20. What do your expectations have to do with selling?
Do you go into each sales call with the HOPE of making a sale, but not necessarily expecting it so you won't be disappointed?
In a recent test researchers found out that if they put a blindfold over someone while they are eating, they eat less. Let's take this another step and ask ourselves this; what if all of a sudden you or I lost our memory and our sight at the same time? What if no one would tell us how old we were and we would have to guess?
What would you say?
Now let's take it another step and ask ourselves what if we were unable to remember any of our past failures and disappointments, but could only remember our successes. What if someone followed us around all week with a movie camera and edited out all the stupid stuff we did? At the end of the week they played everything we did right, every success regardless of how small it was and removed all the bloopers.
Now let's go one step further. Let's say that you are a researcher rather than a sales person. Your job is to do market research and find out why people buy or don't buy. Your success is not going to be determined by whether you make a sale on that particular call, but your success is going to be determined by doing the research.
You make the call expecting people to see you. You expect them to treat you with respect. You expect them to listen to you. You expect them to answer your questions. If the timing is right and what you are offering is the solution to their problem, you expect them to buy. If the timing is not right, or the solution is not a good fit, you would expect them not to buy.
At the end of the day when someone asked you how your day went, how would you answer? Would you say you were a success or a failure? No. You would say I talked to 15 people. Two of them were having problems and I was able to offer a solution. Ten of them were happy with what they were doing but agreed to have me come back at a specific time in the near future. Three of them had very closed minds and were not open to anything new regardless of how bad they needed it.
So instead of making the call as a typical sales person, make the call like a consultant would.
For example: "I am doing some research in the area to find out if our services would be beneficial. Do you mind if I ask you three questions and it will only take three minutes to answer?"
So, if we put a blindfold on you that filtered out the normal fear a person has when approaching a stranger while trying to sell them something, what's left? Confident expectations of doing the job. And the action will create hope, which comes from doing the details of the job exceptionally well. And when you do your job exceptionally well, it is impossible to be disappointed.
Knowing exactly what you want, expecting to get it and visualizing the outcome is effectively managing your attitude. When you spend time planning your strategies you are creating a situation you desire. You have control over the outcome.
If you are not advancing towards your goal with the expectation of success, it is not the goal that is out of reach. It is the daily activities that need attention. The common denominator of all successful professional people is the same. THEY ALL EXPECT TO SUCCEED.
The common denominator of all unsuccessful sales people is the same. Deep down inside – THEY ALL EXPECT TO FAIL.
Look at a successful surgeon. When they operate on someone they have the positive expectation of success.
A lawyer is another good example. When they are addressing the jury they have the 100% positive expectation of convincing the jury to see things from his or her point of view.
A politician must have the expectation of success. If you interview several candidates running for the same office the night before election, they would all believe they won. If they lost this expectation of winning at any point during the campaign they would immediately be out of the race.
However, there is a difference.
Most professional people must go through several years of higher education before actually starting in their profession. All during these years the attitude of high expectations is slowly building day by day. Once they have invested in four, six or eight years of education they feel they have earned the right to expect success. And they have.
Compare that to the profession of sales. If you have never sold a thing in your life, have very little formal education and are looking for a job – you can start a career in sales tomorrow! The profession will welcome you with open arms no matter what your background, experience or education may or may not be.
In sales you have not had the day-by-day, year-by-year preparation that most professions have. You may go through a short company training program that pumps up your expectations to a high level, however, once you enter the real world, alone and unprepared for what’s next, your expectations take a downward turn and things look different.
To succeed there has to be certain things in harmony. Your expectations and your goals must be equal. If your goals are too high or unrealistic you won’t expect to reach them and you will see to it that you get what you expect.
Your goals must be clearly defined, realistic, reachable and most importantly APPROACHED WITH THE POSITIVE EXPECTATION OF SUCCESS.
Without the advantage of having four years of sales training before making your first sales call, you have to take a different approach. You have to teach yourself this important principle of selling – to expect success.
