Hard Work Beats Lazy Talent

If you have to choose between natural talent that doesn’t work very hard or someone who works hard, choose the hard worker.

Salespeople with mediocre skills and natural abilities and an unmatched capacity for hard work will always do better than a naturally talented lazy salesperson.

A salesperson with natural grace and charm and high rapport makes selling look like magic. When they have the pedigree, and when they have the vocabulary, they look like an unstoppable force. They look good, sound smart, and they know how to sell.

They can open, close, diagnose, negotiate, and differentiate themselves and their company. They have deep business chops, and they’ve been through enough change initiatives to know what it takes to make real change. This make them the perfect person to hire, unless they are lazy.

A lazy talented person will never outproduce a hard working, less-talented salesperson.

The less talented salesperson with a strong work ethic will prospect more than the lazy talent. They may not look as good doing, but they’ll be more pig-headed, and they’ll get the commitments they need. They may not understand everything they need to when it comes to asking the right questions, but they’ll work harder to figure out what needs to be done.

Even if the less talented person lacks the pedigree, and even if they aren’t as crisp, over time, the plow horse beats a show horse when it comes to the capacity for hard work. The plow horse is built for hard work, and it is immune to fatigue. The show horse is just a pretty toy that prances around for show, looking good, but no good for anything more than that.

A hard worker always outproduces a smarter, more skilled lazy person. Your capacity for hard work levels the playing field. And, if you are willing to be uncomfortable, to develop yourself personally and professionally, you will rise to the top as sure as the Sun rises in the East.