When Love is In the Air

I had the opportunity to speak with a friend yesterday. "I just left a sales meeting and my sales numbers are in the toilet," she bemoaned. She went on to state her rationale for her low numbers and the cure for this month’s debacle. "I am experiencing a huge disconnect with my prospective clients. I think I am too technical when I am explaining my product and they just don't understand my technical jargon. Plus, I am spending too much time explaining every aspect of what my product is capable of accomplishing, whereas the sales leaders this month are laid back in their presentation and take very little time with explaining anything to get a sale.

When she finished, I proposed a question to her that went something like this: "When salespeople are performing at a very high level do they nitpick perceived faults?" She said no. Then, I took the question to a personal level and asked, "When your numbers were high and you were leading the board in sales, did you look at yourself as a technical jargon speaker?" She said no. “Exactly!” I replied. “Two months ago your sales were high, you loved your product and more importantly you saw the value it created for the client. Then, you had some bad days that led to worse weeks, and now you're disgruntled about service, sales and clients.”

At this point I gave her this advice: "Change your focus. Don't focus on your behavior or what you do during an actual sales transaction and definitely don't attempt to modify your style after salespeople leading the sales board. Focus on your attitude, because attitude is everything."

What I saw happen to my friend is common in every aspect of life, especially in entrepreneurial sales. Maybe you hit a low point. You rationalize what must have brought about these low results and you begin to pass judgment on your actions or the actions of others, "I am doing this wrong and this other salesperson does this perfect." Then you lose self-esteem and do the one thing you had no intention of doing: you abandon your uniqueness. How do you pull yourself up out of this downward cycle or keep yourself from falling into it? Attitude is the answer.

There are four things that will produce the correct attitude in sales.

1.   Fall in love with your product...Again!  Remind yourself daily that your product or service produces an enhancement to the quality of life of another person.

2.   Make your uniqueness non-negotiable. Realize that when you enter the "competition phase" it is because you abandon your uniqueness and that you will compromise other areas in order to “win“ or prove yourself a success.

3.   Empathize with your client. They have goals. Your job is to find out what they are and then answer the question: How can my product and or service assist in the accomplishment of my client's goals?

4. Find, Focus and Leverage your uniqueness. I learned this one from Brian Tracey years ago. Say these three simple words: I like myself. Well don’t you? Of course you do. You have all the right to.

Remember, attitude is everything and a positive attitudes is contagious.  Encourage yourself when you feel self-pity and self-doubt trying to set in.  Your positive attitude will create an atmospheres of encouragement and success for you and everyone around you.