In order to succeed, every business needs a toolkit of skills that allows him to grow. Selling is one of the most important of these skills. As a business owner, you must develop your mental game of selling to increase sales and generate profit. When it comes to the mental game of selling, there are a lot of topics that we can discuss, but today we’ll focus on expectations. I believe we don’t discuss expectations and the impact they can have on our minds enough.
Here are three aspects to think about:
1. Selling is hard
Any time someone approaches selling with the expectations that it will be easy, I’ve noticed that being told “NO” by prospects ends up hurting more. I mean, I understand where those who have the opposite approach are coming from. They may have more confidence going in if they’ve got the preconceived notion that selling will be easy. However, in my experience, when people enter the game of selling knowing that it’ll be hard, it becomes easier to keep a positive mindset throughout the process.
I have a friend who can run 50 miles straight. Can you imagine? Running 50 miles is hard. I’ve run a couple of standard 26-mile marathons, which were challenging enough. So, approaching a 50-mile marathon knowing it’s hard is going to help keep my mental capacity high as I train.
Just as in sales, if you believe it’ll be difficult, you’ll work harder to overcome the challenges. So be aware that selling is hard, and that’s okay.
2. Realize that you’re going to be punched in the gut eventually
Confidence will wane at some point in the game of selling. I think a lot of people feel better knowing they’re not alone in that. Every single salesperson I have ever coached, including myself, has experienced a loss of confidence at some point. So if you’re feeling that way, don’t worry. It’s perfectly normal.
But the thing about confidence is we want to have shorter low periods, and we help coach people through that. Lacking confidence for two hours is not a big deal. However, if you lack confidence for two days or worse, weeks or months, that’s where you need to seek assistance. That’s where we can help bridge the gap. Still, it’s important to know that you will have moments where you won’t feel confident about selling. Be mentally prepared for that.
3. Expect the need to create a sense of urgency in your everyday work life in order to be great at selling
If you do not feel like you’ll have a sense of urgency for a day, take a vacation. Vacations can be really beneficial. Take a day off. A week, even, if possible. Take time off to unwind, refresh, and rejuvenate. But if you’re going to be working, have a sense of urgency. Be quick about following up with that sales call, about making that connection, about scheduling appointments, and meeting with people. Because if you have this sense of urgency, your mind will be strong. If you’re just kind of lackadaisically getting through the day, you’ll face sales problems. That is when you should take a break.
You need to master the mental game of selling to perform better and thrive. Again, there’s a lot we can discuss in the mental game of selling, but you can start with these three.
Let us know if any of these 3 tips has improved your game right here!
