It's Your Brain Sabotaging Your Sales

How many times have you convinced yourself that today is not a good day to (pick a subject and day)

• It's Monday .. not a good day to cold call. The rationalization is a cold call or a follow-up call will upset the prospect since the assumption is the prospect is trying to catch up from the weekend. Do you know this to be true?
• It's Friday, and sales can't be made after 3:00 pm because the assumption is that prospects have already gone home to start the weekend.?Do you know this to be true?
• You'll cold call once you clean out your sales funnel from the deadwood.?
• You'll follow up with the prospect in two weeks because you don't want to seem "needy" or "desperate" and want to appear "busy" OR you don't want to be a "pest".

Friends...these are examples of your brain sabotaging your sales. None of the above examples or other "stories" you tell yourself are true. These are games you've allowed your brain to play to create a "feel good" about procrastinating.?

Salespeople waste more time trying to figure out the right time to call prospects, the right words to use when closing the sale, and finding the right prospect than actually working the sales process. There is no magic closing. The magic is controlling the brain, which takes the ability to cultivate self-awareness and stop sabotage.

Observe Yourself

The best way to observe yourself is to observe your thoughts and feelings. Stand outside of "you" and observe your senses. For example, your schedule indicates it's time to make follow-up calls. If this is a task that you typically resist, what happens to you physically and mentally when this task pops up on the To-Do list? Does the 'ol stomach churn? Do you consider putting it off for another time? Are your thoughts flowing through your brain negative, positive, or neutral about this follow-up task? Do you tell yourself that the task is inconsequential and that you have more important tasks to do? What IS the conversation you're having in your head that will ultimately derail this task?

Everyone has discomfort zones. These discomfort zones are physical, emotional, and informational warning signals spurred by your own thoughts. The warning signals are invitations to look inward, not reasons to rationalize procrastination.?

So if you feel discomfort about a simple task of follow-up, my question to you is, "What are you trying to avoid?". Instead of brushing past the feeling which will sabotage your schedule, look inward to find out why, so you can stop the sabotage and rewire your brain NOT to avoid a simple task.?

Mind Management

In?Dr. Caroline Leaf's book, Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess, she states

"The overarching philosophy of mind-management is self-regulation."

Exactly what is "self-regulation?"?

Dr. Caroline Leaf describes it this way...

"By definition, self-regulation is the conscious awareness and regulation of:?

what and how you are thinking, feeling, and choosing at any moment in time;

your long-term established thoughts with their embedded physical, emotional, and informational memories; and your communication with others (what you say and do) and how it impacts both yourself and others."

Remember...what you say and do begins with a thought. This thought is as real in your mind as reading these words. However, I suggest examining your thoughts.?Examining what you say and what you do leads to the mind-in-action behind the thought. This is how you self-regulate in order to adjust if necessary.

Aren't you sick and tired of breaking promises and commitments to yourself? Aren't you sick and tired of procrastinating about silly simple things? You CAN train your brain and take over control of your thoughts.?

The Path

If you're sick and tired of sabotaging your sales, the first step is taking control of your brain and creating better sales habits.?

Rewiring your brain and creating better sales habits will take dedication and a full three 21-day cycles. Twenty-one days to form a habit is no longer valid information. According to Dr. Leaf, it takes a minimum of 3 cycles of 21 days. Some people may take longer to form a better habit. Rarely do people take less time.?

Whether it's creating better sales habits, better food choices, going to the gym, or keeping commitments, all these activities should be self-regulated. Instead of mindlessly eating, plan your meals for healthier choices and weight loss. Instead of starting your sales day with a "loose" schedule, take control and plan out each minute of your sales day to maximize impact. You can change your sales in 30 days if you do this one simple activity:?

?Schedule every minute of your day with the right selling activities.?

I believe in this so much that I created the?Five.5 Method.?The Five.5 Method is a daily practice centered around making the most of your sales day by creating better sales habits. I created an eBook and a?30-day challenge?on Youtube. Each day for 30 days, watch a short video (under 5 minutes) to begin your day with a positive selling lesson. It's free. Why not try the Five.5 Method? Begin today.?