Don't Mail It In ...

No matter how hard you try sometimes you just “mail it in”.  We all do it.  I’ve even seen the Pastor at a church do it with his sermon.   C’mon you know what I mean - Just going through the motions!

But when sales people do it - it can be fatal.  The old adage that you only get one chance to make a first impression might be more important in sales than anywhere else.  Even more important – in sales it probably doesn’t apply to just the first impression.

Every interaction with the client either improves or erodes your relationship.  There is NO middle ground.  And when it comes down to it isn’t it all about the relationship?

So, how do you avoid mailing it in? 

First and foremost is preparation.  I know when I have mailed it in it is often because of a lack of preparation.  As a sales manager I have also witnessed sales people who have mailed it in for the same reason.  Preparation leads to confidence.  Confidence is a very powerful positive emotion.

Another key reason for mailing it in is you are “too busy”.  By this I mean your mind is cluttered.  It is full of everything from the last call you took before the meeting to the parent teacher conference you are going to have in a few hours after the meeting is done. 

You have to find a way to clear your head and give your client the attention they deserve.  Image how a professional athlete or top entertainer would respond if they kept allowing the issues of the day to creep into their performance.  What if your surgeon had a whole host of things on his mind when he was operating on you? 

I’ve found the best way to clear my head is to arrive 10 minutes early and just take a few minutes before walking in to relax.  Maybe it is in the peace and quiet of your car or perhaps it is listening to your i-pod.  Just the other day I grabbed a seat in the atrium where my client’s office was and had a cup of hot chocolate before the meeting.  I was relaxed and the meeting went great.

Finally, one of the biggest keys to mailing it in are your self limiting beliefs.  These are the thoughts and mental blocks each of us carries around with us in the back of our minds.  They are the collection of experiences we have built up over a lifetime.  They are the inner monsters we have stored in our mind that hold us back from achieving our goals.

This is the hardest of all to get rid of.  They only way you can combat this is with positive thoughts.  Remember, if you have one positive thought for each negative thought you are only back to square one.

Positive thoughts lead to positive actions which lead to positive results.

Good Selling!