Cross training for success

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At a certain point it is hard to convince yourself that listening to other experts in your field will make you better at your job.
Maybe in the beginning of our careers it makes sense to hear about the different tactics other professionals use, but after a while you have heard all of the in the field strategies.
Eventually getting better at your job means that you have to go outside of the very thing you do in order to build up your other supporting skill sets.
You have to diversify your talents beyond what is listed in your job description.
For example, if you are in the business of selling running shoes then at some point it makes sense that learning about something other than what you sell will be the skill set that allows you to sell shoes better than other shoe experts.
For this reason, learning about human behavior and communication is the single most important thing you can do to stand out from the other experts in your field. 
In a room full of people who all know everything possible about running shoes, who would a consumer pick to buy their shoes from?

Odds are the consumer will pick the individual who they are most comfortable working with. 
Wouldn’t you if YOU were the consumer?

To have any idea what it means to make another person feel comfortable with you, the last thing to focus on are the shoes you are selling.
Remember, all of the other experts have similar shoes to sell.
So the shoes will not be what sets you apart.
Making another person feel comfortable i.e TRUST you is about tuning into what the consumer wants and then matching them up with the product that you know so much about. 

Industry knowledge qualifies you to be in business.
Industry knowledge will not set you apart from you biggest competition.
It will be the skills that you bring to the table for connecting with the human that needs your product that will set you apart.

And here is a secret…

Most of the competition in your field think they are amazing at talking and understanding people.
Guess what…
They are not.

Be the person who goes outside of your comfort zone in order to expand your skill set.
That is how you separate mediocre success from phenomenal success.
Take the leap.

#StrikeAmatch

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