| How you think, or your mindset, sets the tone | | | | individuals and their organizations if both |
| for what follows in your career. It sets the tone | | | | appreciated the impact effective thinking has on |
| for how you learn, how you interact with peers | | | | learning. Imagine an individual who is negative, |
| as well as prospects and clients. | | | | pessimistic, lacks self-esteem, and |
| Confucius observed, "He who learns but does not | | | | procrastinates. Compare that person to a positive, |
| think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in | | | | self-starting optimist who is full of confidence and |
| great danger." | | | | believes in himself or herself. |
| Learning and thinking are fundamentally linked. | | | | How you think, or your mindset, sets the tone |
| They need to be. | | | | for what follows in your career. It sets the tone |
| Let me state a working assumption, that is, | | | | for how you learn, how you interact with peers |
| people who choose to work in sales have been | | | | as well as prospects and clients. |
| through a selection process to identify | | | | In the perfect world, we would only hire those |
| competencies and the individual has a realistic | | | | with a positive and optimistic attitude. We |
| understanding of the sales role, responsibilities, and | | | | attempt to avoid recruiting those with a negative |
| challenges. | | | | mindset who don't have a strong belief in self and |
| When starting a sales career, sales training plays a | | | | who are not achievement oriented. In reality, we |
| critical role. Development usually focuses on three | | | | encounter individuals all along the spectrum. |
| key areas, technique, process, and product. | | | | The good news is someone with a negative or |
| Layered over these are marketing components | | | | neutral mindset can learn to be an effective |
| that address networking, prospecting and | | | | thinker. In fact, even those with a positive |
| promotion. Together they form the technical | | | | mindset can find ways to improve. |
| components of sales training. Once mastered, | | | | If one consciously understands their personal |
| they only improve with practice and repetition. | | | | thinking style, and is able to recognize such things |
| Arguably, the technical learning described in the | | | | as negative self-talk and counter-productive |
| preceding paragraph is not difficult. Product | | | | behaviors, they are well on the way to affecting |
| knowledge may be the exception as product can | | | | their mindset. Similar to learning, practice and |
| be complex. The topics have been studied and | | | | repetition will enable and adjust the thought |
| presented over many years. They have evolved | | | | process. In time, the conscious re-framing, |
| and adapted but there have been few changes to | | | | positive self-talk, and awareness becomes the |
| the fundamental concepts of selling. Perhaps the | | | | new mindset. |
| last major change was the shift to needs based | | | | Imagine the impact a positive mindset can have |
| selling and the impact of a more informed | | | | during the training event. The outcome can be |
| consumer due to greater access to information | | | | significant. This permits an organization to better |
| on the Internet. | | | | leverage its training investment - and ultimately |
| So then has the art of selling been perfected? | | | | the individual benefits from increased likelihood of |
| Perhaps, but some say it's all for naught if you | | | | personal success. |
| haven't first tackled the way you think! | | | | I'll close with a last thought on mindset from |
| In fact my experience suggests that how think | | | | Confucius, "The will to win, the desire to succeed, |
| should be an "up front" consideration. | | | | the urge to reach your full potential... these are |
| Before getting on the road to technical | | | | the keys that will unlock the door to personal |
| development, there are real advantages to | | | | excellence. |