When it comes to success in sales (or anything else), there is nothing more important than the right mindset. A positive, success-oriented mindset is intangible, and it is also the difference-maker. It’s your belief system. It’s your attitude.
It’s the ability to be positive in the face of negative events. It’s the ability to see abundance where others see scarcity. It’s the ability to believe there is a way to succeed when others see only potential failure. It’s your willingness to take initiative and to make a difference.
More Than Skills
Mindset is more important than skill sets and tool kits. Without the right mindset, the skills aren’t nearly as valuable as they might be. More salespeople (and more people generally) fail because of their mindset rather than their skills. But we focus on teaching people the skills, as if that is the answer.
More Than Tools
The right tools in the hands of someone with a poor mindset are worthless. It really doesn’t matter how good the tools are, they won’t be used, and they won’t produce their intended outcome in the hands of someone with the wrong attitude and beliefs.
Leaders and Mindset
Too many people in executive leadership and management roles focus their time and attention on acquiring people with the skills, providing skills training, and developing the tools with which to arm their people. They aren’t interested in mindset because it is something concrete, something measurable. They don’t know how they are supposed to train and develop mindset.
But mindset is the work of leaders. Leaders lead by sharing positive beliefs. Leaders improve mindset by focusing on providing growth to the individuals they lead. Leaders instill mindset by the culture they build and protect, and by what they hold their people accountable for.
There is nothing that produces greater results than a team of individuals who believe that they can and will succeed and who are being given the mindset to do so.