Comments:
Good idea. Rather than remembering (and dreading) how disappointing cold calling can be, as an established rep with a successful route I might better focus on the success stories with my current accounts rather than worry about being rejected by a potential new account. Focusing on just how much I do and how well I perform with my top accounts will give me the proper attitude to approach prospective new business. THEY know I’m good and if I remember that and embrace it, it will show to the person I am approaching and be plainly evident that I am someone they NEED to help their business.
Chris Chase
This could be the closest thing to the silver bullet. Over the years as I watched and learned from successful associates, many times I could not see any discernable evidence of exceptional skill or talent, yet they were so successful. These people always seemed so at ease and so very confident. THEY EXPECTED to win!
Doug Barringer
I listened to an insperational recording with the name of “Pigs don’t know pigs stink.”
My interpretation of this is if I don't know I can't succeed then I believe I will succeed. If I don’t know I can't fail then I believe I can't fail.
Use your mistakes to improve yourself. My supervisor has told me that if you learn from a mistake nothing was lost. If you keep making the same mistake over and over we have a problem.
Ralph Scalici
This article was inspiring. Every one wants to succeed, not only in sales but in life itself. It takes a lot of hard work, planning, dedication, and realistic expectations. Being a single mother for the last 12 years I understand what it’s like to want to be successful. After being out of school for over 13 years I new that the only way I was going to be successful in raising my two children I would have to return to school so that I could get a better job making more than minimum wage. I’ve come along way since then. I now have two grown children and one grandson. Staying positive even when things got ruff helped my children and I get to this point in our life’s as well as our working lives. There are still things I want to accomplish before I’m done, so I will approach each one of my goals one at the time. But keeping positive, motivated and working hard daily to achieve them one day at the time.
Laura Arnett
I feel expecting success is a huge part of being successful. However, each small success can put you in the right frame of mind. I try to remember the FIRST time I made a sale and how great it felt. This often times carries me through the rough spots.
Tonya Sauer
This is very true. When I started out selling I had a bad habit of putting my goals way to high and my expectations were much to low. It was a frame of mind that I had to get myself out of because I knew I would not succeed like that. I made my goals and expectations match which in time turned into a successful relationship. After that I would expect to reach my goals because they were within my reach.
Brandon Sanchez
This is so true, in most professions there are years of training, education etc… When starting in sales with the lack of training & education, it is important to make realistic expectations or you will only set yourself up for failure. With clear defined goals that are achievable, then a sales person will have the correct mind from the beginning & will be able to complete their goals & be successful. A person starting off with a mind set geared towards knowing they won’t be able to accomplish the goal will only hinder them from giving their 110% and they will convenience themselves into “why try” to accomplish something that is unreachable. Having a positive attitude and strong confidence in your ability to succeed will make the difference in whether they will become a successful sales person or just mediocre.
Carla McCrea
Expectations: If you don’t BELIEVE you can do it – you never will. Can a man run a mile in under four minutes? Fact: the 4-minute mile was once thought to be physically impossible by informed observers. Many tried and failed; deep inside they did not truly believe it was possible. One man believed- he practiced and practiced. He was able to do the before though of physically impossible and run the mile in under 4 minutes!!!!! His record stood for only 46 days before it was broken. Once others knew it was possible they to were able to do it.
If you truly believe- you can make anything happen. It won’t be easy, you may try and fail but if you keep going after your goal- YOU CAN DO IT.
YOU HAVE TO FEEL IT, TOUCH IT, BREATH IT AND ABOVE ALL BELIEVE IT!!!!!
Teresa Cloninger
I always go into every sales call with a positive attitude! I keep the frame of mind that I’m going to close every sale! Being confident and determined to come out on top of every sales call are two of the most important sales tactics you can have. Go in with your head high and always remember, “What’s the worst that could happen, they can’t take your birthday away!”
David Bradley
Be your own self fulfilling prophecy! If you expect to succeed than you will. Set reachable goals that wont discourage you. At the same time will challenge you enough to keep you interested in reaching those goals.
Brian Spraggins
"To succeed there has to be certain things in harmony. Your expectations and your goals must be equal. If your goals are too high or unrealistic you won’t expect to reach them and you will see to it that you get what you expect."