How to Close More B2B Sales this Year

Most B2B sales teams are pumped to kick off a great new year. Frankly, I know how they feel. I’m also excited for a great new year!

 At the same time, I also know the underlying truth: a lot of sales teams are going to struggle to achieve their lofty goals.

 This is normal. And yes, there is a way to meet those struggles head-on.

Are Selling Skills Really the Key to Success?

 Talk to almost any sales leader and she’ll likely tell you the key to closing more B2B sales is investing in training to improve selling skills. I meet B2B sales leaders all the time who believe selling skills represent the gap between missing and meeting sales quota.

 Are selling skills important? Absolutely. But adding or improving skills will only take your salespeople so far.

Research shows only 20 percent of the success quotient is based on skill set. The rest is based on a salesperson’s mindset.

 In my latest book, Journey to the Top: How to Reach Your Peak Performance Life, I outline the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset holds you back. Meanwhile, mindset pioneer Dr. Carol Dweck says a growth mindset “separates people who succeed from those who don’t.”

 Characteristics of a Fixed Mindset in Sales

 Salespeople with a fixed mindset tend to stay locked in place, which is why they have trouble reaching quota or achieving higher revenue. People with fixed mindsets have:

●     Self-imposed limitations (usually unconscious) that hold them back from getting what they want.

●     Rigid mental patterns.

●     Believe they cannot overcome negative circumstances.

 An example of a fixed mindset thought pattern in sales is: “I didn’t make my sales quota this month. I’m a failure. I should probably quit.”

 Characteristics of a Growth Mindset in Sales

 Meanwhile, salespeople with a growth mindset tend to think in ways that help them break through challenges and push past their inner (even unconscious) blockages. They tend to see negative circumstances as temporary, and they don’t tie perceived mistakes or missteps to their self worth. People with growth mindsets are:

●     More likely to exhibit flexible thought patterns.

●     Curious about solutions.

●     Resilient in the face of mistakes or challenges.

Why It Can Be Difficult to Shift to a Growth Mindset

 If we’re caught in a fixed mindset, it can be difficult to shift to a growth mindset.

 I’ll never forget one moment in high school when I experienced the discomfort that comes with growth. I had to give a presentation about optimism in front of 500 people. My mom asked me if I was nervous, and I definitely had butterflies. I told her yes. She said: “Well, that’s a good thing.”

 In that moment, I realized my nervousness was okay. The discomfort I felt meant I was growing. I learned to apply a different perspective to what felt like a negative experience.

 To Close More B2B Sales, Work on Your Mindset

 Adopting a growth mindset is the key to removing inhibitions that can block us from obtaining success. To grow sales, we must embrace stepping outside of our comfort zone as an adventure.

 Most B2B sales teams are trying to win by applying the same old thinking to solve new challenges. That’s not going to cut it in a sales environment that’s getting more complex and fragmented. Buyers are making purchases in teams and prioritizing working with salespeople who can articulate value. And my question to sales organizations is: why are we focused so exclusively on skills training when a fixed mindset is often what holds salespeople back from reaching their goals? 

As sales leaders, we can achieve peak sales performance when we help salespeople develop a peak performance mindset. That’s the true path to close more B2B sales this year.

 Invest in your sales success by raising your awareness about your mindset. I won’t lie: the work isn’t easy. It requires you to be vulnerable. It requires you to dig deep into your own discomfort. But it’s some of the most valuable and important work you can do in your sales career. And it will carry over to other areas of your life to bring you great personal fulfillment as well.

 To learn more, join me at the Sales 3.0 Conference on March 10 and 11 in Orlando, Florida. I’ll reveal more about how to growth mindset during my presentation, “Accelerating Sales Growth in 2020 by Building a Peak Performance Sales Team.” You’ll learn how to:

●    Change the trajectory of your sales team's success by at least 38%

●    Help salespeople reach their full potential

●    Teach salespeople team to engage in a growth mindset that propels sales results

●    And much more!