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Julie Steelman
Sales & Business Bankability Mentor - CEO, SellebrateKAILUA KONA, HI
http://www.JulieSteelman.com
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It is popular to instantly enter into self-doubt and blame when making sales gets challenging.
I used to take client’s negative reactions to my sales pitches very personally. So much so that I would instantly judge myself.
Somehow I had predetermined that if I had to work too hard for their business, I wasn’t doing it right. It should be easy or I was to blame.
Once that happened, an instant awkwardness would fill the room and I would get choked up. There were multiple occasions when I abruptly ended meetings so they wouldn’t see me cry.
How could I possibly be successful at selling when I when I didn’t feel good about myself?
I began to realize I had to separate my emotions from the facts.When I looked past my silly belief that I was ineffective because of some inherent personal flaw, it was obvious the client was merely expressing what didn’t work for them and were trying to tell me what they wanted instead.
I decided to try a new approach and began listening to customers intently and assumed an attitude of problem solving so I could hear what they truly needed.
The truth was I was only ineffective when I didn’t believe in myself, my mission, or the value I was trying to provide.
If I took off my self-absorbed blinders long enough, I could connect to them as people and listen from a higher plane.
Now I could hear they were telling me how to win their business. Ta-Daa!
As long as I took other people’s reactions personally and made them mean something bad about me, I was destined to fail. Not to mention be miserable doing it.
If that happens to you, write out all of those negative thoughts you have and translate them into something positive.For example, one of your negative thoughts might be; I feel too embarrassed to ask people for money, you might alter that to; Every time I ask for money, my clients gladly sign an order and thank me for the value they received.
This is now your new truth and use it as self-supportive internal dialog. Watch as your sales increase.
The smartest way to increase selling prowess is by adjusting our internal dialog and be super positive.
It’s what you do with the obstacles that come your way and how much personal growth and value you glean from your challenges that defines your path of prosperity.
Comments are welcome!
Read Julie's other blog entries >
Is Your Internal Dialog Blocking Your Sales Momentum?
