Your mindset determines your results.
If you have decided you are in charge of your outcomes then this is the article for you.
A success mindset means you are:
- accountable
- always enhancing your performance
- driving for improvement.
You seek, and create, great results. You have created a set of habits.
Substantial, continuous business growth stems from the right habits repeated so consistently they become unconscious. The same way as one healthy meal eaten a week ago won’t get us thinner- (damn) one great day doing calls won’t get us to smash our targets every month.
What we are after is creating a habit of repeated, consistent excellent behaviour.
7 steps for creating the right habits
1) RECOGNITION
So before we ‘create a habit’ we need to recognise that one needs to be created!
Sounds simple right? I just think of it, write it down and do it.
Well if it was that easy everyone would be doing it!
First you need to recognise that things can be done better, that in the case of sales (which usually means the ‘habit’ is connected to business growth) then more business is out there waiting for you.
There is always more to understand, to learn, to process, to adopt. Never think you have reached ‘the top’ as then you are closed to learning. So, the first step is the recognition that there is more to learn, we can always evolve. That growth comes from stretching your skill set. (Good news is that once stretched it never shrinks back).
If you are a sales manager you may have fallen into the habit of telling your team what to do, tell them their new habit- i.e. how many calls to make etc.
What is often missing in this attempt to drum up business and new behaviours/ habits is the team just isn’t sold on it!
You need them to recognise there is a fantastic habit to adopt.
2) DESIRE
Now you’ve recognised there’s more out there to learn, you need to create the desire to want to do something about it!
Recognition without desire is, well, pointless for sales!
Sales is about taking action whatever the weather.
Desire comes from knowing how it will affect your life. And therefore having an inner need that’s so burning, you would move mountains to make it happen. If you are doing something out of your ‘norm’ the behaviour you want to create needs to be an inner need so strong that you are prepared to do things you don’t normally do.
If it’s border line desire, it won’t get past go. You won’t even start. The first obstacle will stall you.
If you are a manager don’t bang on about your desire to increase sales: you are not your team! Sarah’s desire to get results isn’t the same as Marco’s.
Work out what fires their desire. When do their eyes light up? What does each person care about? What motivates that person?
3) FOCUS ON THE OUTCOME
Make sure you are crystal clear on your outcome.
“More money” won’t cut the mustard. (would you be happy with a dollar more)? Be specific.
- Write it up so it’s in your visual cortex.
- See that goal/number.
- Believe that goal.
- Run the feeling you will feel when you get there, when you have it.
- What do you see – how will you feel?
- Start to ‘step into the shoes’ of that person who has achieved their outcome.
Now, look back… what did it take to get there?
4) ACTION
Break down what needs to happen to achieve that outcome.
What do you need to do daily, weekly, monthly to make that happen? Bullet point it.
For around 80% of us that are highly visual, it would help to put that list up somewhere where we see it daily. How many calls do I need to do daily with XYZ conversion to get this amount over the line. Be crystal clear on the journey needed.
5) CREATE A ‘TRIGGER’
If your action is to call prospects every morning then create an ‘anchor’ around a routine you do each morning.
For example, each time I have my coffee I will call up my first prospect.
To create ‘space’ to do your new behaviour you need to break an old one. What do you normally do when you have your coffee? If what you currently do is more appealing than your new ‘action’ you will struggle to find the will to drop it. Create a new space for your habit.
6) HABITS ARE MUSCLES
Use it or loose it. (Or in this case ‘do it or loose it’).
Do it every day. Habits are actions repeated so often you are unaware. So, do it when you say you will. Commit to it.
If it’s daily that’s an easier habit for most then making it weekly or monthly.
Daily for 30 days…then cha-ching you now have a new behaviour/ habit!
7) MEASURE
Have check in points to measure how you are tracking. Review every 3 months or so, this way you can tweak and evolve your habit.
My question to you: what anchors have you created for yourself to stick to your habits?
