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Can
You Sell Under Pressure? What World-Class Athletes Can Teach Us
About Peak Performance in Sales.
What's the most pressurized selling
situation you have ever found yourself in? How well did you perform?
I traveled to Austria as the sport psychologist for the Israeli
Davis Cup Team under severe counter-terrorism security conditions
and watched them competing under international pressure. In tennis
you either win or you lose. In selling you either hit paydirt or
you walk away empty-handed. What's the common secret? Having a strong
mental game. Learn how you can improve your own selling, using their
secrets.
620
words.
Can You Sell Under Pressure?
What World-Class Athletes Can Teach Us About
Peak Performance in Sales
Bill Cole, MS, MA
Founder and CEO
William B. Cole Consultants
Silicon Valley, California
What's the most pressurized selling situation
you have ever found yourself in? How well did you perform?
Now picture that same selling scenario, while being watched live
by thousands of people, with your every move scrutinized by the
worldwide media, and with armed bodyguards protecting you from a
very real, and potentially imminent death threat. How would you
perform now?
That's what I experienced as I travelled to Austria as the sport
psychologist for the Israeli Davis Cup Team for round one of the
men's international tennis competition, high in the Tyrol Alps.
The terrorist group Hamas had just declared all-out war on Israel,
and for three coaches, an MD, two officials and six players, we
had 35 heavily-armed guards shadowing our every move. Protecting
us were Austrian Police, Israeli Secret Service and a crack squad
of the Austrian Counter-Terrorism Swat Team. It was the most security-laden
Davis Cup match in history. We felt pretty secure, but also apprehensive.
What does that have to do with your selling? Plenty, and here's
how.
These young tennis professionals had to deal with all those distractions
and tremendous pressure, and still perform to their potential. What's
more, they had the added pressure of playing for their team and
for their country. They had to prepare mentally, focus well and
execute with excellence, the same way you have to every day in the
selling game. The parallels are exactly the same. In tennis you
either win or you lose. In selling you either hit paydirt or you
walk away empty-handed. What's the common secret? Having a strong
mental game.
Get ready to improve your mental game of selling, right now.
Five Mental Strategies To Help You Achieve Peak
Performance In Your Selling
Here are the peak performance strategies I teach
to both top pro athletes and high-achieving sales professionals.
1. Think Like A Winner. Master your mind. Control your thoughts.
Think only positive thoughts. Don't allow thoughts of failure into
your head. Maintain mental discipline. Imagine winning from every
possible angle. Winning starts in your mind--remember that your
mind is always in your complete control.
2. Keep Your Mind In The Present. Winners maintain mental
focus in the present. The here and now is where you perform, not
the regrets of the past or the uncertainty of the future. Focus
on what you are doing, when you do it. Stop the fears and scattered
focus by concentrating on the task right in front of you, at that
very moment.
3. Realize You Can Only Control The Controllables. Successful
people are aware of the things they can control. They focus on those,
and let go of the rest. Trying to affect uncontrollable factors
is an exercise in frustration, and a set-up to failure. Winners
narrow their efforts only to what will help them win.
4. Focus on Process, Not Product. Achievers want to succeed
big, but they keep their eye on the journey, not the goal. Having
objectives is helpful, but when you execute, stay focused on the
process that will get you to the winner's circle. Failed performers
focus on the prize while they compete, and they lose. If you take
care of the process, you will automatically achieve a natural outcome
of success.
5. Stay Relaxed Mentally And Physically. Relaxation is one
of the strongest keys to unlocking the doors to the peak performance
zone. You can't reach your performance potential while you are straining
and bound up with frustration and tension. Enjoy yourself and get
into the exciting flow of the moment. Be playful and allow yourself
to trust the process.
Play the selling game like a world-class professional. The secret?
Winning begins in your mind. Start winning right now.
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 © 2011-
Bill Cole, MS, MA. All rights reserved.
Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority
on peak performance, mental toughness and coaching, is 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 also the Founder and President of the International
Mental Game Coaching Association (www.mentalgamecoaching.com),
an organization dedicated to advancing the research, development,
professionalism and growth of mental game coaching worldwide. He
is a multiple Hall-Of-Fame honoree as an athlete, coach and school
alumnus, 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.
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