For a long time now I have had the belief that competitions, whether physically competitive like a sporting event or a business scenario, are won or lost before the game begins. Many studies have been done on mental preparation, the inner beliefs people have and how it affects an outcome. You may have also heard of the techniques of Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP, which has to do with conditioning the mind to achieve and anticipate results before you have them.
A basketball team put this into use a few years ago. The team was split up at practice and one half spent a certain amount of time on free throws and the other half spent the same amount of time mentally picturing making free throws. The half that did the mental exercize increased thier accuracy dramatically more that the half that physically practiced. It is not a waste of time for us to take a little time to mentally picture ourselves going through a sales call or series of sales calls to get to a result.
Here are 5 steps that will help you achieve results today. Think of them as sort of a mental warm up and use them in professional and social situations. It can be fun and you’ll be amazed at how things can change more quickly than you previously imagined.
1. Envision what you want:
Initially determine what you what result you want. Get a clear picture of the end result you want and the steps leading up to it. The more clear you are on what it is you want, the clearer the results will be. Have realistic expectations of what you will achieve too. And then, when things start looking like they may not work out of something changes or the going gets tough, you must go back to what you envisioned and keep that clear picture in your mind. So, make a clear picture of what you want and how you are going to achieve it. Then, finally, get crystal clear on “why” you want a particular result. This will help you stay the course when (not if) challenges arise.
2. Manage your confidence level:
Only you can control what goes on between your ears. When the difficulties arise and the vision becomes blurry, refocus on the why of your goal, and get back to a level of confidence that you will need in order to continue. For some, this will be easier than others. In sporting events such as football or hockey, the announcer will say that one team or another has the “momenteum”. This is nothing more than a belief that they can dominate the other team and win. Manage it by controlling your thinking to EXPECT the best result.
3. Think one step at a time :
When I drive to a destination, I think of where I am going. But I start by getting in the car and leave my street, and turn on the route that will get me to where I want to wind up. This is also true in a sales process. Yes we want an ultimate result, but don’t lose sight of the steps that lead to the destination or take short cuts in understanding what the client is after. Make sure that you are thorough every step of the way and build value as well as gain agreement with the customer along the way.
4. Rely on your skills:
If you have been in your field for a while and have been through various trainings, seminars and the like, you have developed skills you can draw upon to help you methodically recognize what the client needs (from their perspective) and how to line up what you have with what they need. It is a lot more that just a few phrases or buss words. It is a deep understanding of what you offer and how it has affected other companies who have it. Make it relatable to them. Use the tools of the trade to put yourself in the best possible position as it relates to when they need.
5. Get butterflies flying in formation:
You may get nervous prior to a big presentation, but the key is to get the butterflies flying in formation. Convert that energy into conviction and passion that people can relate to. Make it the determination to be persuasive to a client or prospect.
Use these keys as your mental warm up before meeting with a client and as you draw your roadmap in going through a process with a client. I have found them useful and I hope you will too.
Ignite your passion…
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