Have
you ever heard the old song "Whistle While You Work"? Some
salespeople probably feel that anyone who walks around singing
that song has NEVER had to make a cold call. Often salespeople
are taught to "put on a smile and be happy" and to "present
themselves in a friendly manner." Too often they are told that
they need to suck it up and "don't worry, be happy." Sometimes,
that is just not realistic.
In his
book Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl discusses
the fate of the optimists. Because they were often unrealistic
about the reality surrounding them, the optimists were often the
first to perish. Sadly, this can become true in sales as well.
If you haven't closed any business in your expected sales cycle,
you are justified in feeling angry and unhappy. If you keep
getting "think-it-overs" instead of decisions,
then you had better feel depressed!
It's OK
to get depressed sometimes, because feeling that way is often
necessary to facilitate change. Unfortunately, many salespeople
believe that revealing anything negative about their performance
on sales calls is a bad thing. This misguided optimism is a
problem for a few reasons.
First, an
unrealistic salesperson cannot be effectively debriefed, nor can
he effectively plan. If he is not willing to look at current
results in the cold, hard light of reality, it will be almost
impossible for him to guess where he should make corrections to
his current sales process.
Second,
if he is unwilling to correctly measure the connection between
activity and results, it will be a guessing game for him to
decide what behavior(s) he needs to change in order to create
the right amount of new sales. Finally, salespeople who are
always happy seem artificial and shallow to their customers.
Since people buy from people who are like them, it is very
difficult to sell to a prospect who sees you as shallow, or
fake.
Be yourself! If you are feeling depressed about your
performance, it is OK. Don't force things into a positive light.
If something is negative, do not ignore it. Confront it.
Depression is a human response. Don't allow yourself to wallow
in self-pity, but pay attention to your feelings. Take action.
Attack the things that are causing you to be depressed. Change
your behaviors and techniques to obtain results that will enable
you to feel positive.
If all of us do that effectively, we will actually be depressed
less often, and not because we are faking our happiness!
Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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