Take the worry out of selling! Release it and smile.

Take the worry out of selling! Release it and smile.

Written By Jeffrey Gitomer
@GITOMER

KING OF SALES, The author of seventeen best-selling books including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His live coaching program, Sales Mastery, is available at gitomer.me.

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Take the worry out of selling! Release it and smile.

Worried about the lack of sales? If you knew that worry blocks creative thought, and prevents sales, why do you do it?

You can totally change the direction and outcome of worry (stress) with seven words…1. Sweat 2. Relax. 3. Identify. 4. Plan. 5. Read. 6. Act. 7. Smile. (If you don’t have last week’s column, go get it or go to www.gitomer.com and enter RELAX in the GitBit box. There may be things other than lack of sales causing your stress!)

Worry doesn’t just fade away. You must take specific planned action to eliminate it, and prevent its return. Don’t worry, it’s easier than you thought. Here are 15.5 action areas to help you manage stress and conquer the worry…
1. Keep cool. Never let anyone see you sweat. You may be anxious on the inside, but you must be a consistent “Joe Cool” on the outside. If you act cool long enough, eventually it won’t be an act. Actually what you are doing is not acting — it’s training. You’re training your mind not to worry or show doubt.
2. Self talk equals self performance. Look at any athlete in a ball game. They’re always talking to themselves, encouraging themselves. If you tell yourself you can do it, you can. If you tell yourself you can’t do it, you never will. You control what you tell yourself. Say good things 100% of the time. Tell yourself positive things and the results will most likely be positive. The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you have with yourself.
3. Make your dominant thought a positive one. Whatever you tell yourself silently, your mind only hears the dominant thought. My friend, Ray Leone teaches this concept — silently tell yourself what TO DO, not what NOT TO DO. example…Don’t think — “don’t tell him the price,” rather, think — “Tell him how he will benefit from owning my product.” Your mind will drop the don’t and remember the dominant thought. You’ll tell the prospect the price too soon. The reason this is so important is that what not to do causes worry and stress. What to do creates positive, solution-oriented action.
4. Consider all options and list possible solutions. When you have all the options in front of you, often the course to take is clear.
5. Say “no” to achieve more. Being spread too thin causes worry. Sometimes you have to say “no” to get more “yes’s.”
6. Limit your expectations. Take one bite at a time. Gain one victory at a time. Make one sale at a time.
7. Find a friend who will listen (without prejudice). A confidant. Get a mentor — someone who has already achieved what you’re trying to do.
8. Create a short daily diversion that rejuvenates your energy. Take your mind off the (selling) situation by doing something you really like. LIMIT YOUR TIME. Music, reading, listening to humor, hobby, jog — something to clear your head for new ideas and attitudes. This technique gives you the mental freedom to receive new ideas.
9. Exercise every morning. Exercise gets your adrenaline flowing, and your mind pumped for a great day.
10. You are what you eat. Stop eating food that adversely affects you. Cut things like fat, sugar and caffeine out of your diet. They add to stress.
11. Write everything down. If you write it down, you can concentrate on action — not remembering.
12. Stay organized. There is a peace of mind that comes when everything is in it’s place. You are 100% more productive if you’re organized. You eliminate getting mad or stressed when you can find something.
13. Sleep restfully. If you’ve written everything down and are organized, restful sleep is possible — otherwise it’s toss and turn. Try thinking of fun things you did as a kid, or your next vacation to clear your mind. Concentrate your thoughts on anything except your worries.
14. Meditate for 10 minutes a day. Read a short passage from the bible, or something peaceful, to get in the mood. Then concentrate your thoughts on success.
15. Learn something new every day. A tape or a book for 30-minutes a day will make you a sales expert in five years. Others already possess the knowledge, all you need to do is expose yourself to it. Learning something new every day gives you a chance to practice it as soon as you gain the knowledge.
15.5 It’s not about money or the lack of it. Money is not a problem. You may think it is, but you’re wrong. Money is a symptom. The problem is that you haven’t earned enough of it. Stop blaming lack of money and start making plans to make more (or spend less).

FREE SEMINAR ON STRESS. The Dale Carnegie people are offering a free seminar in stress and worry all over the US. It’s their corporate and personal response to the horrible acts of 9.11. If you would like to attend one in your area, just fax your name on your letterhead and the words STOP WORRYING to 704-333-1011. And by special arrangement with the fine folks at Carnegie, everyone who faxes in will also receive a free copy of Dale Carnegie’s Golden Book of quotes and thoughts in the mail.

Free GitBit…Want to learn more about what causes stress? Want to learn the easiest path to worry-free sales? Relax. I’ll give you 20 causes and 20 things to do to get worry-free. Go to www.gitomer.com – register if you’re a first time user, and enter the word RELAX in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Sales Bible, and Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com