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Mastering the Sales Process – Self regulation

Whenever there is a salesperson involved in anything people recoil in fear. Nobody wants to be pushed or bullied into doing something they don’t want to by someone else. Let’s be honest, we all have and it didn’t feel good. It is widely thought that salespeople are only in it for the buck, or what they are going to get out of something, not helping you get what you need and want.

 

Yet sales is the only way to fuel the economy, progress humanity, and make a difference. Nothing happened without someone coming up with an idea to create something new or improve something old. Then the process of selling the idea begins.

 

Here are the steps to sales success. There are no shortcuts or easy ways out. The key is to be prepared and prepared well. The only true secret to success is making sure that you are helping your prospective client making the best decision for them, regardless of how that affects you.

 

I will be discussing each step in a post on its own. They are that important!

1. Self-Regulation
2. Preplan
3. Practice
4. Perfect
5. Performance
6. Prospecting
7. Do some research
8. Qualifying Stage - Building Rapport
9. Needs Analysis
10. The Pre-approach. ...
11. Grabbing attention – the approach. Asking questions – connect
12. Presentation of your product - “Position Value, Not Price
13. The Trial Close
14. Handling Objections
15. Closing the deal
16. Follow up
17. Getting referrals
18. Self-Regulation
19. Being grateful

Self-discipline or self-regulation

Why is it so hard to control our thinking, our doing, and our being consistent?

We all know what needs to be done but it is so hard. Remember back in school when we had that assignment due, that paper due, to study for that all-important final exam? But was so much more fun to watch tv, play on the computer, or in my time go play road hockey with the guys.

Making the tough decisions is not always easy but here are some techniques that may help. Ways to overcome lack of self-discipline

Deep Patel writes, “Know your weaknesses.

We all have weaknesses. Whether they’re snacks such as potato chips or chocolate chip cookies, or technology such as Facebook or the latest addictive game app, they have similar effects on us.

Acknowledge your shortcomings, whatever they may be. Too often people either try to pretend their vulnerabilities don’t exist or cover up any pitfalls in their lives. Own up to your flaws. You can’t overcome them until you do.”

Jennifer Cohen shares; “Don’t wait for it to “feel right.” Improving your self-discipline means changing up your normal routine, which can be uncomfortable and awkward. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, explains that habit behaviors are traced to a part of the brain called the basal ganglia - a portion of the brain associated with emotions, patterns, and memories. Decisions, on the other hand, are made in the prefrontal cortex, a completely different area. When a behavior becomes habit, we stop using our decision-making skills and instead function on auto-pilot. Therefore, breaking a bad habit and building a new habit not only requires us to make active decisions, it will feel wrong. Your brain will resist the change in favor of what it has been programmed to do. The solution? Embrace the wrong. Acknowledge that it will take a while for your new regime to feel right or good or natural. Keep chugging along. It will happen.”

“Identify and write down clear goals

Did you know you’re 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down? The act of writing down goals forces you to visualize the goal itself, how to achieve it, and what steps you need to take to get there.

 

So, before you set out to become the best version of yourself -- whether at work or in your personal life -- identify your goals and write them down;” explains Meg Patel

Dr. Heshmut tells us to have;” A Can-Do Attitude

 

Viewing ourselves as free and responsible for our actions is the foundation for self-discipline. Evidence shows that people function better and are more able to deal with stress when they feel that they are in control. Believe that things are beyond your control and they probably will be.

“Start Small

You don't need to wake up as a completely different person. As a cultural event, people tend to make resolutions on New Year's Day: They say, this year will be different. Well, you can make this year different, but you don't need to change everything at once. For best results, pick just one thing.

Otherwise, you can overwhelm yourself with too many changes to make at once. This defeats your intention of becoming a more self-disciplined person;” is found in 8 Ways to Build Self-Discipline in Your Life from The Balance Careers section of Dotdash.

Most important of all is staying positive in a difficult, often negative environment. Where do you start? By bring peace to your mind. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 14:30; “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” In other words you cannot do anything without a peaceful mind. Take several deep breathes, inhale and exhale with purpose and then live in the moment.

Use your imagination and picture a positive outcome for the situation. Emotions are what drive us and by taking a moment to stimulate our imagination we can take the emotion out of a situation and create a paradigm shift. This can be done as easily as smiling. Sometimes, if things get really stressful and negative, I will look to the ceiling, smile and say “shite” several times till I get the shift I need.

 

One of the most integral things to remember is that it is not always about you. A rejection of your proposal does not mean they don’t like you, or hate you, or think you are worthless. It just means that they don’t have enough information to agree with you or buy from you at this time. Sometimes the people in question may never have the info they need so you just need to move on.

If you truly believe in your product, service or idea then you will always find people who will agree with you and work with you.