How many people go with you on a sales call? Most of us would say there’s just me and the prospect. But who else? Does your mother come with? I don’t mean in person…but can you hear her voice repeating the messages that you heard when you were a kid? Messages such as… “Don’t talk about money. It’s not nice to ask a lot of questions. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t be a Pest.” If you’re like most people, we often carry little messages in our head that people from our past have tried pounding into our ever-learning skulls.
Now you ask, how does this apply to sales? Well, what about your last sales call? Did your prospect beat you up on price? If so, did it effect your attitude on the very next call? I’m guessing it probably did. Ask yourself. Are you driving a bus full of passengers such as mom, dad, sales manager, recent prospects, and maybe even your spouse or significant other?
There’s probably not much you can do to permanently get them out of your head but, you can make a choice to refocus. When going into every sales call, I suggest you leave any negative history files or voices on the bus. It’s difficult enough to stay focused without all those little voices playing in the background. Take a deep breath, clear your mind of the baggage and walk in like every opportunity is a sale waiting to happen.
Scott,
Thanks for this fun and truthful article. Breaking out of old thought processes is crucial to success in sales.
Thanks Bill!
Scott, how did your mother’s words guide you or not?
She was always encouraging.