Jamie Crosbie and Jay Blakey have joined forces to present the free webinar: Exponential Sales Leadership. The market is in a constant state of flux and new challenges require new approaches and innovative solutions. This will be in a conversational live interview format of some top sales leaders and authors of the book. Great leaders are always in demand and great leaders need great talent! After you’ve attended, you will receive a free copy of their book, “The Power of 2 Exponential Sales Leadership.”
For a taste of exponential sales leadership, read the foreword written by Gerhard Gschwandtner, CEO of selling power…
The word “engaged” comes from the French word “engager” meaning a promise to get married, it seems like a good metaphor for describing the relationship between the sales manager and salespeople. Another way to look at this relationship through the lens of engagement is to look inside. My view is that our outer environment is a reflection of our inner mindset. Your conversations with your salespeople are always a reflection of the conversations you have inside your mind. The big question you want to ask yourself: are you aware of your Mindset Operating System?
Your mindset is a set of attitudes and beliefs that influence and shape your behaviors. According to scientific research, we start to create these attitudes and beliefs the moment we’re born. You store them in a particular area of your brain, called the prefrontal cortex. This is where neural connections form into cognitive elements, memories, and associated feelings from past experiences. Some call this the executive function of the brain — I like to think of the prefrontal cortex as our “inner CEO.”
Do you have a strong inner CEO? When your mindset is functioning at optimum levels, you’re better able to excel in tough sales management situations. That’s because high achievers consciously create a belief system that helps them cope effectively with difficult situations at work. This is according to scientific research conducted by Professor Michael Bernard at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
I’ve had the good fortune in my professional life to interview two great motivators: Zig Ziglar and Tony Robbins. They both passed on wisdom that has stuck with me. Zig Ziglar said, “Success is not measured by what you have done compared to others, but compared to what you’re capable of doing.” Tony Robbins said, “Everything you need to succeed is within us now.”
Although motivation is important in sales and in management, motivation alone is not enough. Great sales leaders know that motivational rhetoric has to be backed by resilience. I learned this insight from Dr. Abraham Zaleznik, a professor at Harvard Business School who said, “Success is not the result of focusing on success, but how we handle the disappointments that are inevitable in the evolution of our careers.” In other words, engaged sales managers lead with empathy and they offer support when salespeople suffer a setback. Setbacks are nothing but invitations for a comeback. If you belief system includes the idea that disappointments are the cradle of ambition, then your behavioral strengths will win over any adversity.
Dr. Paul Stoltz wrote in his book “Grit” that we experience 23 adversities on an average day. In sales, we may experience 40 or more. Successful leaders welcome adversity as a stepping stone, or they view it as the diamond dust that nature uses to polish its jewels.
Just today I had a conversation with a salesman who sat on flight US 1549 that was piloted by “Sully” Sullenberger and crash landed after takeoff from LaGuardia airport in the Hudson River. The sales rep sat in First Class, looking out the window at takeoff when geese hit both engines of the A320 airbus. He described the noise; “as if you tossed sneakers into a washing machine” the grinding noise got louder and within a few seconds both engines stopped and the plane began to lose altitude. Sullenberger who was also trained as a glider pilot knew that planes could fly without power and he was able to land the plane on the Hudson River without the plane braking apart, without hitting a ferry boat and without losing a single passenger. The sales rep, a former Marine told me, “Everyone on the plane was quiet. Not one person panicked. As a Marine, I was trained to focus on one mission at a time. I said my prayers and when we landed I helped people get into the lifeboat.” He lifted five people out of the ice-cold water and helped them climb the 12-foot ladder up to the rescue boat. He was second to last to climb on board the boat, with Captain Sullenberger climbing up last.
There are many heroes in this world and as an engaged sales manager, your role is to turn your salespeople into heroes.”
Gerhard Gschwandtner
– CEO, Selling Power –