Media Mash Up

 So you have a meeting with your largest account to date and you feel the anxiety building inside. Your head is filled with what you want to say what you should say and what your not going to say. The easiest way to get ready is to have a routine. In sales it’s not the most charismatic or smoothest talker. The person with the best routine wins everytime, because routine breeds strength. It’s like in highschool or college when your coach would drill you over and over on how to tie up in wrestling. Or when you would practice the same group of moves over and over in cheer leading or your respective sport. It’s all about muscle memory if you get into a high pressure situation the last thing you want to happen is to go blank or panic. Customers can read you like a book wether or not you think you can fake it. Well these are some ways to clear your mind and make sure you are ready to close.

1. It starts with the time you wake up.

 Most people love the snooze button. Trust me I am guilty of pushing it. However when get out of bed the first time don’t you just feel better anyways? Less tired, less annoyed. The human body wants to go to sleep and wake up in cycles typically 3’s. 6 and 9 hours are the best amounts to sleep, Wake up refreshed and ready to go rather then grogy sucking down coffee.

2. Always showered and clean shaven(men)

 Ok so I know it goes without being said we all shower everyday ;) Well just incase don’t forget to shower you probably don’t smell bad but there is just something about showering that makes you feel good. I know this will sound crazy get in the shower and turn it on without warming it up. The jolt of the cold will be enough to kick start your body before the warmth relaxes it. And Don’t forget to shave your face either legs if your a lady. No one wants to see Alan “fat jesus” Garner in their office at 9 am giving them advice on their company.

3. Dress for success

 While Black is always a great color no matter what and white looks good after labor day. Well I guess the fashion industry takes the white thing back. You don’t want to be confused for the local mormon. Key colors to stay away from are all black you look like a sheister, black suits are fine but no shirts or ties at all. If you have them throw them away or give them to charity. Red is a great color but I notice people tend to be more hostile towards it. Last but not least white, if your trying to set yourself apart plain white is definately not the way to go. Great colors are light greens, light blues, yellows, and pinks. I happen to be a fan of paisley ties however that is preference. Darker colors are more subdued, lighter colors just grab peoples attention. Trust me if you wear light colors people will be giving you ego boosts all day about how good you look!

4. EAT BREAKFAST YOU HAVE TIME.

So by now if you have followed what I have said thus far you should have more than enough time to eat breakfast. Get your metabolism going you will have more energy that lasts longer.

5. Commit it to paper

So that meeting you have is running through your head and you are so nervous about what your going to say and not say. The reason your nervous is you haven’t commited a plan to paper. How many times have you walked out of a no and gone oh man I should have said this or that. Well commit those ideas to paper, it sounds really tedious but worth it. Trust me it will take a lot of stress off.

6. Get the marbles out

 in the car on the way to work practice OUT LOUD yes I said out loud your pitch. We have all fumbled over our tongue and said ha ha its monday. Well it wasn’t because it was monday it was because we weren’t ready for monday! The easiest way to make sure the words roll off like silk is practice practice practice.

7. Get co workers involved

 So I know that it’s uncomfortable but this is sales and it’s going to be uncomfortable. Grab a co worker and ask them to listen to your pitch and not critique you but give you objections and say what they think the customer would say. If you are well prepared great nothing more is needed, if not you still have time to go back to the drawing board.

8. Get constructive criticism

 Don’t just grab anyone, grab the best. I notice misery loves company. Good salesmen love good salesmen and bad ones love bad. shake it up grab someone who you know is really good or someone you have never talked to before.

9. Steal the best ideas

 Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, any athletic great. Those athletes didn’t invent how to throw a baseball. They took what someone showed them and made it theirs. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are great examples, Steve Jobs sees a wonderful operating system at xerox and realizes this is the future, it’s much better then DOS. He has Gates program it, a little while later Gates launches windows. Both are super successful neither had an original idea. My suggestion wouldn’t be to sit down with the best. My suggestion is sit down with all of them. Everyone has something to offer, learn from it. Take the good leave the bad and make it yours.

  In summary sales isn’t luck(though sometimes it might feel that way). It is a marathon that takes hours of work and preparation. The reason you got “lucky” is because you walked into that business or walked up to that consumer at exactly the right time and they liked you enough to say ok lets do this. There is nothing lucky about it, I don’t care if it’s your first sale or your 10,000th. Great preparation wins everytime. In the words of Louis Nizer “Preparation is the be-all of good trial work. Everything else-felicity of expression, improvisational brilliance-is a satellite around the sun. Thorough preparation is that sun.”

Lloyd