If you think you can, you're right!
If you think you can't, you're right!
Mindset matters a lot, and whether we have a growth mindset or a limiting mindset, we have room for improvement!
We aren't born with limiting beliefs. The young person's mind is a blank slate. The child wants to know "why"; to make sense of the world, to explore, to grow.
Then someone tells the child to "shush", to speak only when spoken to, that they don't belong here, that they have to behave a certain way, or that they won't amount to anything. I learned to be the class clown. It was my way of both getting attention and to hiding out. And it took many years for me to learn to take that mask off.
These beliefs are reinforced over time. The programming takes a set and we carry the beliefs forward into school and our careers. So much of what we do day-to-day, now, is based on the programming we received as young children.
And...that programming was delivered without intent, good or bad...just a passing comment from another person, perhaps a parent or a teacher. Something someone said casually to a five year old, without thinking, or really meaning anything...
The first step is to acknowledge that inner voice, the critic, the judge or saboteur.
Yes, I hear you.
The next step is to recognize that it is just a voice, a simple program running in our mind that can be erased and replaced with programs that serve rather than constrain us.
It's not who we are.
Yes, I hear you. Thank you for sharing. Now...go away, I have important things to do.
That voice who says "we are not good enough" or "we can't do it" or "we don't belong here" or "we are not worthy"...is just a voice. It's just old programming that never was relevant and certainly isn't relevant today.
Let it go!
We have work to do. If we are clear on our purpose, that inner critic gets drowned out by the roar of our purpose. My purpose is to help people transform and anything that doesn't help me to accomplish that purpose is just noise, to be ignored.
Authenticity
In sales, authenticity is critically important, just as important as curiosity. If we are authentic and curious and listen, we become trusted partners to our customers.
I work with principals of service organizations who have difficulty being authentic. They believe that they cannot sell, they don't want to be the caricature of the sales person, to be that guy!
And this belief, this programming, this internal saboteur keeps them from authentically sharing the passion for their services. When they let that image, that programming go, engagement with prospects increases dramatically and revenues skyrocket.
Similarly, I find many sales people, from SDR to key account director, harboring negative programming:
SDR: "I have nothing to offer an executive...I hope they don't answer the phone!" (How will that conversation go?)
Field rep: "I don't know all the technical details." (Your job as Listener in Chief and choreographer is to guide the customer through the process and connect them with technical and other resources)
KAD: "My job is to fulfill demand." (If that were your job, you'd be a fax machine!)
As sales people, our job is to be curious, to listen, to develop a point of view, to help the customer to see new opportunities. A negative mindset constrains us from playing all out in the game of improvisation that is high level sales.
A growth mindset allows us to take a longer view, to keep the customer's needs and goals in mind and to focus on helping them to be successful.
When they win, we win.
Our growth mindset allows us to connect with our customer's goals and initiatives.
When managing a key account team calling on Merck, I showed the team a "Merck for Mothers" banner displayed in the lobby at the company's headquarters. As part of this campaign Merck committed $650 million to ensure that no woman has to die while giving life.
We had a conversation about the banner, its impact on employees walking through the door each morning, and how the team can align to support that purpose. As a result, our conversations switched from the focus on middleware and CRM and databases to how we could better support the global Merck initiative.
Your intent is written on your forehead
When our intent (or context) switches from "we want to sell you some stuff" to "we understand and support your strategic initiatives," both organizational and personal, it's visible.
Our intent comes through every word, every statement, every body movement. Customers know exactly what we're up to, what we're working towards, how we'll treat them in the short and longer term.
Together We Win
My personal intent (or context) is usually "Together We Win."
As someone who runs partnerships, delivers global sales enablement, coaches sales people and teams...I must work in partnership with others to deliver impact. In that partnership, I find dramatic leverage.
Even if we don't consciously set our intent, we always have specific, visible intent or context. Sometimes it's a simple "I have no freakin' idea" or "I can't wait to be done with this." When we do consciously set our intent, it's much more powerful!
Do this next!
Step one is to actively listen for that limiting self talk, that inner voice, the inner judge/critic/saboteur. (There's also an inner sage; we'll leave that for another time.)
When you hear that inner voice -- the one right now saying "what inner voice" -- just acknowledge it. "I hear you." That first step reduces its power and allows us to begin reclaiming our own power, autonomy, and joy!
For some, it only takes a few moments to completely eradicate that negative programming. For others the programming is so deeply ingrained into our belief of who we are that it can take longer.
Step two is to begin the work on your Inner Game. I'd suggest reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. While it's not specifically a book on sales, it is one of the best regarding mindset.
If you've already read it, then please reread it. Each time you'll bring new context to the reading and take away new learnings. I've reread it twice in the past year alone!
Need help?
If you need help building your positive mindset and the accompanying practices and habits that drive better customer engagement and results, please reach out to schedule an initial conversation.
