Southwestern Sales Talk

For those of you who are doing too well, here are some ways you can reduce your sales productivity and be unhappy, whether you’re selling with the Southwestern Company or in any sales career:

1)  wish you were somewhere else, doing something else

In other words, avoid being present!  Let your mind drift off to home, to greener pastures, to more pleasant activities.  (Remember sitting in the classroom back at school, gazing out the window, and not paying attention to what was happening in the lecture?)

2)  ponder your defeats

It’s easy to catch yourself doing something wrong.  We all tend to dwell on our misteaks (I know, I was just testing you).  What’s far more difficult is to notice your victories and what you’ve done well that day.

3)  get really satisfied with your production

My first summer selling with the Southwestern Company, I did well–for the first 90% of the summer.  Then I had a rather destructive thought.  It was, “Wow. I’ve made three times more money than I made last summer.”  I suddenly felt rich.  My drive, my competitive nature, my interest–all flagged.  And my last two weeks selling that summer were in survival mode.  “Satisfied-itis” had set in.

4)  compare yourself to top salespeople

In order to really feel less than adequate, use phrases like: “If only I could sell like _______ ,” or “Why can’t I sell like ______?”  If you ask a bad question, your brain will provide a bad answer.  Remember, you are not your units.  You are not your production.

5)  tell yourself you suck at sales

It’s impossible to perform well while at the same time reminding yourself how bad you are at the task.  Imagine the result if your self-talk about driving was, “I am a bad driver.  I just have wrecks.  Accidents happen to me all the time.  Man, I can’t drive.”  Then you start the ignition.  Change your self-talk!  You want the right kind of self-fulfilling prophecy when it comes to your sales.

Do you have more strategies to fail?  Feel free to comment–just avoid the suggestions!

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