Kathleen Egge Book Review: A Mind for Sales by Mark Hunter

Book Title: A Mind for Sales

Author: Mark Hunter, CSP

Introduction to A Mind for Sales

One of the most important elements of effective sales practices, if not the most important element, is mindset. 

Often overlooked, developing the proper mindset is what will separate successful sales professionals from the pack. Sales is a mentally grueling profession, facing high levels of rejection and pressure on a daily basis. Therefore, it is of critical importance to have the right mindset in place if you want to prosper in a sales role and find passion for sales as a career path.

Throughout “A Mind for Sales”, Mark Hunter quantifies how to change your mindset in order to thrive in sales. By outlining daily habits and how to approach each stage of the sales cycle, Hunter hopes to leave readers feeling a renewed sense of purpose with their sales role.

Key Takeaways

1.    “When you view sales as taking from others, it’s a job. View sales as helping others and you’ll be on the path of making sales a lifestyle.” – Mark Hunter

Sales can be a draining and exhausting profession if not embraced properly for the opportunity that it is; the opportunity to help others.

Hunter explains that “sales is about helping others see and achieve what they did not think was possible.” Yes, you may disrupt people, but ultimately you are disrupting others to help them see possibilities for themselves and their companies. When viewed through this lens, intrinsic excitement for helping people achieve greater outcomes will start to take over. When this is truly embraced, then sales becomes more than just a job. It becomes a lifestyle.

2.    Not everything worth doing is worth measuring.

Unfortunately, many companies today waste too much time logging and analyzing unnecessary information within their CRM systems. Is it not necessary to measure everything. Instead, it is important to focus on metrics revolving around helping others and customer facing time. Hunter suggests the following:

·     The percentage of time spent customer-facing.

·     The percentage of leads that turn into customers.

·     How many days it takes to turn the average lead into a customer.

·     The percentage of sales from new customers each year.

·     The number of calls made to find a qualified prospect.

·     The ratio between offers made and deals closed.

·     The percentage of time spent on administration and general office work. (Note: the goal is to get this number as close to zero as possible!)

3.    You get the customers you deserve.

 We are all attracted to those whom are like us. Therefore, the image we project during the sales process will attract customers whom find our traits appealing.

It is imperative to maintain high levels of trust and integrity throughout the entire sales lifecycle, as that is the only way to receive high levels of trust and integrity in return. When there is a high-level of trust and respect between both the sales professional and their client, negotiations go a lot smoother – focusing more on the value being provided and less on cost or potential pitfalls.

On this topic, it is also important to have enough strong connections with existing customers. Many firms do not have enough connections with even their top accounts, and often do not realize this until it is too late. Instead, the goal is to proactively develop enough relationships before they are critically needed. Hunter explains that a good rule of thumb to use here is revenue. Take the total annual sales / total customers = average sales per customer. Then, divide the revenue of your accounts by this revenue number to arrive at the number of connections you should be cultivating at each account.

Finally, make sure you know everything there is to know about your client’s industry, as well as your client’s customers. Become a trusted advisor and deepen relationships through demonstrating aptitude and knowledge.

4.    Sales is not a solo activity. Sales is a team sport. 

Helping others applies not only to external customers, but also to colleagues and our network. We have a greater impact on those around us, and those connected to us, then we often realize. It is for that reason we should focus on cultivating strong relationships everywhere we go.

Building a strong selling team is another important element in this arena. A selling team are those whom would go beyond what is expected to help you achieve your success – and you would most likely do the same for them. Keep in close touch with your selling team, because your network is your best investment. Your network can be made up of those whom are “masterminds” (i.e. people in similar positions with whom you have a high-degree of trust and can share ideas), subject-matter experts, and people of influence. Remember, for each person you know, you are tangentially connected to their network as well.

They key is to exude charisma through the combination of confidence, integrity, and concern for those around you.

 5.    Don’t let your customers control your mind.

 As referenced earlier, sales can be a mentally grueling profession. For this reason, it is very easy to cave to a client’s every whim and to let customers dictate our mindset and actions – regardless of outcome. Unfortunately, while this may be customer service it is not sales.

In sales, it is important to have a backbone. Having a backbone will not only benefit you, but it will benefit your clients as well. You need to be in the right mindset to truly help your clients and to show them incremental value through interactions with you.

This means not falling into traps such as: “the quick price quote”, “send me some information”, or being afraid to ask tough questions. Instead, it saves everyone time to understand the customer's need in full before sharing pricing or sending additional information. Asking questions is a critical component of this process and reflects your confidence.

Additionally, is it important to pursue the right prospects. You need to understand who your customer is so that you are not trying to, as Hunter puts it, “turn a Wal-Mart shopper into a Nordstrom customer”. While it may seem intimidating to narrow down a large prospect list, fewer prospects ultimately means more time. When you focus your time, and more of that time, on the right customers you will ultimately generate more success.

My Favorite Part of the Book

I suspect my favorite part of the book is also Hunter’s favorite part of the book - the concept that Mondays are the most powerful day of the week.

Hunter starts off with this topic and references embracing Mondays several times from there on out within “A Mind for Sales”. I understand why. I agree with Hunter that Mondays are the most important day of the week, and he has only invigorated the passion I feel for this belief.

Many individuals use Monday as a day to get organized. However, as Hunter puts it, “your desire to use Monday to get organized is an excuse for your lack of desire to engage with customers.” Unfortunately, many sales professionals spend too much time getting organized and sacrifice what is really important – customer facing time.

So, how does one maximize Monday to its full potential? Set some easy goals to accomplish before noon to get the success wheel turning. The success wheel is the belief that once you kickstart motivation, momentum will take over. That momentum then translates into confidence which leads to success.

Also, use Sunday night to plan for Monday to hit the ground running. Do not use a single minute of Monday to plan or organize.

Recommended for…

If the continuing COVID-19 pandemic has started to drain your energy and enthusiasm for sales, I highly recommend giving “A Mind for Sales” a read. Hunter does a fantastic job at helping sales professionals remember what is important day-to-day as well as big picture. His advice is practical and easy-to-apply, meaning you will be able to immediately implement your favorite takeaways from this book without extensive practice or lengthy integration period.

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