Mark sits at his desk with his eyes closed, pen in hand, apparently deep in thought. Or is he dozing? Actually, he's about to take a crucial first step in winning a new account.Holly is on her way to see a potential client when a flash of insight radically changes her strategy for
meeting. An hour later she has a contract for a six-figure account plus a substantial signing bonus.
Mark ponders and Holly has an ah-hah moment. Yet they're both doing same thing - they're checking in with their intuition before making a sales call. Why? They've discovered that insights and promptings they get from their "inner voices" can help them score more sales more easily than when they go it alone.
Make Intuition Your Ally - Intuition is secret weapon of many successful sales leaders. Ask them about it, though, and they're likely to describe it as "gut instinct." Sound familiar? Of course it does, because whether you admit it or not, you're highly likely to have experienced it yourself, and just as likely to have ignored its messages.
The fact is, everyone receives intuitive information. It's both a gift and a skill, and more you practice it better you get at it. How does your intuition speak to you? Do you receive information in words, feelings, a flash of insight, a gut reaction? Do you simply just know? Roy Rowan, author of a study on intuition, said, "This feeling, this little whisper from deep inside your brain, may contain far more information - both facts and impressions - than you're likely to obtain from hours of analyzing data."
Ask Your Intuition Questions - My friend Mark, who you met at beginning of this article, is a national sales leader in his industry. When I asked him how he explains his success he told me that before he meets with a client he asks his intuition a series of questions such as, "What do I need to know about this company?" "What is best way to approach decision maker?" "What should I know about who I'm competing against for this sale?" "What can I do to win this account?" He sits with pen in hand and quiets his thoughts. The answers come to him as he writes. Mark's competition scratches their heads.
Keep Your "Inner Sales Person" Positive - Pay attention to what you tell yourself about your sales prospects and your life. If your "self-talk" is positive and optimistic your personal and business life will reflect that. Try a simple experiment. Close your eyes and say following to yourself for about 30 seconds: "I'll never get ahead. I'm not good at sales. I won't make my quota this month." How do you feel? Depressed? Demoralized? Hopeless?
Now do same experiment and focus on these statements: "Things have a way of working out." "I'm learning some new skills and things are beginning to change for me." "Today I'll take steps that will open up opportunities for more income." Now how do you feel? Hopeful? Optimistic? More confident? When you're in this state it's much easier for you to be open to intuitive messages pointing you to avenues of increased prosperity.
Know Your Gut, Know Your Client - Successfully making sale requires that you process hundreds of pieces of information subconsciously. You must develop and trust your ability to use your intuition to read between lines. Do you press a client for sale, or do you back off and wait? Are they motivated by lowest price you can offer or is quality of your product or service prime impetus for buying from you? Many times, logic and analysis will provide that information. On other occasions, your gut feelings or instincts - your intuition - will provide answers.
