| "Man is what he believes" - Anton Chekkov. | | | | The third factor is what I call your environment. This |
| Beliefs and behaviour of salespeople is a topic that I've | | | | can have a massive effect on your beliefs. |
| only really come to understand in the last few years. If | | | | Who do you socialise with? What do your family think |
| I'd known then what I know now, I'd have been even | | | | of you doing a sales role? |
| more successful in my early selling days. Beliefs have | | | | Your upbringing can have an enormous effect on |
| a huge positive impact on your sales performance, but | | | | beliefs and behaviour. When I was young I was told |
| equally can have a very negative impact. | | | | that 'children should be seen and not heard', not to 'get |
| I remember times in my sales career when I really | | | | too big for my boots', that making lots of money would |
| believed that I wouldn't be able to close a deal with a | | | | not be good for me and that 'money was the root |
| client: They were a huge international company with an | | | | cause of evil'. All interesting beliefs to have when |
| enormous head office. I knew they were a Major | | | | embarking on a career in sales and to be honest took |
| Account for one of our main competitors. What | | | | me some time to shake them off. It was only when I |
| happened? You're right - I'd psyched myself out of the | | | | started hanging out with other successful sales people |
| deal before I'd even got to the meeting. | | | | that my identity and beliefs really started to change. |
| Conversely, I recall an important interview with the | | | | You need to be aware of what influences you have |
| market leaders in my chosen market. Due to my | | | | outside of work and what messages you are picking |
| earlier sales successes in that market I truly believed | | | | up. Sometimes when salespeople experience a loss of |
| that I'd succeed in the new company. I performed | | | | form the cause can be identified as their external |
| better in that interview than any other previously and | | | | environment. In these cases I've had to advise they |
| landed the job. | | | | make a change: Move out of your parent's house; |
| If you believe in success you're empowered to | | | | change your circle of friends if you truly want to take |
| achieve it. If you believe in failure, those messages will | | | | your sales career to the next level. |
| lead you to failure. | | | | Fourth Pillar: A Positive Mental Attitude |
| In my experience success in sales comes as a direct | | | | The fourth pillar is to create a positive mental attitude |
| result of confidence, and confidence is built on the | | | | towards sales. |
| pillars of your beliefs. | | | | When I started in sales I didn't like the job title of sales |
| So where do your positive beliefs come from in sales? | | | | executive. I believed it smacked of the types of sales |
| First Pillar: Skills & Knowledge | | | | people that gave the profession a bad name with all |
| Your skills and knowledge are vital. Having deep | | | | their door-to-door bad practices. I was much happier |
| knowledge of your products / services as well as | | | | when I got my first promotion and became an account |
| your company is a prerequisite for any sales person | | | | manager. Now however I am really proud of being |
| going into the field and engaging with prospects. If | | | | associated with sales and so should you. |
| you're new to sales or new to your company then | | | | This positive mental attitude can be likened to |
| you must learn as much as you can from all available | | | | experiencing your future results in advance. If you feel |
| resources. | | | | that where you are now isn't giving you the lifestyle |
| Just as importantly, you need to gain as much | | | | you truly desire, you need to create in your mind the |
| knowledge about your competitor's products, services, | | | | way you want it to be and step into that world. So if |
| possible sales strategies and tactics. When I first | | | | you want to start winning £million deals rather |
| started selling large copier machines for Kodak we | | | | than £thousand deals, start thinking of the |
| were competing against Rank Xerox, the market | | | | lifestyle, behaviour and beliefs that a salesperson who |
| leaders at the time. The training that I received was | | | | regularly closes these deals would have. |
| fantastic - not only did I know all about our products | | | | If your objective is to close a £5,000 deal then |
| but I also had a working knowledge of my competitor's | | | | really what you are trying to do is to just make enough |
| as well. We had a sales lab with our competitor's | | | | money to pay your immediate bills. If that's the level of |
| equipment on rental so we could get to know them. | | | | your goal, is that really going to get you excited about |
| This meant that when I went into the field I was | | | | doing sales? Do you get out of bed in the morning |
| confident that I could answer any question the | | | | excited and motivated about winning a deal to merely |
| prospect would throw at me, and also demonstrate | | | | pay off your bills? |
| how our machine was superior to the competitors. I'd | | | | But selling is selling; you've got to do the work of |
| never felt so well prepared to sell - my beliefs about | | | | making calls, setting up appointments, presenting and |
| success were sky high and those were reflected in | | | | negotiating. So why not raise the goal to close a |
| the results that I achieved. | | | | £500,000 deal and see how much more excited |
| Second Pillar: Past Success | | | | that gets you about making the sale? |
| The second contributing factors are your past events | | | | Raising the bar also activates your mind and allows |
| or results. The surest way to confirm a belief is to do | | | | you to really unlock the resources of your higher |
| something once and succeed. Unfortunately, this is | | | | potential that I'm sure you've got. I love to use the |
| often difficult for salespeople as, by the nature of the | | | | example of Mohammad Ali who was always telling |
| role, we won't succeed every time. | | | | the world that he was the greatest. First it allowed him |
| I've have times, and I've seen it in plenty of other sales | | | | to believe it, and then slowly the rest of the boxing |
| people, when you go through a 'loss of form'. The | | | | world began to believe it and that gave him such an |
| competitors win a few deals, you mess up a couple of | | | | edge, |
| meetings and before you know it you're tumbling down | | | | Your Sales Success Rests On the Pillars of Your Self |
| the sales leagues. | | | | Belief |
| This is when you've got to really go to work on your | | | | Using these pillars you can understand, build and |
| beliefs otherwise you'll experience the lack of | | | | mobilise your beliefs as a sales person. To be truly |
| confidence that will really have an impact on your | | | | successful you have to really believe in yourself and |
| performance. What you need to recognise is, like | | | | how the products and services you're selling can |
| professional sports people, almost all professional | | | | genuinely have a positive effect for the people buying |
| salespeople will experience this loss of form at some | | | | them. |
| point. To recover you need to start focusing on small | | | | When you adopt this mindset you'll be unstoppable. |
| things and improve in small steps, to start rebuilding | | | | I've seen too many salespeople who carry self-limiting |
| your belief. | | | | beliefs that are only just succeeding; meanwhile, |
| When I was managing sales people who experienced | | | | salespeople who take control of beliefs have the |
| this I'd work closely with them to build their beliefs by | | | | confidence to be unstoppable. |
| helping them achieve success in small steps again. | | | | A useful exercise is to jot down the limiting beliefs, or |
| There were times when a salesperson would tell me | | | | 'anchors', that you're dragging around. Awareness of |
| they couldn't do it any more, and I'm sure we've all said | | | | these self limiting beliefs is the start. You have to |
| that to our selves on occasion. When you into this | | | | formulate a plan for how you can cut these anchors |
| mind set your thoughts spiral downwards without | | | | and get on with your career as a salesperson. |
| control and the impact on your actions can be | | | | In summary: Don't underestimate the power of your |
| devastating. However handled correctly, with the right | | | | beliefs and the impact, good and bad, this has on your |
| focus and support, you can soon start building and | | | | performance as a salesperson. Stay positive; believe in |
| reinforcing your beliefs again to produce fantastic | | | | yourself and your products and services. Think big and |
| results. | | | | you will succeed. Believe me. |
| Third Pillar: Your Environment | | | | |
