Salespeople are famous for asking their manager or owner for the newest, latest, and greatest. They say they need things like lead generation tools and automated marketing software. But all too often they are making excuses for their lack of production. Think about the good old days for a second (which I wasn’t a part of but heard much about).

Salespeople didn’t have smart phones (or any cell phone for that matter). This meant they had to plan their days ahead of time and use a Thomas Guide to get around. Additionally, if there was an emergency they had to stop and use a pay phone. And still, they succeeded.

Salespeople didn’t have email. This meant that actually had to visit prospects and clients face to face. They had to rely on great presentation skills to attract customers and close deals. Nobody was able to hide behind email. And still, they succeeded.

Salespeople didn’t have fancy software. This meant they had to log all their prospects and clients, including all pertinent data and notes, into a spreadsheet (or a notebook). They stayed organized without bells and whistles. And still, they succeeded.

Salespeople didn’t have as many excuses, and that separated the good from the bad. My advice to you as a salesperson is to quit saying you need things to succeed. My advice to you as a business owner or sales managers is to quit accepting that your salespeople need things to succeed.

Don’t get me wrong, I love using a CRM, email marketing software, project management tools, email, and a smart phone, but I won’t buy into the fact that I need any of them to succeed.