January 23, 2009
By Brad Finkelstein
Telephone sales expert, Art Sobczak, in a recent TelE-Sales Tip, admits that the current business climate is bad. But, he continued, “The successes in life adapt to their environment. They make changes. They act.”
He spoke with an expert on peak performance and motivation, Alan Zimmerman, and asked him what salespeople need to do, right now, to keep their attitudes high and outsell the competition. “Here are his common-sense, on-target answers. First, on attitude:
- Refuse to blame anyone or anything for sales problems. Blaming anything outside of yourself doesn’t change anything. All blame can do is keep you stuck or make you spiteful, neither of which will turn you into a winner. Ever wonder why one salesperson prospers while another suffers in the same situation? The answer is simple: The suffering salesperson will waste time on blame, while the prospering salesperson is investing time and learning how to get better. What are you doing, right now, to get better?
- Refuse to use a loser’s language. The most successful, and I might add, the happiest salespeople, refuse to use a loser’s language. They know that words precede results. They know if they talk like a loser, they’ll end up losing. George Schultz, the former U.S. secretary of state said, “The minute you start talking about what you’re going to do if you lose, you have lost.” The salesperson who will not acknowledge defeat cannot be defeated. That person is guaranteed to win in the long run. It’s a given.
- Choose to believe in yourself. Even though you may have some doubts about your sales abilities, even though the balance sheet of your life may show more liabilities than assets, you’ve got to believe in yourself. Sugar Ray Robinson, the boxing champ, said, “To be a champ, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will.” If that sounds easier said than done, all you have to do is start affirming it. Tell yourself 20 times a day, 100 times a day, “I like myself. I believe in myself. And I am a great salesperson.” Eventually your subconscious mind will start to accept your affirmation, and you will believe in yourself. (By the way, the cynics laugh and make fun of this. Just ask them what their sales results are, though.)
Mr. Sobczak also relayed Mr. Zimmerman’s advice about what salespeople need to do to keep selling in tough times.
- Work hard. If someone were to follow you around for a week and painstakingly recorded everything you did to advance your sales career, would that person walk away with a long list of all the things doing to get ahead? Or would that person have a long list of the excuses you gave and the times you wasted? Sometimes people fool themselves into thinking they’re putting out 100% effort, when in reality, they’re not.
- Practice endurance. Most sales people want success the easy way, but in reality, success comes only after persistence. “Could the same be said of you? That you never give up? That you endure? Or do people, secretly behind your back, say you bail out when things get a little tough? Do they say you give up way too easily or throw in the towel too quickly? Do they point out the fact that you seldom finish what you start?” asked Mr. Sobczak.
- Stay committed. “Everything else being equal, commitment wins every time. So fight back any feelings of discouragement that might get in your way. Don’t allow yourself to hang it up when things get rough,” he said.
His conclusion: “Most salespeople don’t fail. They just give up.”
In a separate tip, Mr. Sobczak commented on one sales woman who tended to preface everything she said to her prospects with a negative comment. And, he added, not surprisingly, she had negative results. But sales people can overcome this problem.
“First, be certain you’re not now in the habit of negatively preconditioning your listener. And with many people, it is a habit. “Listen to your calls from the perspective of the prospect/customer. Thoroughly analyze your language to determine if you use ‘conditioning’ phrases that frost listeners. Catch yourself before you use them. “Then, get in the habit of grooming an atmosphere in which your listeners will positively view your information. And it’s not that difficult,” he said.
Art Sobczak is the president of Business By Phone Inc., Omaha, Neb. More information about his tips is available at www.businessbyphone.com.
