Hot Tips No 13
| Category: Telesales | Date: 2001-03-12 |
Greetings!
You might be tired of me mentioning golf the past few weeks, but Im going to do it again.
On Sunday at the PGA Championship we saw one of the most determined, hard-fought performances ever.
Sure, Tiger Woods won. Again. Im not talking about him.
Im referring to little-known Bob May, who
came from nowhere to match Tiger stroke-for-stroke, and then barely lost in a playoff.
This was like your local community college baseball team taking the New York Yankees to the seventh game of the World Series.
What was amazing about May is that he didnt fold. He could have yakked a putt or dribbled an approach shot, but he stepped up and handled the pressure.
Bottom line, he didnt choke like many expected him to. And thats something we all want to avoid.
If you dont golf, you can relate to the experience Im talking about, certainly on a salesperson level: Choking. Clutching up. falling off. A train wreck. Verbal and mental Losing it. Going blank. The wheels gridlock. Performance paralysis. Whatever descriptive term you choose, Im talking about collapsing under pressure.
Greg Norman, arguably the best golfer in the world at the time did it at the Masters Tournament in front of 100 million people a few years ago by squandering a huge lead. Jeff, perhaps in the cubicle down the row from you, did it with the prospect who would have represented two months worth of quota.
HOW TO PREVENT COLLAPSE
So what causes this and how can we prevent it?
Jack Stark, sports psychologist for the University of Nebraska football team, in an interview with the "Omaha World-Herald," said that activities such as golf, place kicking, free-throw shooting, job interviews (and let me add, sales calls) that require a burst of activity after down time are fertile breeding grounds for negative thoughts that can cause a polished pro to turn into a Jello-legged babbling Elmer Fudd.
Self-destructive thoughts ("Please dont hit it into the water, again, dummy," "I hope I dont say something stupid.") cause an adrenaline rush, according to Stark, that result in 1,200 chemical changes in one-tenth of a second. He says these changes inhibit our finer thinking and natural motor activity. That means instead of just doing what were otherwise capable of expertly and repeatedly in a role play situation, or when no one is watching at the driving range, we lose it when it counts.
FOCUS TO AVOID CHOKING
So what should we do to avoid turning into Gumby when faced with money situations?
Stark teaches players a system that also works in any life circumstance. He calls it FOCUS, an acronym to help remember the steps.
FORGET. Start with a blank sheet. The past doesnt exist. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT let negative images or thoughts enter into your mind.
ORGANIZE. Get your notes, product info, whatever you need in front of you. Position your body properly.
CONCENTRATE. Visualize the call in a positive light. See the ideal call. Hear the words being spoken--by you and the customer--as you want them to occur. Matt Oechsli, author of the "Inner Game of Selling," suggests using affirmations in the present tense: "I sell huge accounts," instead of future or wishful thinking: "I will sell this big account." And as King Soloman said, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."
UNWIND. Take a slow, deep breath. Loosen your shoulders.
SHOOT. Dial the phone. Place the call. Dont worry about how youre going to succeed. Let it happen. Thinking about how it will happen at this point is sure to throw you off. A long-jumper doesnt think about his jump when hes in the middle of it. Hes thinking about the other side, the result.
The next time youre faced with a situation that raises your anxiety level, practice these ideas and youll perform at the high level youre capable of.
ARTICLE ON TAPING CALLS
I saw a great article on the legalities of taping telephone calls, written by an attorney. This answers lots of the questions I typically get. I posted it at http://www.businessbyphone.com/taping.htm
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"No one knows what he can do until he tries."
Pubilius Syrus
Go and have your best week ever!
Art
Reprinted with permission from Art Sobczak’s "TelE-Sales Hot Tips of the Week
About the Author
Art Sobczak
arts@businessbyphone.com
http://www.businessbyphone.com
You might be tired of me mentioning golf the past few weeks, but Im going to do it again.
On Sunday at the PGA Championship we saw one of the most determined, hard-fought performances ever.
Sure, Tiger Woods won. Again. Im not talking about him.
Im referring to little-known Bob May, who
came from nowhere to match Tiger stroke-for-stroke, and then barely lost in a playoff.
This was like your local community college baseball team taking the New York Yankees to the seventh game of the World Series.
What was amazing about May is that he didnt fold. He could have yakked a putt or dribbled an approach shot, but he stepped up and handled the pressure.
Bottom line, he didnt choke like many expected him to. And thats something we all want to avoid.
If you dont golf, you can relate to the experience Im talking about, certainly on a salesperson level: Choking. Clutching up. falling off. A train wreck. Verbal and mental Losing it. Going blank. The wheels gridlock. Performance paralysis. Whatever descriptive term you choose, Im talking about collapsing under pressure.
Greg Norman, arguably the best golfer in the world at the time did it at the Masters Tournament in front of 100 million people a few years ago by squandering a huge lead. Jeff, perhaps in the cubicle down the row from you, did it with the prospect who would have represented two months worth of quota.
HOW TO PREVENT COLLAPSE
So what causes this and how can we prevent it?
Jack Stark, sports psychologist for the University of Nebraska football team, in an interview with the "Omaha World-Herald," said that activities such as golf, place kicking, free-throw shooting, job interviews (and let me add, sales calls) that require a burst of activity after down time are fertile breeding grounds for negative thoughts that can cause a polished pro to turn into a Jello-legged babbling Elmer Fudd.
Self-destructive thoughts ("Please dont hit it into the water, again, dummy," "I hope I dont say something stupid.") cause an adrenaline rush, according to Stark, that result in 1,200 chemical changes in one-tenth of a second. He says these changes inhibit our finer thinking and natural motor activity. That means instead of just doing what were otherwise capable of expertly and repeatedly in a role play situation, or when no one is watching at the driving range, we lose it when it counts.
FOCUS TO AVOID CHOKING
So what should we do to avoid turning into Gumby when faced with money situations?
Stark teaches players a system that also works in any life circumstance. He calls it FOCUS, an acronym to help remember the steps.
FORGET. Start with a blank sheet. The past doesnt exist. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT let negative images or thoughts enter into your mind.
ORGANIZE. Get your notes, product info, whatever you need in front of you. Position your body properly.
CONCENTRATE. Visualize the call in a positive light. See the ideal call. Hear the words being spoken--by you and the customer--as you want them to occur. Matt Oechsli, author of the "Inner Game of Selling," suggests using affirmations in the present tense: "I sell huge accounts," instead of future or wishful thinking: "I will sell this big account." And as King Soloman said, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."
UNWIND. Take a slow, deep breath. Loosen your shoulders.
SHOOT. Dial the phone. Place the call. Dont worry about how youre going to succeed. Let it happen. Thinking about how it will happen at this point is sure to throw you off. A long-jumper doesnt think about his jump when hes in the middle of it. Hes thinking about the other side, the result.
The next time youre faced with a situation that raises your anxiety level, practice these ideas and youll perform at the high level youre capable of.
ARTICLE ON TAPING CALLS
I saw a great article on the legalities of taping telephone calls, written by an attorney. This answers lots of the questions I typically get. I posted it at http://www.businessbyphone.com/taping.htm
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"No one knows what he can do until he tries."
Pubilius Syrus
Go and have your best week ever!
Art
Reprinted with permission from Art Sobczak’s "TelE-Sales Hot Tips of the Week
About the Author
Art Sobczak
arts@businessbyphone.com
http://www.businessbyphone.com
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