WOW we are definitely encountering turbulent times at the moment, whilst reflecting on Brexit, England’s dismal performance in Euro 2016 and the political turmoil engulfing Westminster what has become clear to me is how all the thoughts racing through my mind change like the wind depending on who I am listening to or what I am reading on social media or in the press and how powerfully these thoughts can affect my feelings which then impact upon how effective I am particularly at work.
As Leapfrog helps to equip SME’s and Start–Up’s with the sales strategy, know-how and skills to help them increase business revenue and to build their sales confidence and capability in order that they can leapfrog their competition, it is not surprising that we firmly believe that Sales is vital to business success. A sales plan is the first step to success and then being able to sell with confidence is the second step. However, what can set successful people apart when it comes to selling is mind-set. So here are a few thoughts on what you could try when your mind is racing with negative thoughts.
One of my clients told me about this really simple sales equation recently, which certainly resonated with me. With sales it really is this simple – you will win over some clients and win business but you have to be able to cope with the Some Wont’s and bounce back from rejection. Given that you are not going to win them all – there are two ways of reacting to this:
It has been very interesting over this past week, post Brexit, how different people have reacted to the EU referendum result. My own thinking definitely hasn’t helped and has played a part in how I am feeling about the future and what it may or may not hold. My understanding around thinking and how it affects feelings has come from The 3 Principles of Mind, Consciousness and Thought. What is fascinating about this approach is that they believe everything you feel is based upon what you think at that moment in time. So if you feel angry about the EU result it will be because of the thoughts that you are having, some of these thoughts may be about what the future will hold – which could be positive or could be negative but these are all just thoughts and at this point in time you won’t know what could happen – so you are letting your thoughts around the future dictate what you are feeling in the moment which may or may not become reality.
Clearly your thoughts and how you feel and then react will make a big impact when you are selling! It is easy to get downhearted when you don’t get a piece of business you have been pitching for but my advice would be to let your negative thoughts be there without reacting to them, they will still be there but new positive thoughts will start to flow as the day progresses!
If you have managed to follow either of the pointers above, the next step would be to change and pivot your approach when talking to a client. So taking the EU referendum result as an example instead of asking a client:
With these questions you are more likely to get answers which could help your sales effort rather than hinder it!
Good luck and please do let me know what other tips you may have for dealing with negative thoughts!