Sales success starts in the mind: Shift from limits to possibilities

Look at this jaguar watching this crocodile. It has two choices:

1. "I'm hungry, but the crocodile is in the water, which is its natural habitat. I'll never be able to kill it."

2. "I'm hungry and I have the upper hand. He can't see me, and I have the strongest teeth. If I aim right, I can break his neck in two seconds."

The video shows which choice the jaguar made.

This situation is similar for us humans. John Ford once said, "There are two types of people on this planet. Those who think they can, and those who think they cannot. And they are both right."

Perception determines reality

What does he mean by that? The way we perceive the world, ourselves, our products, and our market entirely determines our success. We either have a perspective of possibilities or a perspective of limitations.

More recently, Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford, has conducted extensive studies on the "growth mindset". She found that people who believe they can develop their skills and overcome challenges often do better than those who think their abilities are fixed.

The importance of mindset

The same logic applies to salespeople. Even though the salespeople I work with often want techniques, the reality is that everything happens between their ears. And the perspective that individuals have. Either a perspective of limitation. Or a perspective of possibilities.

1. Limiting Perspective: "Prospecting is difficult." Possibility perspective: "By making calls regularly, I can seize big opportunities."

2. Limiting Perspective: "I have long sales cycles." Possibility perspective: "By following my process, I know I can drastically reduce my sales cycles."

3. Limiting Perspective: "My product is expensive." Perspective of possibilities: "The ROI is enormous. My customers are really fortunate."

Mindset is crucial in sales, but the same goes for team managers. It's all in their heads too.

Transformer Votre Perspective

To develop a perspective of possibilities, here are some recommended practices:

1. Know thyself: As this famous phrase, written on the temple of Apollo, says, it is important to know yourself in order to develop. Analysing your strengths and weaknesses is therefore the first step. This includes the 21 key skills for success in sales, an example of which is given below. That is why I never start a job without assessing the mindset of the salespeople and their managers.

2. Mental Training: Engage in visualisation and meditation exercises to reinforce a positive mindset.

3. Continuing Education: Invest in training and reading materials that reinforce a growth mindset. Write a journal to work on your skills (examples here) and how you see yourself.

4. Positive Environment: Surround yourself with people who share a positive and encouraging outlook. We are the average of people we surround ourselves with. It might be simple. But there is a lot of truth in this aphorism. A classic example is that a "toxic" sales person can affect the rest of a team. Even if he / she is a strong performer, cutting him / her out is often a better move than keeping him / her.

Numerous studies show that these practices can significantly improve your performance. A study published in the Journal of Business Research found that sales teams with a positive mindset had higher sales closing rates than those with a negative mindset...

Conclusion

Your perception of the world and yourself is the key to your success. Adopt a perspective of possibilities rather than limitations. What are you doing to avoid limiting your potential with limiting thoughts?