Strengthen Your Sales “ABs”

By Donna L. Cohen

Do you have what it takes to be a champion? If you were a boxer, you might possess an awesome right hook, but if you don’t properly condition your body and your mind, you won’t be champion material. To prepare effectively for a fight requires practice, getting your mindset in the right place, and persevering, even when you’re feeling some pain.

You can succeed in sales by thinking like a prize fighter. Focus on your goal. Have a solid game plan. Prepare for the expected and also be ready for the unexpected. Link together your attitude, behavior and skills to forge an invincible circle of success.

Here are some tips for finding the right combination of attitude, behavior and skills that will help you excel during your next round of sales calls.

“A” is for Attitude
It starts with attitude. Concentrate your efforts on qualifying a prospect rather than “closing.” Your focus should be on adding value to the prospect’s business rather than making the sale. This way you’ll be able to easily walk away from a non-qualifying prospect because you know that, with the right prospect, your selling skills are invincible.

Here’s an example. At one point in my business I had to face the fact that if I wanted to move to the next level, I needed multimillion-dollar clients. However, years before, I had reported directly to the president of a $350 million company whose management philosophy was “management through intimidation and humiliation.” As a result, my experiences under his leadership led me to conclude that all CEOs of multimillion-dollar companies used intimidation and humiliation. So I chose to work only with small companies. I definitely needed an attitude adjustment.

Here is what I learned: we may be perfectly comfortable selling at one level and believe we are highly successful, when in reality we are terrified of moving out of our comfort zone and up to a higher level. Whenever you find yourself held back by fear, focus instead on your past and present strengths.

Some of the negative thought patterns that plague salespeople are: I’m not creative, I can’t sell at the “C” level (CEO, CFO, etc.), I’ll be rejected, I’ll look and sound stupid, my prices aren’t low enough, the competition has a better product, and so on. Such thoughts arise from a variety of experiences and situations, but whatever the underlying belief, these negative thoughts will become self-fulfilling prophecies.

Fear, self-doubt and worry steal valuable time and energy from our commitment to providing value to our customers. If you feed your subconscious the belief, “I can’t call at the C level,” then you can’t. If you feed your subconscious the belief, “I have value,” then you can.

Always sell from a position of strength. You are either a fit or not, but either way is fine. Develop an attitude that you are capable, you know what you’re doing, and you have something valuable to offer. Whatever non-qualifying prospects may think is irrelevant to your mindset.

When you find yourself in situations where you feel out of control, take the time to find out why. It helps to keep a daily log of your attitudes, tracking and recording your past behaviors and activities. This clarity will help you face the future with self-confidence.

“B” is for Behavior
Sometimes simply changing your behavior does the trick. There are times we don’t take action if we only perceive an either/or choice—either I do it this way or I do it that way. It might be helpful to explore a third option. You’ll become more confident if you allow yourself to choose among three options instead of limiting yourself to only two.

For instance, a salesperson sold software subscriptions to businesses to help them comply with tariff tax laws. This individual believed that attorneys (his main prospects) always wanted to argue about the product and why it wouldn’t work, and wanted to change the contract. He was frustrated because he categorized attorneys in one of two ways—either argumentative or not argumentative (and he couldn’t find many of the latter!). By changing his attitude about attorneys, he was able to call on these prospects and let them “win” certain arguments. It made them feel good and they bought his services more often. His clients were so pleased with the results his solution provided; he soon was selling by referral only.

Work on Those ABs
If you practice these simple tips, you’ll find it pays to work on strengthening the interdependence between your attitude, behavior and skills. Keep track of how much attention you are devoting to each area in your “circle of success.” Make notes in your sales log about situations you’re going out of your way to avoid. Take stock of your greatest assets and continuously look for areas that need improvement. Write up a plan of action with a timetable for achievement of your new goals. Review your progress regularly, then reevaluate and modify your plan as necessary. You will find as you change your attitude and behaviors you will naturally develop new skills and techniques. You’ll be champion material.

Author Bio: Donna L. Cohen is president of Performance Insights, LLC, a sales training and consulting company in Greenwood Village, Colorado. She is the author of the award-winning book on B2B Selling: GO BIG…or Stay Home! Exploding Your Sales Potential and Achieving Your Financial Dreams. For more information on please visit: www.performanceinsightsllc.com.

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• Principles of Professional Selling
• Selling to Major Accounts: A Strategic Approach

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