How to develop an effective sales mindset to generate success
Do you think of sales and automatically your mind converts to pushy salespeople that follow you around trying to get you to buy things you do not even need?
Or people calling you constantly to buy into some new software and even after you say that “you are not interested” they keep going and going?
When we are confronted with this type of sales our barriers come up because we perceive a pushy, manipulative, sleazy attitude from the person trying to sell to us.
This is not the most effective method of selling and one I strongly recommend against. When it comes to sales the main obstacle standing in your way is your mindset. How you think and what you believe about yourself as a salesperson can strongly influence how well or not well you sell.
Below are my core principles to help you shift your mindset for success.
Sell with integrity
Integrity is one of the core traits you MUST have to be successful in sales, it is not optional. Integrity is transparent and seen in everything you do, in both work and personal lives. Always remember that people buy from people they trust!
Be Driven
One of the most important rules in sales is to keep up your energy and to stay driven and motivated. Keep your goals updated and make sure you have a vision clearly in view. Take small steps every day to reach your goals. This is what will keep you a step above the rest. Stay positive and be prepared to fail, because without failure you will not grow. Do not let failure or rejection harm the effort you put in. Remember that these are both excellent methods of feedback, learn from them and let them go.
Are you the right match?
Are you and the potential client a good fit? Your number one job is to find out if you are the right person for them, not to go in just trying to get a sale. This can result in pushy and manipulated sales tactics – and therefore results in a lack of trust from your potential client. Potential clients will put their barriers up when they feel they are being sold to. If your goal from an interaction is to work out if you are a good fit and you will walk away from the sale if you are not, the client will pick up on this. With this mindset instead of being the seller and buyer, you are instead on middle ground, making a mutual agreement, without force.
You want your clients to hire you because it feels comfortable and right, not because they feel like they must. Speak to your potential clients as you speak to your closest friends and family. Let your passion for what you do come out. Always walk away if it does not feel right.
Add value to their world
What does your audience need? Does your product or service make their lives better or add value to them? This comes back to knowing the ‘why’ behind your offering. Make sure you are clear within yourself about what you sell and why someone else would benefit from it.
Do not make it ‘all about you’ it needs to be all about your customer – talk about them, engage them, educate them, make sure they are interested in what you are talking about. Let your audience talk about themselves.
Be passionate about your offering
When you are promoting something that you are truly passionate about and think that people genuinely cannot live without and believe in it wholeheartedly, it no longer becomes sales. If you believe that what you are selling will enrich others’ lives so wholeheartedly, you start to stop doubting yourself and worrying if others won’t like you and truly believe they will benefit so much from this investment. Your passion will then shine through in all your client engagements.
Change your mindset around money
Stop looking at money as dollars and start looking at it as an exchange. What you are selling is valuable, do not let your limiting beliefs around money undersell the exchange.
Timing, listening and asking the right questions
Always listen before you talk and connect with empathy. If we go in guns blazing telling someone how we can help them without first listening to what it is that they need from us, how can we truly know that we are helping them? Everyone is unique, there are no two people the same and therefore each person’s needs are different too. The ability to ask the right questions to allow your customer to open up about what they genuinely need and then actively listen and hear, is an incredible skill to have and one that will put you well on your way to being one of the best sellers in your field. Like any skill, it takes practice and practice. Start developing your questions and use them, evaluate, and change them as you go.
Mindset is essential to sales success in any area. If you follow each of these principles, you will be well on your way to becoming successful in everything that you do. I work with many coaches and mentors to help guide them into the best sales mindset for their community, I would love to hear from you if you need further help or guidance in any of these areas.