MINDSET IS LIKE AN ENGINE
Mindset is probably the most important trait that leads to success in sales,
yet it is the least thought of in regards to importance. The mindset of a professional salesperson is similarly just as important as an engine to an automobile. A car may be beautiful and loaded with amenities. It may have all the bells and whistles but without an engine to provide the power of mobility, it is almost useless. A salesperson’s mindset is their engine. Success in sales require a person to be self-motivated, forceful, and basically driven from within. Let’s break down the word to determine its true meaning.
The mind relates to recollection, memory and the element or complex of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills and reasons. I use the term “mind’s eye” a lot which means the mental faculty of conceiving imaginary or recollected scenes. The mind allows us to visualize future outcomes based on knowledge of previous results. The word “set” has many different meanings and uses. The definition I will use is to put into a desired position, adjustment or condition.
According to Wikipedia the term “mindset” is defined as; “In decision theory and general systems theory, a mindset is a set of assumptions, methods or notations held by one or more people or groups of people which is so established that it creates a powerful incentive within these people or groups to continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices, or tools. This phenomenon of cognitive bias is also sometimes described as mental inertia, “groupthink“, or a “paradigm“, and it is often difficult to counteract its effects upon analysis and decision making processes.
On the positive side a mindset can also be seen as incident of a person’s Weltanschauung or philosophy of life. For example there has been quite some interest in the typical mindset of an entrepreneur.
Mindset establishes a purpose…………..
Using these definitions let’s determine how mindset relates to the success of a salesperson. Since mindset establishes a purpose, we begin a work day with an intended purpose. We have certain things we want to accomplish during our day. We have probably predetermined a method for accomplishing certain tasks, when we can find the time to do it. Without a specific purpose we will probably allow our day to dictate which things are the most important for us to accomplish. In a sense, we are letting our business run us rather than us running our own business.
Mindset sets you apart………………
If we truly desire to become highly successful, we must change the way we think. All real estate sales people want to be successful but they learn from people who are average or less than average. We need to change this mindset by thinking outside the box. We need to find someone to mentor us that have proven to be highly motivated, exceptional producers over a long period of time. We must think and plan our work, and act exactly like our mentor. We are special, exceptional people that do almost everything differently than common, average sales people. We must think in terms that we can do anything we want to do. The words no, or can’t isn’t in our vocabulary. We must believe and trust in our own abilities.
Mindset provides commitment……………
Our mindset must be centered on total commitment. That is being totally committed to doing things that are productive and not letting anything, or anyone, hinder us from accomplishing these tasks. Our focus should be so pinpointed that we don’t know anyone else is in the office. We are nice and polite to people we bump into but we don’t have time for gossip or idle talk.
Mindset requires planning……………..
Such focus demonstrates the need to plan out our work schedule so we can accomplish more things in less time, and with less effort. We become more like doctors, lawyer, and bankers. Understanding that working only through appointments will allow us set many more appointments during a normal work day.
Mindset mandates time blocking…………..
Since we are now planning our work, we recognize the necessity of setting aside time for accomplishing specific tasks. For example; if we have a specific thing to accomplish tomorrow that will take about 50 minutes to complete, we will schedule an appointment to complete this task at a specified time. If we accomplish the task in a shorter time than we allotted, then we have a little extra time to do some of the less important things. At the end of the day we will have accomplished many more things than previously anticipated. Time blocking will also allow us extra time for working on things that are more important.
Mindset requires organization……………..
Now that we are thinking differently, we have committed to working productively, we are planning our work schedule, and blocking time needed to complete necessary tasks; we are becoming a fine tuned organization. I began this blog by using an analogy of our mindset being as important to our success relative to the importance of an engine to an automobile. Let’s look at the engine one more time. It is composed of many parts that must work in sync with each other. Our business must also be synchronized so that it runs smoothly, powerfully, and aids us in becoming the highly productive sales people that we want and deserve to become.
Should you have specific questions concerning various issues, please let me know and I’ll research the answer for you. I also want to encourage you to subscribe to our “News & Updates” weekly report so you can stay abreast of issues that might affect you when buying or selling real estate. If you haven’t visited my website, please go to www.AlabamaRealEstateInstitute.com and view previous articles.