Can you remember the first time you mastered a difficult task, like learning to ride a bicycle? Can you remember something that got you so excited that you wanted to tell the whole world about it? Or show off your new ability to a brand-new acquaintance? Or even give all the benefits of your new experience to someone you had never even met before?

If you can remember that moment – that sense of elation, power, wonder, and confidence that came with a new discovery – then you are positioned to be a great salesperson. After all, the very best salespeople are the ones who radiate enthusiasm for what they do.

Not long ago, one of our major clients told us: “We don’t hire salespeople unless we’re certain that they live, breathe, and enjoy their jobs.” What a great hiring philosophy! This point of view is much closer to the act of recruiting “true believers” for an evangelizing campaign than to what most companies do -- which amounts to simply recruiting “average salespeople.” Average salespeople deliver average results!

Do you live, breathe, and enjoy what you do for a living? Are you a true believer – or an average salesperson? You’ll know that you fall into the former category when you ….

Love your “job” 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you enjoy doing what you do for a living, you won’t have any problem telling total strangers about it in enthusiastic terms in any social setting. This means talking to anyone and everyone you meet – the barber, the dentist, the lawyer, the person you just met at a party -- about your “job.” (And I place that word in quotes because there is usually nothing “job-like” about this kind of discussion, at least not as far as truly inspired salespeople are concerned).

Go out of your way to blur the division between work and play. The most effective salespeople I know don’t “start work” when the rest of the world does, and they don’t “quit” when the rest of the world does, either. To compensate for this apparent discontinuity with the rest of the working world, they demand a special privilege: that of enjoying what they do. They take a childlike joy in scheduling meetings, delivering presentations, and even making cold calls. They go out of the way to blur the barrier between work and play.

Learn while “in the flow.” Great salespeople gather the right information – about prospects, about their own products and services, about the competition, and about nearly anything else you can name – by asking open-ended questions and following the answers wherever they lead. They don’t assume that this prospect is exactly like the last prospect they spoke to. They learn by interacting, by exploring, by connecting previously unrelated pieces of information. They learn more than average salespeople do, because they keep an open mind on all subjects at all times … and create a “flow” with their questions that helps the right solutions to present themselves.

To become one of the truly great salesperson who lives, breathes, and enjoys the job, follow the three-step “recipe” laid out above. Let go of your preconceptions about what does and doesn’t constitute “work.” Let yourself have some fun, and move beyond the dividing line between work and play. Finally, ask open-ended questions …pursue them with an open mind … and follow the answers wherever they lead.

About the Author

Stephan Schiffman is the president of D.E.I. Management Group, Inc., one of the largest sales training companies in the U.S. He is the author of a number of best-selling books including Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work!), and The 25 Sales Skills They Don’t Teach You at Business School. Schiffman’s articles have appeared in many publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and INC. Magazine. He has also appeared as a guest on CNBC’s Minding Your Business, How to Succeed in Business, Smart Money and TCI’s Arlington Business Today. For more information about Schiffman and D.E.I. Management, please call (800) 224-2140 or visit www.dei-sales.com.