Selling Power Blog

What Is a Peak Performance Mindset? And How Can You Leverage It for Better Sales?

Today’s post is by Jamie Crosbie, CEO and founder of ProActivate. Jamie is a certified peak performance mindset trainer. Contact her at jcrosbie@proactivate.net or 214/720-9922 to learn more about how her training can help your sales team reach peak performance levels.  

 

A lot of forward-thinking companies are turning to different forms of mindset training to improve their bottom line. Fortune 500 companies are using the lessons gleaned from neurolinguistic programming, neural, and behavioral sciences to help improve the way individuals think – and therefore act. Like a massive colony of ants, an organization thrives or fails based on thousands of moment-to-moment decisions, actions, and reactions. And it really all comes down to the way individuals think about themselves and their jobs.

What, Exactly, Is Peak Performance and Mindset Training?

In a nutshell, a peak performance mindset is one in which your mind is functioning at its highest level. It is a way of isolating the mental habits that build success. These specific habits are not built on wishful thinking or simply pumping yourself up to do a better job. Mindset training is actually based on solid (albeit leading-edge) science.

The simple truth is that, although some people do seem to be born under a lucky star, success is not usually something you just fall into. Rather, it is built – often over the course of years – based on the way our minds naturally work. Simply becoming proactive rather than reactive can change the course of your life. In a real sense, the components of our successes (and failures) are bound up in our everyday habits, choices we make, and, of course, the mindset behind them.

Peak performance is really about living well and creating sustainable success across all areas of your life. So exactly how do you do that?

While the fine details are beyond the scope of this article, there are some ways you can tap into these new advances right away. First, you need a goal – a target to strive for. It needs to be something meaningful to you, too. Unless you are committed to something, your mind is more likely to slide back into chasing the same mental bunnies on the same rabbit-trails it always has. All of us battle a slug-like lazy streak, and war goes on inside us every single day.  

Some Peak Performance Takeaways

First and foremost, set a meaningful goal. Think about why you want to reach this goal. Is it because you want more stability? Greater income? Or do you want to prove something to yourself or others? What is the real motivation behind your goal? It can be as simple as feeling you are capable of more, or as complex as wanting to create a nonprofit to help others. The thing is, you need to find your passion. What motivates you? No one will give exactly the same answer here, which is fine. The question is not what lights your manager’s inner fire, but what speaks to you.

Next, you will need a plan. Make sure it is one that includes micro-goals as well as built-in downtime. Keep in mind that making smaller – yet meaningful and productive – changes can help you build new avenues to success in the long run.  

And the most important step is one that may seem really counterintuitive. Build in both stress and rest. Just like a weightlifter who trains to isolate and work certain muscles, you need a laser focus. Equally, though, you need a time to recover. You require time to adapt and enjoy the process. If you do not add these components, you are going to burn out. You may be able to attain a few things before you do, but, without meaning and rest, you are just going to fizzle out like a firecracker turned dud – a few sparks and then nothing.

Adding small, bite-sized goals you can crush is not only motivating, it can help you solve larger problems. Think like an athlete. Use increments, stress, and recovery to help you hone your performance. Remember, you do not want to be a one-hit wonder. You want sustainable, attainable change that adds up to greater happiness and long-term success.

After that, you need to begin to identify and magnify your peak performance mental “flow” state. This refers to the way you are totally and completely absorbed in the moment. Peak performers have learned to move into a zone that immerses them, allowing them laser-like focus.

To do all the above, you need at least one more puzzle piece: You have to allow yourself a cookie now and then. Newsflash: you are not an android. The whole point is to enjoy your life and the journey. If not, why bother with trying to accomplish anything?

For more about mindset and peak performance training, please email jcrosbie@proactivate.net or call 214/720-9922.

How Teachers and Mentors Shape Your Imprinted Mindset

The key to your success in life is determined largely by your mindset. Last month I wrote about the effect of the “implanted mindset,” which we acquire from our parents. In this post, we’ll explore the effect of what neuroscientists call the “imprinted mindset.”

