Win or go home. You can’t win if you don’t play. If I can’t win I don’t want to play.
All three of these messages are ones we’ve heard – or at least I’ve heard – over the years. Every time I hear one of these comments I picture Regina, the mean girl that lived down the street when I was a kid. She always stomped off in a huff when we wouldn’t follow her rules or play the games she wanted to play, and of course when she didn’t win! Off she stomped, hair flipping in the wind, arms folded and in a full blown huff. That might be a pretty normal response for kids in the neighborhood but probably not so much for grown up sales people and business owners.
I know you know what I mean. It is so easy to NOT even get in the game if you think you can’t win. If you read my note a couple of weeks ago you know I met the Olympic Gold Medalist, Lanny Bassham. In Lanny’s Mental Management Systems, he gives a simple yet powerful look at embracing any win/loss situation. I think it’s timely to talk about it as we head into the New Year.
Lanny suggests that you can exchange that “win or go home” attitude with a “win or learn a lot” frame of mind and you’ll be in position to win every time. I wish I had thought of that! It’s so simple. Everyone gets so wrapped up in the outcome of “winning” that they forget to focus on the process that gets you to the finish line. If you don’t manage the process you can’t win. When you decide the REAL outcome is winning or that you’ll learn a lot, then that feels like a “win-win” to me.
I believe with this attitude you can completely let go of fear of rejection. It becomes easy to stop worrying about screwing up. There’s no need to have any fear of failure if you adopt this “win or learn a lot” attitude. It’s brilliant. When you take the pressure off with this type of attitude I believe you can begin to perform at a much higher level.
Think about an athlete who chokes during the game … what happened? They got nervous. They begin to focus on the outcome rather than how they were going to get there. When you are selling it can be easy for nerves to “set in.” Maybe you’re meeting someone for the first time and you’re worrying about making a good impression. Ever tried too hard? I have. I know it’s happened when I walk away and realize I did all the talking … oops. I might have missed my chance with that customer but if I pay attention and debrief the situation I will recognize that I must have been nervous; I did all the talking, I won’t do that again. See, I learned a lot.
I think the only way you can’t win is if you aren’t paying attention. I have always said you learn more from people who don’t buy your stuff than from those that do. If you are the New Year’s Resolution kind of person, why don’t you resolve that this year you are going to WIN every sell! This will be the easiest resolution you’ve kept. You can’t lose. Every selling situation offers you a win because you’ll close the sell or you’ll learn a lot! Success is imminent.
With the “Win or Learn A Lot Attitude,” you will be in the best position of your life to confidently interact with every new potential client. There’s no pressure for them or you. You already know the outcome: You’ll close the sell or you’ll learn a lot about how to close the next one.
Happy New Year,
Beth
