Taking the worry out of everyday business

 ‘I NEED more sales. I need more sales,’ you say. Welcome to the club. Everyone needs more sales.

‘No, no, you don’t understand,’ you say. ‘I really need more sales – desperately. My back’s up against the wall. I either make more sales or I’ll lose my business (or get fired). I’m so worried about it, I: lose sleep at night; drink; too much; have a short fuse; blame others; argue a lot; can’t get any work done at all; push too hard for the close; and can’t concentrate effectively.’

The worry bug is in the air. I hope you haven’t caught it.

If you have, I have bad news and great news. The bad news is: worry causes stress; worry causes negative response; worry causes ulcers; worry causes insomnia; worry causes headaches; and worry causes more stress.

Stress causes illness, uncertainty and self-doubt. Self-doubt causes self-destruction and failure. 

Note well: Worry also blocks creative thought. The creativity you so desperately need to get out of the hole you’re in. Who wants that? Well, nobody wants it, but a lot of people have it.

If worry is with you, it becomes your dominant attitudinal mode – negative attitude. You can’t sell if you’re distracted by worry. And you can’t let your worry or stress show to your customers and prospects. They won’t have confidence to buy. 

OK, here’s the great news; getting rid of worry isn’t as difficult as you may think, but to beat it you must take specific planned action to eliminate it, and prevent its return. 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. f 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 per cent of the time. Tell yourself positive things and the results will most likely be positive. 

3. Make your dominant thought a positive one. Whatever you tell yourself silently, your mind only hears the dominant thought. 

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’ responses. 

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  – 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 organised. There is a peace of mind that comes when everything is in its place. You are 100 per cent more productive if you’re organised. You eliminate getting mad or stressed when you can find something. 

13. Sleep restfully. If you’ve written everything down and are organised, restful sleep is possible. Concentrate your thoughts on anything except your worries. 

14. Meditate for 10 minutes a day. Read 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. Money is a symptom. The problem is that you haven’t earned enough of it. Stop blaming lack of money and plan to make more (or spend less).

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com , will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email salesman@gitomer.com