What language are you speaking?‏

The language you use has a massive impact on your results. That goes for the language you speak, and the language that meanders around internally in your head. 

If you keep saying things are hard...guess what, it will be hard! You're instructing your brain to expect hard, expect tough...and so that’s what it will deliver for you.  

You get what you expect

 

Tone your language down when you have a challenge coming up. Because your thoughts and outlook on the job in hand will definitely determine how tough, or straightforward, the job will be. Remember, you don’t get what you hope for, you get what you expect! 

Quick example...many people I know get concerned when they get a sore throat. "I do hope I'm not getting a cold" they say. Dangerous talk, I think! Our brains don't actually process negatives. So all the brain hears in this example is “getting a cold, getting a cold, getting a cold”. You know where this is heading!  

 

If I say "don't think of a blue tree"...what do you think of?   A blue tree of course. That's because you can't not think about something that you don't want to think about, without thinking about it first!  

 

And in sales?

 

So when you say "I do hope I'm not getting a cold", you are focusing your mind on the words "getting a cold" and manifesting the very climate for a cold to take hold. Deepak Chopra (M.D. and founder of the Chopra Centre for Wellbeing) says "your immune system is constantly eavesdropping on your internal dialogue"...and it's not just your immune system!  

 

So - in sales, every time you don't want something to happen, your focus of attention is fixed right on it. “I hope this isn't going to be a tough sales meeting”; “I hope they don't say no”; “I hope the client isn't challenging” - these are all versions of "don't think of a blue tree!"  

Now let's get real here...I don't deny that the world sets us certain obstacles to overcome but I do believe that the obstacles are easier to overcome when we use positive language! Rather than saying "This is really hard" you could say, "this may not be easy yet but it will get easier each time I practice". A simple reframe which, if you replicated for all of your challenges, would create a significantly different world for you. 

 

You'd be more empowered, more resourceful, more successful.

 

Even the most positive people...  

 

...can fall into the trap of negative language - so start to notice when you do this for yourself. Every time you hear negative language, reframe the comment using positive language that's framed on what you want rather than what you don't want. Over time you'll start to notice yourself becoming much more positive, goal – focussed, and happier person! With much more, sales success.

Let me know how you get on.

 

Until next time.

 

Leigh

PS - Here's the early heads up on afabulous event taking place later this year. There are some juicy discounts forearly bookers so I would suggest you have a look NOW and grab a ticket. Clickfor details and to secure your place. 

 results@sales-consultancy.com

020 7903 5426

www.sales-consultancy.com

For previous 'Tricks of the Trade' go here

"Always bite off more than you can chew...then chew like hell"‏

I’m always intrigued by the Sunday Times column “How I made it”, tucked away in the Business section of that mammoth publication.

This weekly, relatively short piece describes how someone, often against all the odds, has become extremely successful in their business. 

The story usually describes humble beginnings, perhaps a hint of early success, often then telling of the setbacks they endured along the way before securing a glorious triumph in the end. All nicely wrapped in a sentence that describes their current turnover and worth.  

 

And some advice  

Always the entrepreneur at the centre of attention offers some pearls of wisdom for those that aspire to be successful in their own business. A few words of advice, sometimes a few words of caution. What to do, what not to do.  

 

The overall message for me is that, over the course of time they each overcame substantial challenges, yet they fought on, hung on and eventually came through.    

I thought I’d reproduce some of those words of advice here. They have often helped me. They might help you too.  I haven’t credited the authors. There isn’t space and in any case I’m sure they’ll cope without the credit just this once!  

Here goes...  

“Don’t be afraid of mistakes, use them as learning experiences. If you go into business with other people, choose carefully; make sure you have a good skill mix and everyone has clearly defined roles. Solve people’s problems while saving them money and they’ll pay you well for it”

 

“Apply common sense. If I don’t understand something, I try not to get too involved in it. Try to ensure you have the full support of your close family. Running a business inevitable crosses boundaries and has an impact on your domestic life. There are times when you can’t be around. If you haven’t got support at home, that is going to make it a struggle”  

 

“Try to do something you understand and in a market that you have worked in. If you don’t understand it, get some work experience and build up some contacts, because that will make it a lot easier”  

“Nothing goes entirely to plan but you can’t over-estimate what a lot of good research and good planning can do. Even if an idea isn’t the best in the world, if you research and plan it and pick your location and target market specifically, it can still be successful”

 

“Don’t do anything on a whim – it isn’t worth it. You need to understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. You can’t put a price on having the knowledge of your industry”  

 

"In all things you need to be able to compromise. You need to be willing to change and adapt along the way and not be too fixed in how you achieve things. You can’t always get your own way. I compromise every day. If you get too upset by things you will live an unhappy life”  

“Always bite off more than you can chew...then chew like hell"  

 

“I am not particularly talented, bright or good at anything, but I am relentless. Even during my darkest days I just went on and on with dogged determination. Don't just think about doing something - do it”  

 

"The most important thing is to make a decision. You often get it wrong but you always need to make a decision"  

 

"You shouldn't have a Plan B. It shouldn't enter your head. If you're an intelligent, hardworking person you can start a business with a passion for something. If you are forever wondering what you will do if you fail, how will you ever succeed"  

 

Whether it’s for inspiration in something new or simply helping increase your sales success, I hope there’s some good stuff in there for you.

Until next time.

 

Leigh

results@sales-consultancy.com

 

020 7903 5426

 

www.sales-consultancy.com

 

For previous 'Tricks of the Trade' go here

Why you need to copy Brian Acton‏

Have you heard of Brian Acton?  

 

I hadn't until last week. He co-founded the "WhatsApp" messenging service. Last week Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19bn. Brian Acton has a reported 15% stake and so walks away with $2.9bn - and is reportedly planning his next holiday! 

