| |
Build an Unstoppable Competitive Mind-Set
How to Develop a Winning Attitude for
More Success in Your Mental Game of Selling
Bill Cole, MS, MA
You're competitive-minded, or you wouldn't be in sales. A
client of mine said, "In sales, if you don't have a competitive
attitude, you don't eat." How do you develop and maintain
a can-do, can't-wait-to-get-going, nothing-can-stop-me, I-hate-to-lose
mind-set? By learning how other successful professionals think
and how they approach building their mental game.
Achieving a winning, competitive attitude can be an incredibly
effective inspiration in your quest for sales success. Here
are three powerful mental strategies to help you build a strong
competitive mind-set.
1. Believe That Your Competitors Make You Better. I
have done the best, most creative, forward-thinking development
of my businesses when I have been threatened by a smart, hard-charging
competitor. They keep me thinking. They force me to be analytical
and fresh to counter the moves they are making in the marketplace.
Appreciate your competition. Learn from them. Use them to
scare you into more heightened motivation and a stronger competitive
mind-set. What do some of the nation's top executives think
about their competitors?
 |
"You either eat someone for lunch,
or you can be lunch." --Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun
Microsystems |
| |
"We realize we are in a race without
a finish line. As we improve, so does our competition."
--David Kearns, Chairman of Xerox |
| |
"Competition is a way of life. If
you don't have a really tough competitor, you ought to
invent one." --Roberto Goizueta, CEO of Coca-Cola |
2. Believe That Winners Never Quit And Quitters Never Win.
This is the oldest success quote in the world of competitive
sports and business. It's still around because it's true.
How many times in your day do you slack off, just a little
bit? Would you succeed more if you competed fully for the
entire day? Every time you get discouraged and lose focus,
that is a form of giving up, of not competing fully. Give
every day all you've got. Be a determined competitor. These
famous folks know the value of hanging in there.
|
"Winners don't make excuses. The
minute you start talking about what you're going to do
if you lose, you have lost." --George Shultz, former
United States Secretary of State |
| |
"Courage and perseverance have a
magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear
and obstacles vanish into air." --John Quincy Adams,
founding father |
| |
"Press on. Nothing in the world
can take the place of persistence." --Ray Kroc, founder
of McDonalds |
3. Learn To Love The Craziness Of Competition. One
of the ATP Pro Tennis Tour players I coached played Andre
Agassi on center court at Wimbledon one year. It was a crazy
environment with the English cheering wildly for the popular
legend Agassi. My player had to remember not to fight the
crazy tumult, but instead accept the competitive craziness
to play his best. Do you sell your best under difficult circumstances?
Let the competitive, uncertain selling environment motivate
you to focus better, think more clearly and be even more determined
to win. These successful people understand the nexus of uncertainty
and competitive attitude.
|
"I will always be someone who wants
to do better than others. I love competition." --Jean-Claude
Killy, ski legend |
| |
"Salesmanship starts when the customer
says no." --George O. Boule, Jr., successful businessman |
| |
"The quest for certainty blocks
the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition
to impel man to unfold his powers." --Erich Fromm,
famous psychologist-philosopher |
Competition is the very lifeblood of a sales professional's
existence. Study it. Embrace it. Love it. Use it as success
fuel. Use it to take you to the top of your mental game. Develop
an unstoppable competitive mind-set, and you'll sell yourself
to success.
To learn more about how sales coaching can help you become
a better, more confident sales professional, visit Bill Cole,
MS, MA, the Mental Game Coach™ at www.mentalgamecoach.com/Services/SalesCoaching.html.
Copyright © Bill Cole, MS, MA 2005, 2008 All rights reserved.
This article covers only one small part of the mental game.
A complete mental training program includes motivation and
goal-setting, pre-event mental preparation, post-event review
and analysis, mental strengthening, self-regulation training,
breath control training, mental rehearsal, concentration training,
pressure-proofing, communication training, confidence-building,
breaking through mental barriers, slump prevention, mental
toughness training, flow training, relaxation training, psych-out
proofing and media training.
For a comprehensive overview of your mental abilities
you need an assessment instrument that identifies your complete
mental strengths and weaknesses. For a free, easy-to-take
66-item sales skills assessment tool you can score right on
the spot, visit https://www.mentalgamecoach.com/Assessments/SalesSkills.html.
This assessment gives you a quick snapshot of your strengths
and weaknesses in your mental game. You can use this as a
guide in creating your own mental training program, or as
the basis for a program you undertake with Bill Cole, MS,
MA to improve your mental game. This assessment would be an
excellent first step to help you get the big picture about
your mental game of selling.
Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority on peak performance, mental toughness
and coaching, is founder and President of the International Mental Game Coaching
Association, https://www.mentalgamecoaching.com.
Bill is also founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, a consulting firm that helps
organizations and professionals achieve more success in business, life and sports.
He is a multiple Hall of Fame honoree, an award-winning scholar-athlete, published
book author and articles author, and has coached at the highest levels of major-league
pro sports, big-time college athletics and corporate America. For a free, extensive
article archive, or for questions and comments visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com.
Article Source: MentalGameCoach.com
Return to The
Mental Game of Selling Articles directory.
|
|
