BY Jessica Helinski
Mindset. Is that a word that comes to mind when considering what makes a good sales rep? Usually things like great communication skills, a solid sales process and an amazing product are what everyone considers necessary for a successful sales career. But, Sean McPheat, from MTD Sales Training Specialists, believes that having a healthy sales mindset plays a huge role in a sales rep’s success. If you are missing that one component, the rest will count for nothing.
What Is A Sales Mindset?
McPheat shares the following:
A sales mindset is…
"A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person’s responses to and interpretations of situations.
A collection of thoughts and beliefs that shape your destiny
A set of assumptions, methods, or notations held by one or more people or groups of people, arising out of a person’s world view or philosophy of life."
Having a healthy mindset will help you cope with the things that occur outside of your control, which can happen quite often both in life and the sales world. “Having control of your mindset will determine your future thoughts, the processing of those thoughts, the actions you will take based on them and the results you will get from those thoughts,” he explains.
He also shares a few components necessary for maintaining a healthy sales mindset, which include:
I don’t NEED the sale
“Feeling ‘needy’ is not a good mindset to cultivate,” McPheat states. “As soon as you feel you ‘need’ something, you start experiencing pain and focus in on what is currently wrong. This focus attracts negativity and doesn’t allow you to concentrate on what you could do to create more sales.” To combat this toxic sales mindset, try thinking, “What can I do to attract more sales?” and “How can I make what I’m selling more attractive to buyers?”
The difference between these two ways of thinking is when you feel needy, you are putting pressure on yourself. You are also putting pressure on the buyer. By switching to the new way of thinking, you relieve that pressure and, as McPheat explains, “become someone who creates reasons for people to approach you instead of you having to sound like you are desperate.”
Cultivating a healthy sales mindset is a must for anyone in a sales career because your mindset has such a big influence on how you view everything around you. McPheat encourages you to put these ideas into practice and soon, you will “see the effects they have on all other aspects of your sales techniques.”
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