What's the connection?  

 

The funny thing is, Brain Acton applied to Facebook in 2009 for a job - and got turned down. His reaction? On Facebook he wrote "Facebook turned me down. Looking forward to life's next adventure".  
 

Next, he applied to Twitter - and was rejected. He tweeted "Got denied by Twitter HQ. Would have been a long commute"   
So he joined forces with his friend Jan Koum who was in the process of starting WhatsApp. Great story.  

 

And the point...  
 

Brian Acton got turned down from Facebook and Twitter - but reacted in exactly the right way...enabling him to bounce back VERY quickly and sow the seeds of his WhatsApp success. 

My point is that although you may not be able to control much of the ‘stuff’ that happens in your life – you have 100% control over your reaction and response.  

YOU always get to choose how YOU feel. No matter how bad it seems to get, the ultimate truth is that you’re in control of your thoughts, feelings and actions.

Everything you experience has an impact on you...it can't not. Some experiences have a positive impact and some have a negative impact...and others somewhere in between. It's how you interpret the experience that makes the difference!

And so in sales and business

For example... you make a call to a sales prospect that you think is going to buy and they tell you they have decided to buy from a competitor. You're really disappointed and do all you can to explore their decision in the hope that you can change their thinking. The prospect sticks with their decision - end of conversation.

Now how you process that news internally is now up to you. Do you think it's all so unfair? Does it ruin your next hour? Does it affect the rest of your day? Are you so upset that it impacts the effort you put in to make other sales happen?

Well you could respond that way...or...

Alternatively...straight after the call you decide what changes you're going to make to your approach to limit the risk of this happening again. You explore every step of your strategy and learn from it. You reflect on the buying strategy of the prospect so that when you talk with them again you know exactly how they buy...and tweak your approach to suit them. And you ask yourself that magic question...”OK, that happened, what am I going to do about it?”

How much more in control will you be if you use this approach instead? Trust me...a lot!

"Yeah right...it's not that easy"

If you're thinking "yeah right..." then you’ll be thinking like lots of others do, but let’s be clear, with thinking like that you'll never make the choices that give you the control you need.

You can start with small things that have a limited negative impact on you. Practice the alternative way of thinking and see what happens. Once you've mastered this with little things you'll strengthen your ability to do this with more challenging experiences.

Imagine...

...reacting in a completely controlled and positive way...how much more sales success do you think you'll achieve? Only you know the answer to that but what I can tell you is that when I train and coach people in this area and they incorporate this approach, it transforms their results. It's impossible for this thinking not to have a positive impact when practised.  

Sales? It's all about the psychology...YOUR psychology.

Let me know how you get on.

Until next time.  

Leigh

PS: Measure yourself against The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes HERE  

results@sales-consultancy.com

020 7903 5426

www.sales-consultancy.com

For previous 'Tricks of the Trade' go here

How your unconscious mind sabotages your sales‏

Who is your inner critic? 

 

You know, that little voice in your head that says things like “you’ll never hit your target this month” or “I told you so” or “you never were any good at presentations”.     

We all have an inner voice.  Your inner voice is effectively your unconscious mind and its primary function is to look after you and keep you safe, though it doesn’t always feel that way does it? It's great when your inner voice is saying positive and empowering things to you. However, on many occasions, when it’s actually trying to protect you, it can seem as if it’s sabotaging you.

 

Whose voice is it?
 

So whose voice is this that you hear in your head when things don't go as planned? When you lose a sale? When you can't get an appointment? In short (very short!) your inner voice develops as a result of all the stuff you've heard from others in your life. It can be your best friend. It can be your worst enemy. Is it your voice? Is it an imaginary critic? Is it someone from your past? Could it be someone who’s still in your life now? 

Take control  
 

Whoever is feeding your inner voice, the key is to control it. Whether your inner voice is saying positive or negative things it's really important to recognise that there's a positive intention in the message. What could it be for you? Maybe you haven't had great success with a new sales strategy or technique and it causes you lots of angst every time you try it, so you stop trying it. Or there's a particular client or prospect that takes lots of your energy to communicate with, so you don’t!  

One positive intention is to stop you feeling the pain of the disappointment or trauma of communication with this person...so you don’t bother doing it again. You get to avoid the short term pain - but the long term impact is that you won't get any better at your craft and your sales are less likely to increase. Sound familiar?  

 

What's the positive intention?  
 

It's really useful to think about the ‘positive intention’ when your inner critic stops you moving forward. Once you know what the positive intention is you can get this in other ways, allowing you to focus on the task in hand and keep the inner critic happy at the same time!! If you’re going to keep hearing this inner voice, you may as well make sure that it’s providing you with empowering phrases that help inspire you to your goals, your targets – and overall sales success.

 

Action
 

Start recording the negative things your inner critic says and, once you have enough to go on, ask yourself the following questions...rather than letting it crush you, just be curious...

 

Whose voice is this?  

 

What is the positive intention of those negative statements?

 

For example what might it be stopping you doing? How might it be protecting you? Think deep. 

How can you preserve this positive intention but in a new strategy?

 

Take your time.  

 

These questions will give you greater awareness of what's going on within you and give you greater control. They allow you to make friends with your unconscious mind, change your reaction to those negative statements that come out of it, and ultimately ensure those messages are positive and empowering.  

 

On my training sessions this issue of the inner critic comes up over and over again. One thing for sure...cracking this one makes you unstoppable!  

Let me know how you get on.  

 

Until next time.

 

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Leigh

PS: Hope you're not guilty of this mistake...

results@sales-consultancy.com

020 7903 5426  

www.sales-consultancy.com

For previous 'Tricks of the Trade' go here