Where Does Our Imprinted Mindset Come From?

The imprinted mindset is the one we acquire through lessons, experiences, and instruction. Think of the great teachers, motivational speakers, mentors, or coaches who have been present for you in your lifetime. These are the people who provide our imprinted mindset.

All great leaders go through periods where they acquire knowledge and experiences that shape how they think and what they value. During an interview with DocuSign Chairman Keith Krach this summer, I got fascinating insight into some of his formative experiences and teachers who shaped his implanted mindset.

As he explained, attending Purdue University provided him with the opportunity to join a fraternity:

[I had a] leadership role at the Sigma Chi fraternity, based on a strong set of values. In all four companies that I’ve run…[the values have been] almost the same, in terms of integrity, respect, and high ambition.

The other big takeaway from Sigma Chi is the simple things. Like the power of one-on-one [relationships]. Also, the power of not being afraid to directly confront someone on a tough issue. You think at a young age: “Well, they’re not going to like me if I do that.” What’s counterintuitive at that age is they actually like you more.

His sophomore year, General Motors visited the campus as part of a recruitment effort. They issued two full-ride engineering scholarships – and one went to Keith. His senior year, he told GM, “I think I want to go to Harvard Business School.” [They said], “If you get in, we’ll give you a General Motors Fellowship.” Between summers, he worked with Rick Wagoner, who later became the chairman and CEO of GM. After 10 years climbing the ranks to become GM’s youngest-ever VP, Keith headed out to join a Silicon Valley software company. He got a sharp lesson in business ethics (or, as he put it: “I got smacked in the face by a two-by-four.”):

I was the number two person at the company. IBM had invested $30 million in us. The CEO, [the] first day I was onboard, said, “We have a board meeting tomorrow. I want you to say this, this, and this.” I said, “That would be lying. I’m not going to do that.” That was a great lesson. I probably learned more that year than any other year in my professional career.

As you can see, sometimes we learn just as much from “negative” teachers as we learn from the ones who teach us through positive learning and support. You can learn more about Keith’s early years in school and business (including his first forays as an entrepreneur) in the video below.

Who were some of your formative teachers? What lessons did they teach you about life, selling, and sales leadership? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Chaos Theory (Part 2): Re-Framing the Struggle of New Sales Managers

Today's blog is by Michelle Vazzana. Michelle is a founding partner at Vantage Point Performance, a global sales management training and development firm. Vazzana is also co-author of Cracking the Sales Management Code. She is a sought-after speaker on the topic of sales management and leadership and has more than 28 years of successful sales and management experience. Sign up for Vantage Point’s newsletter to stay up to date with the latest sales manager research and best practices.

 

Last month I wrote about some of the chaos and pressures new sales managers face. In this follow-up, I’ll examine a few small, high-impact changes that can help new managers succeed in their role.

Small changes make a big difference.

In my previous post, I raised the mathematical concept of Chaos Theory as a solution to the struggle. To review, the theory states that the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future.

In non-academic terms, this means a small change made to the current situation can yield a large change in a future result. In other words, new sales managers don’t have to completely overhaul what they are doing to be highly effective in their positions. Small changes – if they are the right changes and are implemented the right way – have the biggest impact.

So what are the “right changes” to make? Here are seven modifications managers can make to cut through the chaos, zero in on what’s really important, and produce big results down the road:

1. One activity. Identify the single highest-impact activity each seller must execute well and consistently; then, orient coaching around that activity. Highly successful reps promoted into the manager’s position can readily spot multiple activities each of their reps needs to improve. The mistake often made is trying to tackle them all, which dilutes focus – leading to little or no improvement. Focus on the one, most impactful activity and coach to it until the rep is where he or she needs to be. You can then tackle the next highest-impact activity, then the next, and so on.
   
