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The Mindset Needed in Sales Today


Sales is hard. Period. Selling through a pandemic is even harder. Anytime I write for Butler Street, my number one goal is to write from personal experiences rather than teach theory. In my last few blogs, I shared which activities and processes brought me success through the early days of COVID. For this blog, I want to dive in a little deeper on the intangible side and share how I continuously work to have a growth mindset. Last week, Mary Ann shared the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Below are a few questions that challenge me to stay in the right frame of mind.


1. “What problem am I solving for my clients/prospects?”


“The last thing I have for you right now is time to listen to what you would LOVE to tell me about."

Last week, this exact quote was posted on LinkedIn from a CEO sharing his frustration about sales reps that have outreached him recently. Thankfully, I was not one of the reps, but it was a tough-love reminder that when reaching out to executives, I had better not waste their time and better add value. So before I pick up the phone, I ask myself:


  • Am I saving them time?

  • Saving them money?

  • Increasing their revenue?


Every point of communication needs to be specific around what problem I can solve and the benefits my prospects would gain by connecting with me. I challenge myself to stay up to date with current events and change/update my targeted message.


2. “Where can I get better?"


COVID-19 pushed me to strengthen my value propositions and templates because of the continually changing news we hear almost daily. At one point, I felt confident drafting up an email or voicemail script within minutes and getting to work. But then I had a client ask me about LinkedIn best practices, and I stumbled around what was working for me. I realized that I was in such a rhythm creating different emails and voicemail scripts, I was not staying current enough with my messaging on LinkedIn. From that point on, I have worked to identify the weakest point of my sales skills and strengthen that. Challenge yourself to always get better in today's environment.


  • Are you great on the phone? Practice virtual selling

  • Are you great at prospecting? Practice asking for referrals

  • Are you great at cross-selling? Practice prospecting

3. “Keep going – Did you come this far to only come this far?”


As I mentioned before, sales is hard. And selling through a pandemic is even harder. In the last 90 days, I feel the highs and lows of sales have been multiplied by 10. Some days I have felt defeated; other days, I found myself daydreaming of my future commissions. To maintain a growth mindset during this roller coaster, I always remind myself, "Did I come this far to only come this far?" Below are actual conversations I have held with myself:


On the Hard Days: Did I come this far to only come this far and throw in the towel? Today / this week was brutal. I was hit with rejection everywhere…my prospects ghosted me…no one is buying right now. Did I come this far to quit?


On the Good Days: Did I come this far to only come this far? I just closed multiple deals in a pandemic! Now what? Call it a day and celebrate with a drink? Did I put in all that work to just do that?


The answer to both conversations is a simple "No." When times have been tough, I let myself feel my emotions, but then I push myself to learn from my mistakes and figure out what I could have done differently to achieve the outcome I wanted. When times are good, I celebrate the wins and make sure I do not get too comfortable. I remind myself that I did not work this hard only to achieve this level of success because I know there is a "better normal" ahead for me.


Maintaining a growth mindset is how to win in sales today. There will be good days and bad days, but the questions above remind me of the importance of attitude and having a growth mindset, and I hope they can help you. Contact us to learn how to do more than just accept the current situation - excel in it.

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