Sales is fascinating – working with clients to see if our offering is of value for them and to close deals is a great and demanding profession.
I often wondered: what kind of mindset is helpful in sales? Recently, my colleague Robert Chen published the book “Selling your expertise”. He mentions five elements of a sales mindset. I like them very much and would like to share them with you:
- Eagerly dedicated
- Authentically open
- Consistently client focused
- Realistically optimistic
- Confidently humble
I picked three aspects for each element I find important.
Eagerly dedicated
- Have the desire to bring in business
- Accept total responsibility for your results
- Be professional
Authentically open
- Be a learner rather than a performer
- Put your skills before luck
- Avoid self-serving bias: if I win, I take the credit, if I lose, I blame it on the circumstances
Consistently client focused
- Focus on the other persons needs
- Don’t sell – help buy
- Build trust through warmth and competence
Realistically optimistic
- Swim through the sea of rejection
- Recognize what you can control – accept what you cannot
- Don’t fool yourself, face reality
Confidently humble
- Keep your ego in check
- Stay confident: you can help your clients
- Focus on interdependence with others rather than independence from others
Ask yourself: which mindset is especially helpful in my situation? Which mindset do I want do develop?
Well, what do you think?
We help clients working on their sales skills, including the mindset. If you want to know more, contact us:
Dr. Beat Kropf
Managing Director
+41 79 705 16 36
Source: Chen, Robert, Selling your expertise (2022)