   
2. Low frequency. Take one activity and identify a practical rhythm of coaching for which the least acceptable frequency will work. If you’re meeting once a week to discuss a topic, look at whether you could actually meet once every two weeks. Or once a month. The natural tendency of most new managers is to try to meet with reps more, but improvement comes more often because of lower frequency and higher-quality interactions.
   
   
3. Preparation. Begin identifying agendas, inputs (in terms of seller and manager preparation), and desired outputs in advance of every coaching session. Be very clear about the level of seller preparation you expect and communicate the agenda ahead of each coaching session. While this change can feel like a lot of work to an overstressed manager, it ultimately reduces workload and stress as it ensures everyone is fully prepared for every coaching session – which leads to highly effective use of coaching time and improved seller performance. After the meeting, ensure accountability by having the seller summarize the session, capture action items, and send them to you.
   
   
4. Clarify expectations. Sit down with each rep and clarify your expectations and standards for every high-impact activity. To execute well, sellers must be absolutely clear about what is expected, how much, by when, and what “good” looks like. Think you’ve already told them? Tell them again. Managers tend to under-communicate.
   
   
5. Establish planning time. In the chaos of the new manager’s job, “planning time” can seem like an impossible luxury. It’s not. It’s critical to success. Set aside time each day or week for planning and put it on the calendar. Do not treat this time as optional; treat it as you would a meeting with a big customer – because it’s just as important. Use this time to evaluate your prior week: where you stayed on track, where you got off track, and why. Then look at the week ahead and determine whether you need to make any changes based on those insights. Also ask yourself if the “thinking and evaluation” time you have set aside in the week ahead is sufficient or if something needs to be moved or cancelled to accomplish this crucial task. Finally, communicate the importance of this time to your team. Let them know you will not be answering the phone or responding to texts/emails during this time. Set the boundary and stick with it.
   
   
6. Delegate work. Are you doing any activities for your sellers that they could be doing for themselves? If you’re doing even one task for each rep on a 10-member team, it isn’t lightening your sellers’ loads by much; but, multiplied by 10, it’s likely adding a crushing burden to your own load. Look hard at how you are spending your time – with the goal of identifying seller-oriented activities reps could accomplish just as well by themselves. Then, pass those tasks along to them.
   
   
7. Seek feedback. As part of your scheduled interactions with reps, seek feedback from the team on the effectiveness and perceived value of the various types of meetings and coaching sessions you conduct. What’s valuable? What isn’t? What do they need more or less of? This kind of feedback will help steer managers toward the most optimal interactions – at the most optimal frequencies.

While these seven changes can lead to big improvements in team performance and manager sanity, I find that new managers are sometimes reluctant to make them. Why? Small changes like these can feel like we aren’t really doing much – like we aren’t living up to our potential. The typical high-performer personality who is promoted into the sales manager’s role usually is drawn to wanting to make big changes as a means of producing big results. But that’s actually counterproductive: big changes in the sales management approach tend to have little impact. It’s the small changes that, little by little, add up to something big. They are do-able – so we do them. And, over time, we realize they have led to genuine, sustainable progress.

How to Get Geo-Productive and Maximize Your Q4 Wins

Today’s post is by John Stewart, CEO of MapAnything.

 

 

Deals in Q4 traditionally make or break the yearly sales goals. Heading into end-of-year crunch, field sales and service reps must maximize every hour for the greatest return.

As sales teams buckle down and prioritize which deals to pursue, geo-productivity software can help reps focus on the deals that are most likely to close, minimize wasted time behind the windshield, and ensure each customer visit is as productive as possible.  

How Does Geo Productivity Software Work?

At MapAnything, we leverage data in  Salesforce.com and other sources to help salespeople automatically prioritize customer visits based on deal stage, deal scores, and likelihood of closing. Then, using geo-navigation and sophisticated routing algorithms, we set a schedule for salespeople that not only maximizes customer facetime, but also minimizes time traveling between meetings or downtime due to being stuck in traffic.

