Flip Your Vision on Sales
The sales world today is full of targets, deadlines and numbers. For those new to sales, it can be daunting, and for those well versed in the world of sales, it can be as easy as breathing. For all, however, the pressure to reach targets is high leading to high levels of stress and anxiety.
For example, you have to turn 100 cold leads into warm leads leads, 50% of all leads into prospects, convert 50 prospects into customers and if this is achieved, at the end of the month, you get a nice juicy bonus but if you don’t, Jenny, the receptionist may just lose her job. Sound familiar?
It is time that we flip our vision on sales. I live with only 2% eyesight and although I am not a sales expert I am an expert at looking at a situation and a circumstance from a unique and different perspective that most people do not see. Targets and goals keep our eye on the prize and give us direction in our actions and achievements but what if I told you that I want you to forget about them for the majority of the day? What if I asked you to only consider these targets on a daily basis in the morning and in the afternoon. Once before you pick up the phone or go to that coffee meeting and once just before you clock off for the day. Instead, as you go about your calls, emails and calendar management, focus your thoughts and energy on the positive encounters and achievements you make. Use the wins to fuel you to continue on and forget the lost leads or unexpected fall throughs because these are what lead you to give up.
The key is in what we choose to focus on. If after every unsuccessful call we make we are getting ourselves down, telling ourselves that we are one call closer to missing our daily and weekly targets, reaching our goals will be stressful and unenjoyable. Instead I believe we need to Flip our vision and only start counting when it really counts.
The late great, Muhammad Ali, was once asked how many sit ups he did. His response was simple;
“I don’t count my sit ups, I only start counting when it starts hurting because that is when it really counts”
Ali has provided us with a golden nugget when it comes to what we need to focus on. He only started counting what really counts. To translate this principle to the sales sector is to ask the question, ‘what should we focus on’? Is it more important and beneficial to count the unsuccessful conversations or the successful conversations?
Our vision needs to flip. No longer should we be ticking off the unsuccessful calls we make. No longer should we be disappointed with 20 emails that have been sent without a reply or when we have been calling for 30 minutes without a sale. What we need to be focusing on and really counting is the successful conversions. If we flip our vision and stop focusing on the conversations that occur between the successful conversations our mindset, positivity levels and stress levels will also be flipped.
The pace that you work does not need to change but with a flipped vision, it will. You will make more calls, send more emails, schedule more meetings because you will be happier in what you are doing and more motivated to continue on and your customers will see this. No longer are you getting disheartened in the middle of the day because you’re already looking forward to the possibilities that your next round of potential customers has to bring. It is time to start enjoying yourself!
Flip your vision, switch your focus and start counting the conversations that really count to see your productivity and profits soar.
