by Duane Weber
Imagine if software programmers approached their position with the same level of emotion as salespeople approach theirs. Computers would be flying everywhere. Code-blaming would be happening left and right. Sleepless nights would abound. Programmers would be forever mad at their bosses for picking another programmer for a project.
Just last week a salesperson told me he’d been off his game for weeks because he lost a big sale. It affected his selling performance, his personal life and his sleep. I said “selling is an intellectual activity, not an emotional one.” He said “You don’t get it, this was the biggest sale of my career. I thought they were going with us, they told me they were going with us and I lost it.” Feet firmly planted I said, “You can’t lose anything you never had in the first place.”
Too many salespeople get emotionally wrapped-up in their role taking it personally. It’s unnecessary, stressful and places undue pressure on you. Selling is a profession. Only a profession. It’s a way to go to the bank – to feed your family. No more and no less. How should you approach your chosen profession?
1. You can only control yourself but you cannot control the buyer. Try as we might, they will ultimately choose who they will work with and it may or may not be you.
2. Separate who you are (your identity) from what you do (your role). Your roles don’t define you. How you perform in your career, as a parent or spouse doesn’t define who you are. Some roles you do well, some not so well. Don’t tie your emotions to your roles.
3. You don’t need this sale. Selling is hard enough without the pressure of needing a certain piece of business. Think and act like a millionaire. Image going into the sales call with the mentality of “I don’t need this business.” The pressure is lifted and you’ll perform much better.
4. Honor the process. When you let the system work (you have one, right?) you aren’t relying on your alleged good people skills. You’ll be able to execute this process intellectually and not emotionally.
When you start approaching sales intellectually you start to gain a deeper understanding of the buyer’s motivations. You can make intelligent decisions and move the sale forward. And when the sale doesn’t go your way, you’ll have a lesson learned and not a bruised ego.
At Sandler Training Trustpointe we help our clients with their attitude and beliefs. To learn more about selling intellectually, sleepless nights and lessons learned, contact Duane Weber at 317-845-0041 or dweber@sandler.com.
Sleepless in Indy?
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