Each sales meeting is more productive because the  geo-productive rep has seamless access to all account information contained in his or her mobile CRM.  Finally, reps can easily update Salesforce with one-click as visits are completed, and account details can be added on-the-go from the map-based smartphone interface.   

Act Now to Reach Your End-of-Year Sales Goal!

For field service reps, now is the time to prioritize customer visits and secure end-of year deals before budgets disappear for 2017. The last quarter is also the time that the customer service team must focus on existing customers to find upsell and cross-sell opportunities.

According to the Salesforce State of Sales Report, 2016, reducing customer defection by just 5% can increase profit from 25%-80%. This means that great end-of-year service has the potential to increase revenue, and can also cement relationships as customers are focused on reaching their own end-of-year goals.

With that in mind, here are some quick tips to help you reach your Q4 goals.    

1. Evaluate how your product or service makes it easier for your customer to achieve their end-of-year goals. Approach them with solutions to their needs.
2. Leverage CRM data to prioritize prospects and plan face-to-face visits to drive deals forward, faster. Use geo productivity software to coordinate your face-to-face meetings to maximize your time in winter weather and holiday traffic.
3. Analyze industry trends and seasonality to determine the right time to engage your customer or target. Many organizations still have budget to spend before the year ends. In enterprise sales environments, Q4 deals can sometimes close faster as customers focus on use-it-or-lose-it budget constraints.
4. Prospect in November and December to build your Q1 sales pipeline. Augment field sales visits with geographically convenient prospecting visits.

You can learn more about geo-productivity software for sales here.  

How to Stop Making These Six Critical Selling Mistakes

Today’s post is by Katie Bullard, chief growth officer of DiscoverOrg.

 

 

How would you guess B2B buyers rate salespeople? Excellent, good, average, or poor? If you’re in sales, you may estimate that most of your buyers find you and your selling skills “good” to “excellent.”

Not so. According to a September 2017 DiscoverOrg study titled “30 Ways to Get Inside the Mind of Your Target Buyer,” of more than 230 B2B buyers from various industries (including manufacturing, retail, distribution, technology, banking, finance, insurance, advertising, and healthcare) 12 percent of salespeople are excellent, 23 percent good, 38 percent average, and 27 percent poor. Surprised?

The bad news: The study revealed that salespeople tend to make six critical errors during the sales process. The good news? Buyers provided solid ideas on how salespeople can improve their relationships with prospective buyers, which will increase their chances of making the sale.

Critical Selling Errors Salespeople Make

The study shows underperforming salespeople lack the self-awareness to know that buyers don’t value them – nor do they understand why. They don’t take the time to figure out why they lost a deal or long-time client. They either don’t know why they weren’t selected or they reflexively blame it on factors out of their control.

Error #1: Salespeople fail to establish trust or respect. Customers view salespeople in typically one of four categories:

• Someone who is trying to sell something
• A supplier with whom they do business
• A strategic partner who is important to their business
• A trusted adviser whose advice is followed

Just 18 percent of the salespeople buyers met over the past year would be classified as trusted advisers whom they respect.

Error #2: Salespeople can’t converse effectively with senior executives. The rare conversations salespeople have with C-level decision makers determine whether they win or lose the deal, so it’s critical they understand how C-level executives think – and to communicate with them in their language. Unfortunately, buyers say fewer than one out of three salespeople can hold an effective conversation with senior executives.

Error #3: Salespeople are too self-centered. Study participants were asked the primary reason they don’t like meeting with salespeople. Their answers reveal that they feel pressured by self-centered salespeople:

• 44 percent believed salespeople are only serving their own agenda
• 25 percent indicated salespeople only care about making the sale
• 23 percent were uncomfortable because it is difficult to say no to them
• 8 percent said salespeople are not the type of person they typically associate with

Error #4: Salespeople use the wrong close strategy. Of different closing techniques presented to buyers, hard close techniques such as “This is the last time we’ll be able to extend this offer and we need an answer now” were rated least effective. A hard close creates a “yes or no” response from the buyer and is associated with a “take it or leave it” mentality. Soft close techniques were rated most effective.

