Life as a salesman is not an easy one. Many sales positions are based on commission which puts the salesperson at a stressful place when it comes to making a living. It is inevitable to go through dry patches of selling where your quota is not being met or your goals are not fulfilled. In these moments buoyancy is an essential trait of a salesperson.
Buoyancy is the ability to not sink, but to in turn, float. Salespeople need to be resilient individuals who are able to take hits and take rejection. Having faith in well-established sales methods such as the sales funnel Coach DiDonato spoke about is an essential to being in a sales role.
I was able to see this firsthand in a situation my dad got into when the company he worked for was bought out and landed him a similar position at a new company. My dad is a contractor for large scale industrial fire and flood losses which is not a traditional sales role, but he is constantly selling himself and his company. Through this transition his primarily commission job paid near nothing while he was re-establishing himself in the company and flexing his buoyancy muscles. Throughout this time his resilience showed through as he ended up acquiring some pretty large jobs including the re-construction of public library’s, hospitals, and large-scale facilities.
This process was not an easy one and felt like a lot of failure to him, but his resilience as a salesman and ability to stick to tried and true methods enabled him to succeed in his new position.
Buoyancy is all about resilience! The example you gave about your dad was very inspiring and encouraging! It is cool to see how he was able to push through the difficult times to later reach success.