It’s a Mental Game – Three ways to stay motivated for Optimal Selling

There is no question that sales can be tough and stressful on the best of days. Whether you’re selling a product, service, idea, or leading a team of sales professionals, anyone in the sales profession knows that repeated rejection can play havoc on the mind and our personal and professional well-being. Sales is a mental game that requires constant nurturing for oneself to stay motivated and focused on your end goals and targets.

It’s important to recognize and understand that not every person you speak with or make an offer to is going to say yes and ‘buy-in’ to what you are selling. Especially not the first time you chat with them, regardless of your offer or product. Studies show that a minimum of four interactions are necessary with your prospects before you earn the right to their business, and they trust you enough to commit to saying yes. And, on average, a good closing ratio is about 30 percent. This means that out of ten people you are making an offer to, only 3 of them are going to say yes. Of course, several factors are involved in the sales process, including qualifying your leads and the current economic environment; however , understanding your closing ratio will help in overcoming the feeling of defeat. If you equate this to sports, a baseball player can be considered ‘Hall of Fame’ material if they can bat over .300. For those not familiar with the sport that means, they will not hit the ball seven out of ten times at bat.

PreparationConfidence, and Enthusiasm are three ways to nurture your mindset to produce the results you want and reach your goals in business. These characteristics are what set apart the top sales performers from the average salespeople out there. And note that all three of these things are in your control. 

PREPARATION

Failure to prepare is detrimental to sales success. Taking the time to research your prospects and learn about them, their products and their potential needs is extremely important and a necessary part of the sales process as it will go a long way in gaining your customer’s trust if you understand their business and industry. Once you’ve done your homework, it’s important to properly prepare yourself prior to each sales call or meeting. Get yourself in the right headspace, and give yourself a motivating pep talk, so you can enter each conversation feeling prepared and focused.  Remember it is not all about the pitch, you need to be focused on what the customer is saying regarding their needs so you can prepare a solution to present on the current or follow-up call.

CONFIDENCE

Directly related to preparation is confidence. Without the proper preparation, it is hard to exude confidence in the sales conversation. Confidence comes with being prepared, which includes more than just knowing about the customer’s business and products but also knowledge of your products, services, and solutions.  Remember to keep it positive, it is easy to stay focused on the negative, but if you focus on the solution and the positive impact that it will offer the customers and their business, it demonstrates that you are confident in your solutions.  If you don’t communicate confidently, your prospects will feel that energy from you, so keep it positive.

ENTHUSIASM

Once you are in the mindset of feeling prepared and confident, it’s time to deliver and present the opportunity enthusiastically. There is nothing worse than coming across a salesperson who is giving off negative energy or just calling it in and showing a complete lack of enthusiasm for what they are selling. We have all experienced it, if you don’t believe in the product, service, or idea you are selling, then no one else will believe in it either. If you’ve had a day where you’ve received multiple ‘No’s’ in a row, you must find the mindset to make the next call with the same enthusiasm as you did the first one, remember it is a numbers game. Also remember that energy is contagious, and people are attracted to passion and enthusiasm.  Customers tend to purchase from people that they connect with more than they do for the products themselves and in most cases are willing to pay more for those connections because they see it as a value-added service.  So, remember that when you are on the phone or in front of your customers.

To ensure your sales success, mind your mindset, manage your motivation, bring energy and positivity, and be mentally prepared to deliver everything you interact with your customers, and this will get you hitting sales targets well above average on your way to the sales “Hall of Fame.”

by Jody Euloth