Error #5: Salespeople don’t alleviate the risk of buying their solution. B2B buyers fixate on risk mitigation because past experiences have made them skeptical. So they make vendors respond to complex requests for proposals, complete laborious evaluation spreadsheets, and document each product feature. Still, if the salesperson hasn’t alleviated the risk of buying, the sale won’t happen.

Error #6: Salespeople can’t establish a personal connection. There is an equilibrium point where the buyer respects the salesperson’s conviction and is not offended by their persistence, which enables the relationship to develop. Buyers cited five key reasons there isn’t “chemistry” with a particular salesperson:

• The salesperson was too pushy
• There was a difference in communication styles
• The salesperson’s personality was much different from mine
• The salesperson was too eager to befriend me
• There was a difference in age

Most salespeople are comfortable selling to certain types of people, but they’re far less likely to establish rapport with someone wired far differently than themselves. As a result, they tend to come across as too pushy – or overcompensate by being overly friendly.

What Buyers Want to See from Salespeople

The good news from the study is that buyers want mutually beneficial relationships with salespeople, and offered their thoughts on how salespeople can improve their selling skills and become trusted advisors.

Step #1: Clearly explain how your solution helps the buyer’s business. A product’s strategic value comprises the reasons buyers provide to senior management about why they should purchase: increasing revenues, decreasing costs, gaining a competitive advantage, and standardizing operations in order to reduce risk. Instead of focusing solely on revenue, salespeople should concentrate more on helping buyers accomplish their goals.

Step #2: Change your closing strategy. A soft close is based on a suggestion that leads buyers to believe they’re acting of their own free will, when in fact they’ve been directed to follow an action. Buyers respond much more to a close such as “If you spend another $100,000, you’ll get an additional 10 percent off the entire order.”

Step #3: Understand why buyers are risk-averse. Tolerance for risk fluctuates by function and by industry. IT and accounting have less risk tolerance than marketing; creative fields such as fashion and media have more risk tolerance than government or health care. Salespeople should understand these dynamics as they seek to assuage buyers’ concerns about risk.

Step #4: Be like the buyer. Unsurprisingly, 81 percent of buyers indicated they would rather talk with someone who shares their same mannerisms. As a result, buyers will choose the salesperson who develops rapport over those who don’t. Ultimately, a salesperson needs to become a communication chameleon: speak the buyer’s language (industry, technical, and job function) in order to change a skeptic into a believer.

Clearly, salespeople have a distance to go before they land in the “good” to “excellent” category among B2B buyers. By paying closer attention to the buyers’ needs and changing their behaviors, salespeople have the power to change the relationship, improve selling skills, and close the deal.

Are You Ready to Make the Leap to Cognitive Computing?

Today’s post is by Judy Buchholz, general manager, strategy and solutions, for IBM Global Markets, leading a global team of industry and presales architects in IBM’s transformation to a cognitive solutions and cloud platform company. In Judy’s 25+ years with IBM, she has held numerous sales leadership roles, including leading the digital sales force, which broadens IBM’s reach to new clients and new buyers by using social selling skills and digital/cognitive technologies. @jabuchh

Would you like to know more about your clients, anticipate their needs, and deliver a better customer experience? Can you manage the vast amounts of consumer data and insights you’re already compiling?

Few data analytics tools and methods hold as much promise in meeting these challenges as cognitive technologies. They can process and understand data faster than traditional platforms and can reason, predict outcomes, and turn insights into actionable recommendations.

Yet a new IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) study, “From Data Deluge to Intelligent Insights: Adopting Cognitive Computing to Unlock Value for Marketing and Sales,” found that only 24 percent of 525 chief marketing officers and 389 heads of sales surveyed have a cognitive strategy today.

Here are four ways to help you make the leap to cognitive computing:

Start small, if necessary.

