Watch your self talk

Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives."
- William James

WATCH YOUR SELF-TALK
Self-talk shapes your selling life. Have you seen the breathtaking pillars in Mammoth Cave in Kentucky? Those enormous "icicles of stone" have taken centuries to form. A single drop of water finds its way through the roof of the cavern to deposit its tiny sediment on the floor of the cave. Another drop follows, and still another, until a marble-like finger begins to grow upward. The result is a tremendously solid pillar.
Self-talk shapes your life in much the same way. What you are is the result of the many accumulated statements you have made and continue to make with your self-talk.
What have you told yourself today? What conversation has gone on in your head or been spoken aloud?
Take charge of your thoughts. They are yours to control. Monitor what you are telling yourself about your potential in selling.
Suppose you check your self-talk and discover you are telling yourself you have trouble closing sales. The first question to ask is: "Is that really true?" Suppose the answer is "Yes, sometimes it is true." The next question is: "What percent of the time is it true - 100% - 60%?" Let's say it's true 60% of the time. You have trouble closing sales 60% of the time. Great! This means it's not true 40% of the time.

Change your self-talk. You can now confidently say, "I'm effective closing sales 40% of the time." What a difference! You're now building a mental image of one who can do it right. And the 40% will soon become 50% and 60% and . . .
Self-talk makes a difference!

Focus On The Goal, Not The Obstacles
As a sales leader, there has never been a more opportune time for your style to become a powerful ally. The way that your producers think (about themselves, their prospects, their client relationships, and their desire to sell, among other factors) will be the single most important influence on how successful they are in sales. For example, their ability to focus on goals rather than obstacles can distinguish them from competitors, and seriously improve your bottom line. With your goals clearly in mind, you and your producers will find the ways and means of achieving these goals. Rather than focusing on what could stand in the way of sales success, doesn’t it make sense to think about what needs to be done to achieve it?