, competitiveness put into action. But Initiative is more than that.

What Is Initiative?

Initiative is the ability to take action proactively; it is the opposite of being reactive. It means taking action before the action is required or necessary. It means acting before being given directions and instructions. It means doing more than is expected.

It means being fully engaged in what you are doing, and being thoughtful enough to decide what can be done to achieve a positive outcome on your own.

Initiative is perhaps the greatest demonstration of a willingness to own the outcome of whatever endeavor you are engaged in.

Initiative in Sales

You always find initiative in great salespeople. You see it in their personal development efforts, like their reading and studying about their profession. You see it in the actions they take to write their own plans, to set their own goals, to direct their own work to achieve greater results than are required or expected.

You see it in their prospecting, and by the fact that they do so without being encouraged or required. They know that initiative is what opens relationships.

You see it in their interaction with their prospects and clients. They research the company before calling on them to generate ideas about how they can create value. After acquiring a client, they find opportunities to create solutions that benefit the client outside of what their company normally provides. They work to identify areas where the solutions they sell might be put at risk, and they proactively take action to ensure that the client gets the outcome they promised and sold.

Taking initiative is a cornerstone of professionalism; it is acting proactively, not simply waiting to react.

When Initiative Is Missing

Too many salespeople pride themselves on being responsive to their prospects and clients requests. Responsiveness isn’t negative; it’s a good thing to be when something unexpected happens. But by itself responsiveness isn’t enough. It doesn’t absolve the professional salesperson from their responsibility to be proactive and to take initiative.

Where initiative is missing in salespeople it results in lost opportunities. It results in their losing the opportunity to define themselves, their personal brand, and their company’s brand as professional. It results in the salesperson missing the opportunity to differentiate themselves in a competitive field.

It results in the salesperson failing to identify and act on ideas that have the potential to create more value for the client than was expected or bargained for. It results in missing the chance to do more than is expected and creating something wonderful.

Worst of all, by not taking the Initiative, salespeople allow dissatisfaction to creep into their accounts, the dissatisfaction that puts their client relationships at risk.

Conclusion

Initiative is the ability to take action proactively. It means taking action before the action is required or necessary. Being a professional in sales requires many attributes, and Initiative is high on that list. It is a defining attribute of professionalism, and it creates opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t exist.

Questions

1. Do I take action before it is required or necessary?

2. Am I proactive or reactive?

3. I am known for doing more than is expected of me?

4. Do I take action to develop my own personal and professional development plans?

5. Do I own the outcomes I sell my clients?

6. Am I finding new ways to create value for my clients? Am I creating ways to help them before there is a problem?

For more on increasing your sales effectiveness, subscribe to the RSS Feed for The Sales Blog and my Email Newsletter. Follow me on Twitter, connect to me on LinkedIn, or friend me on Facebook. If I can help you or your sales organization, check out my coaching and consulting firm, B2B Sales Coach & Consultancy, email me, or call me at (614) 212-4279.

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