Ignore the Scoreboard
Process over outcomes will lead to consistent results
Given the varied experiences involved in a career in sales, a vital element of self-care involves developing a mindset that prioritizes process over outcomes, learning and growth, and finding victory in the struggle.
In sales, it is tempting to look at the leaderboard to see if you are making progress toward your quota. While understandable, this tendency can have a paralyzing effect. I recommend prioritizing the process. To me, this entails doing as great a job as possible with each incremental step of your job (e.g., every sales call, meeting, follow-up note, etc.). In my experience, if you are able to live in the moment and know that you have done everything you can, the results are more likely to follow. Prioritizing the process leads to outcomes and the comfort knowing you have done the best you can. Of course, even if you are singularly focused on the process, things do not always go as planned. A sale may not go through for any number of reasons, ranging from the economic climate to the company’s fiscal health to the personalities involved. It is inevitable that over the course of a career in sales, deals will not come through. In situations like these, it is natural to be disappointed, but it is imperative to have what Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck describes as a “growth mindset.” As opposed to a “fixed mindset” (which assumes that you cannot get better at a certain task/skill), a “growth mindset” presupposes that we are capable of honing our skills, boosting our intelligence, and accomplishing more.
To me, having a growth mindset also reflects that you as a person and a professional actually want to strive and get better. Not everybody has a growth mindset because not everybody is driven. What’s more, to develop that growth mindset and want to seek another level professionally, you have to know “what is your why” (i.e., what drives you). Of course, this will vary substantially for each person, but you can only strengthen your growth mindset if you know what motivates you.
A final element of a strong sales disposition is “finding vic tory in the struggle,” a point that former NFL head coachBill Parcells has emphasized. Similar to having a growth mindset, finding victory in the struggle helps me to realize that the outcome of a specific deal does not reflect on my worth or my abilities. There are many factors outside my control, and more importantly, I can always improve and learn from setbacks. Continuing to look for lessons helps you grow as a salesperson.
If you or other members of your sales team are looking to become better at the craft of sales, then please let me know.
Here are a few ways that I may be able to help:
1) Grab a copy of the book or audiobook, Carry That Quota. You can order it here on Amazon or Audible.
2) Take a look at the Carry That Quota Digital Workshop Series. Here is a link to all of the online workshops.
Each workshop is less than 40 minutes and has been designed to help salespeople get better at the craft of sales by focusing on the fundamentals of the sales profession. Salespeople and sales leaders can access these workshops on their phone, their computer or tablet.