The Green Sheet Online Edition

November 23, 2015 • Issue 15:11:02

Inspiration

Keys to motivation

While people in all professions require motivation to progress in their careers, salespeople, in particular, need to be ever vigilant about staying in top form. There is no upside to dragging your heels when you're in the sales game, and the downside for merchant level salespeople (MLSs) could be residuals that fail to grow, or worse, shrink.

Help yourself

Fortunately, there are myriad ways to ensure you are at your best day to day. And Paul H. Green described many of them in his 2004 book, Good Selling! The Basics. Here are several ideas:

• Review your goals and rewards: Goals fuel success, so plan your days with them in mind. Write down your long- and short-term goals, and keep in a prominent place at your desk. Put pictures representing your rewards at your bathroom mirror, or use them as your screen saver. Visualize yourself having attained your goals.
• Use your commute time: If you commute to the office to conduct in-person sales calls, don't listen to the news while in transit. News programs are distracting at best, and often full of reports on negative events that depress instead of lift people's spirits. Set your smartphone or MP3 player, or CD player, to play motivational speeches instead.
• Form a support group: Sales support groups can take many forms. You could meet regularly with colleagues in your office to check in on your goals. The same can be done in online forums and meetings, social media groups, and even by exchange of emails.
• Keep a balanced perspective: Everyone's life has ups and downs, and it's important to remember today's place in the big picture.
• Take breaks: Enjoy the outdoors at least once a day. And it might seem counterintuitive, but research shows it's actually more productive to take lunch break than to work through lunch.

Leave motivational notes on post-its in places where you'll see them. For example, you could write: my residual income increased today, I sold five accounts today, or happiness is a positive cash flow.

Stay positive

Another factor integral to motivation is a positive state of mind. A large part of staying upbeat entails being aware of your self-talk by noticing the negative statements that run through your mind and not letting them take hold and affect you emotionally. Because if you do not take steps to contradict them, the negative thoughts will make your results conform to them. As Green wrote, "If you say things to yourself such as, 'That account doesn't want to see me,' or 'They'll never call me back,' or 'They're not going to sign with me,' then you're absolutely right; they won't."

If, on the other hand, you tell yourself that you have a winning personality, you're going to make the next sale, you have what it takes to understand your prospect's needs and fill them, or other similar statements, you will have far better outcomes than if you dwell in the negative. You'll have more fun, too, which will lead to more positive feelings and actions.

It's really a matter of attitude. You have the power to change things. You know that bad situations you encounter, or even inadvertently create, are temporary and will not derail your career. Keep these things in mind, and watch yourself soar.

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