Want to reach peak
sales performance? Unlock your
selling potential by focusing on
these keys to success.
by Barry Farber
Over the years, I've been lucky to
be around a number of
super-achievers--ranging from top
athletes and
business leaders to brain
surgeons and billionaires. Whether
they've been my guests on TV and
radio or clients and friends, their
words and actions have had a
profound effect on how I think and
act.
Sometimes, changing the way you
think and act will dramatically
impact your
sales. It goes beyond simply
hanging around successful people,
though. If your goal is to achieve
peak performance in selling, these
four keys will help you get there:
Environmental
control:
We become the company we keep.
We are the products of our
environment, so what we think
about and surround ourselves
with matters. Carefully select
what you read, what you do and
the people you spend time with
by the quality of the content
that lies within them. Act on
all your learning--apply it, and
test it. When we repeat
something of quality over and
over, it becomes a part of our
subconscious, and our actions
naturally reveal what has been
learned. Next time you read
something with strong value,
brainwash yourself with the
content. When it affects your
actions, performance is
enhanced.
Work ethic:
If a person makes something look
really easy, you can bet there
was a great deal of work behind
that person's performance. When
you immerse yourself in your
work and obtain deeper knowledge
of your
business, it builds
excitement and confidence, which
impact your performance.
It's not popular
to use the word work as
one of the keys to peak
performance. Every day, we're
exposed to countless products
that promote instant
gratification--lose weight in a
day, get rich in a week, grow
hair in an hour. We want
everything we desire to be easy,
fast and immediate. When you
work hard for something, you
appreciate the earned return on
effort. When you start to
stretch and struggle to reach
greater heights, it helps you
build a strong foundation. If
you feel discouraged, remember
this proverb: "The work will
teach you how to do it."
Pushing past your
fears:
Fear stops us from achieving
peak performance because it
keeps us from trying new things
that would advance our
goals. We don't want to
fail, we don't want to look
foolish in front of our peers,
and we don't want to take
chances when we don't have
control over the outcomes. But
that's when we can grow most!
When we attack our fears, we
ultimately diminish them. Belief
in our abilities and actions is
what gets us past our fears. As
Mark Twain said, "Courage is
resistance to fear, mastery of
fear--not absence of fear."
Positive
thinking:
Our bodies will only follow what
our minds direct. When we
approach a project, a
sales call or any other
situation where we want to
improve our performance, our
attitude and mind-set will
determine the outcome more than
any other factor. To get into
the right mind-set, start by
following the first three steps
mentioned earlier.
Once you've mastered these keys to
peak performance, don't be surprised
when they positively impact not only
your sales efforts, but other
aspects of your life as well.
Barry Farber,
author of
The 12 Clichés of Selling,
has
taught thousands of individuals
and corporations how to break
through barriers to achieve
their sales, management and
personal goals.