You don’t have to “rip and replace” the tools you have now for collecting and analyzing customer data. Instead, there are numerous types of cognitive solutions – from improved capabilities for personalization to content tagging – that marketers and sellers can implement in stages to address specific challenges. They often can be integrated into existing cloud platforms and data management systems. This way you can enjoy cognitive computing benefits now while setting a strategy for future expansion.

Make room for cognitive solutions in your digital reinvention strategy.

If you’re already collecting data about customers’ individual preferences, behaviors, and attitudes through digital technologies such as mobile apps and Internet of Things (IoT), include cognitive solutions in the mix. They will help you do the heavy lifting by sifting through your structured and unstructured data to provide the insights you’ll need.

Enhance employees’ business skills, not just their data analytics skills.

If a lack of analytics talent is holding you back from implementing cognitive solutions, think again. What’s needed even more are people with good decision making skills who know all about the nuts and bolts of their business. That knowledge will help them see the business implications from cognitive insights. They will also need an empathetic understanding of their company’s customers and what’s required to consistently deliver on their brand promise.

Make cognitive your golden opportunity for collaboration and innovation.

Besides understanding the technical requirements for cognitive solutions and mapping them to the company strategy, members of the C-Suite – the chief marketing officer, head of sales, chief information officer, chief technology officer, chief data officer, and chief digital officer – should think more broadly. Cognitive for marketing and sales could also align to customer service, supply chain, product development, human resources and training, operations, and finance. Consider new processes for data sharing and reward innovators who think outside the box.

Among the respondents in the IBM study, 64 percent said their industries were ready to adopt cognitive technologies within the next three years. Are you ready? The longer you hesitate, the greater the risk that your competitors will surge ahead.

All the Changes Going on in the World of B2B Sales

Donal Daly has clearly been thinking deeply about all the changes going on in the world of sales, including the shifting of power to the customer, and the need for progressive selling organizations to change how they engage with their customers. In his latest book, Digital Sales Transformation in a Customer First World, Donal addresses many of the new challenges we at Selling Power have observed in our publications and at the Sales 3.0 Conference (which Selling Power sponsors each quarter).

Donal’s new book starts with a simple proposition: How you sell should be informed by the impact on the customer of the solution you provide. Customers who are buying solutions that have material organizational impact, such as an ERP system, need deep consultative support, while those buying less-complex products such as office equipment might not need a salesperson at all.

Early in the book, Donal poses “The Customer Value Question”:

What business problems does the customer have that you solve better than anyone else?

That’s really an important question, especially since speakers at the Sales 3.0 Conference have made it clear that automation and technology advancements are rapidly displacing salespeople who perform the simplest of functions. This state of affairs is forcing the salesperson to think hard about the customer’s business.

Donal has been at the forefront of applying smart technology to enterprise B2B sales since he founded Altify in 2005, and, as the author of two books on artificial intelligence (1988, 2016) and multiple books on sales – most notably Account Planning in Salesforce – he is well positioned to discourse on how digital transformation is impacting B2B sales.

I recommend checking out the Customer Impact Architecture Donal outlines in his book. This is an innovative model to map your sales engagement to customer impact. Donal guides you to:

• define your Ideal Customer Profile;
• understand the customer’s business;
• build, elevate, and expand customer relationships;
• create value as part of the sale and communicate that value to the customer;
• a framework to build an executive sponsor program to execute account-based marketing;
• understand the the role of AI in sales;
• develop strategy, sales execution, and sales management methods for sales process, opportunity management, account management, and overall sales team performance management (it also describes the technology to use in each case).

This book should be your constant companion on your digital sales transformation journey. Digital Sales Transformation in a Customer First World is not a short book; there is a lot in here to guide you to sell in a digitally transformed world, but you’re not going to flip through it in a single plane ride. It contains models, methodologies, and a technology blueprint for each type of customer engagement and for every enterprise selling motion.

Digital Sales Transformation in a Customer First World will be available here on Amazon on November 3.

There is also a public launch party (registration required) you can attend at Dreamforce on November 6.