We are going to discuss sales self-talk or what I like to refer to as our internal coaching system. You know, what we say to ourselves has a powerful impact; not only in our business but our personal lives as well. It is pretty amazing, but we have the ability to mentally program ourselves to either succeed or fail based on the thoughts that we put into our head on a daily basis.
Think about it. If you tell yourself that youre going to miss a deadline, screw up a presentation or fail, its very likely that you will. On the other hand if you tell yourself that youre up to the challenge or that you can do it, many times youre going to find yourself rising to the occasion.
That's how powerful our internal coaching system is.
Buddha says, All that we are is a result of what we've thought. And thats the whole premise of the book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne; that your thoughts become your reality. You attract things into your life by the thoughts that you have.
The fact of the matter is you're much more likely to achieve great things if you frame your thinking towards the positive.
So here are four action steps that you can take to improve the effectiveness of your internal coaching system.
1. Decide that You Would Like to Make a Change
I was taught in sales that if what youre doing is not working, do anything different. If the way you self coach is not effective, its time to try something different.
2. Change the Way You Phrase Things in Your Mind
I know its harder than it sounds. When I was teaching memory courses, I always suggested that instead of saying, "I have a terrible memory", you rephrase it by saying, "My memory is getting better and better". Its a small change, but its a big difference.
3. Get Specific
Self-talk its not just positive affirmations. Its well thought out words, phrases and sentences that you give yourself specifically. So choose your words with care. Phrases like “I can, I will, Im going to; thats OK. But "I consistently achieve at a high level and exceed my expectations"; now thats better.
4. Use Your Internal Coaching System to Focus on Something that You Would Like to See Yourself Improve on in Your Business or Your Personal Life
Shad Helmstetter actually talks about it in his book "What to Say When You Talk to Yourself".
And it reminds me of when I was in New York doing stand up comedy and before I would go on stage, I would always say something to myself to the effect of, "They already love me." or "I'll have them at hello." This would get me through the idea that all I needed to do is just get out there and talk to them and they were going to love me. It seemed to work.
In conclusion, whether you've heard these concepts before or it is all new to you, understand that it takes time to change habits that you've taken a lifetime to form. So patience; that's the key.
Be sure to catch yourself doing things right; let the rest of it fall away and be an outstanding coach of your mind.