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The Upbeat Side to Sales

Written by: Donna Ann Peck 351 views

Do you get cold feet when someone mentions the word sales? Most jobs these days involve pitching ideas to employers, or pitching products and services to potential buyers. Part of my livelihood depends on selling yet I have an knee-jerk aversion to it. The higher the stakes, the greater the stress.

I would like selling to be as fun and easy with potential clients as it is with my family. This year my brothers and I got together to sell my sister on the idea of hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

We told her we would help by coming early and preparing the side dishes and taking care of the clean up. All she would have to do is pop the turkey in the oven and kick back with a glass of Pouilly-Fuissé. We tend to cut loose when we’re together, so we promised not to dance on her table if things get wild. The real issue was that she had her heart set on running the 5 km turkey trot in her seaside town of Dana Point. No problem. We set dinner back a few hours. My brothers and I congratulated ourselves on a successful sales campaign. Everyone ended up happy.

Selling as a means to fulfill desires

In my quest to hone up on selling, I came across Jeffrey Gitomer. This sales innovator,  mentioned in a Forbes Magazines article, has the buzz on sales.

His Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness. touches on all aspects of life.

Gitomer writes that selling is crucial to fulfilling your desires. I listened the audiobook Little Red Book of Sales Answers: 99.5 Real World Answers That Make Sense, Make Sales, and Make Money. Gitomer has 5 tips that get to the meat of the matter.

“If you knew that worry blocks creative thought, and prevents sales, why would you do it?  Worry doesn’t fade away by its own. You have to take specific planned action to eliminate it, and prevent it’s return,” says Gitomer. “You can change the direction and outcome of every nagging worry in five steps: relax, identify, plan, act, smile.”

Relax

Keep cool. Never let anyone see you sweat. You may be anxious on the inside, but you must be a consistent Joe or Jane Cool on the outside. If you act calm and confident long enough, eventually it won’t be an act. Actually what you are doing is not acting—it’s training. You’re training your mind not to worry or show doubt.

Identify and change your self talk

Tell yourself positive things and the results will likely be positive. The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones with yourself. Self talk equals self performance. Look at athletes. They’re always talking to themselves, encouraging themselves. If you tell yourself you can do it, you can. If you tell yourself you can’t do it, you never will. You control what you tell yourself. Say good things 100 percent of the time.

Make your dominant thoughts positive. Whatever you tell yourself silently, your mind only hears the dominant thought. For example, don’t think don’t tell him the price, rather, think—Tell him how he will benefit from owning my product. Your mind will drop the don’t and remember the dominant thought. This is important because what not to do causes worry and stress. What to do creates positive, solution-oriented action.

Plan

Consider all options and list possible solutions. When you have all the options in front of you, often the course to take is clear. Say no to achieve more. Being spread too thin causes worry. Sometimes you have to say no to get more yeses. Limit your expectations. Gain one victory at a time. Make one sale at a time. Find a friend who will listen without prejudice, or a mentor—someone who has already achieved what you’re trying to do.

Act

Create a short daily diversion to rejuvenate your energy. Take your mind off the selling situation by doing what you like: listening to music or humor, reading, engaging in a hobby. The purpose is to clear your mind. This daily diversion gives you the mental freedom to receive new ideas.

Exercise every morning. Exercise gets your adrenaline flowing and your mind pumped for a great day.

Stop eating food that adversely affects you. You are what you eat. Cut things like fat, sugar and caffeine out of your diet. They add to stress.

Write everything down. If you write it down, you can concentrate on action—not remembering.

Stay organized. There is a peace of mind that comes when everything is in it’s place. You are 100 percent more productive if you’re organized. You eliminate getting mad or stressed when you can’t find something.

Sleep restfully. If you’ve written everything down and are organized, restful sleep is possible. Try thinking of fun things you did as a kid, or your next vacation to clear your mind. Concentrate your thoughts on anything except your worries.

Meditate for 10 minutes a day. Read a short passage from an inspiring book, or something peaceful, to get in the mood. Then concentrate your thoughts on success.

Learn something new every day. A tape or a book for 30 minutes a day will make you a sales expert in five years. Others already possess the knowledge, all you need to do is expose yourself to it. Learning something new every day gives you a chance to practice it as soon as you gain the knowledge.

It’s not about money or the lack of it. Money is not a problem. The problem is that you haven’t earned enough of it. Stop blaming lack of money and start making plans to make more or spend less.

Smile

After taking action you must still let the worry go mentally. Release it by smiling. Your smile has the power to turn a negative into a positive, and expel it from your system. Smiling is contagious. It sets a good mood both externally and internally. In sales, it’s a prerequisite.

The goal is that everyone ends up smiling.

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