Many years ago (not that I am sensitive about my age) when I was playing college basketball, I was exposed to a coach named Gene Smithson.  At that time he was the assistant coach at Illinois State University.  He then went on to coach Wichita State University. His mantra was  “MTXE” or “Mental Toughness Extra Effort”.

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What the heck was he trying to do with this term “MTXE?”  It was his effort to bring resolve and a take-no-prisoners attitude to his players at both schools.  It is amazing how something sticks with you, but this one stuck with me. Mental toughness is not just important in athletics, it is extremely important in sales.

You should recognize that attitude could make the difference between winning and losing, or even walking away from an  occupations.

A Definition of Mental Toughness

According to a qualitative study by three individuals from Australia, Jones, Hanton, and Connaughton (2002) entitled Discovering Mental Toughness: A Qualitative Study of Mental Toughness in Elite Athletes, mental toughness is:

“…having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to:  1.) Generally, cope better than your opponents with many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that sports places on a performer; and 2.) Specifically, be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure.”

They went on to publish what they identified as attributes of mental toughness.  I will include a few here:

• Self-belief
• An Unshakeable focus
• High Levels of Desire and Determination
• An Overall Consistency of Effort and Technique

There is no doubt that these translate to the sales arena as well.Meta

Mental Toughness in Sales

Whether it is B2B or B2P, there is much to break you down in the world of sales.  Competition is tough, pricing is difficult, and the economy affects how people and companies spend their money.  Now, throw into the mix that the 3Ps (Perceptions, Preference, and Perceptions) sometimes play a role.

Facing adversity and winning is what all good sales professionals seek.  As a matter of fact, many do it all of the time.  Those who have strong self-belief, unshakeable focus, and consistency of effort while maintaining professional technique and high levels of desire and determination are who we interpret as winners. Sales professionals who win consistently are usually examples of mental toughness.

When you are mentally tough, nothing stops you from doing your routine; nothing stops you from your 10 or 20 calls per day.  It is what you do, and if they all result in a “no” answer, you realize that there will be more yes answers tomorrow.

Mental toughness in sales is attainable, and when coupled with Extra Effort it creates a significance force.  When coupled with a good sales plan and solid preparation you have a star.

Extra Effort

What is Extra Effort is in the avocation of professional sales and how does this apply to you?  It is essentially doing over and above what is necessary so that success is assured, and doing it better than most other sales professionals.

In prospecting it is making the additional five prospecting calls per day, with the recognition that the next call could be the “pay dirt” that moves the day from the normal success of scoring on 1 for 10 calls to the very successful 2-3 appointments. There is no area that extra effort will have the more impact than the process of sourcing prospects.

In customer service, it is the extra effort of treating each customer as if they are the only customer.  Giving this level of customer service is more time consuming and requires consistent awareness and forethought.

In prospecting it is treating each relationship as your focal point.  This can be a game changer in the long run.  It builds confidence and relationships.  There is no doubt that it takes extra effort to make this happen.

In your sales career it is getting the credentials that will make you a product or industry expert, giving you some degree of preference over other professionals that populate your industry.

Are You Mentally Tough?

Mental toughness is exemplified by many of the attributes that were illustrated in the beginning of this post.   As we apply it to what you do everyday, if you do not have these attributes, you can get them.  There is nothing magical about these attributes, they are what happens when you are mentally prepared, and realistic.

If sales is an occupation for you, you probably are outgoing, and probably not fragile.  You have personality and you are willing to have some income at risk.  You can accept coaching and have an ability to form strong relationships.  You need to be able to accept the rejection and disappointment that comes with the turf.

Now you need to build your mental toughness.  If you can recognize that much of the ‘rejection’ that comes during the sales process is not personal.  It just may seem hard to believe this when it is happening to you.  Mental toughness will get you there.  Frankly, you know you are good at what you do, and you know that you, and your company, have something to offer.  Be undeterred and keep calling more and more potential customers.  They do not know you or your qualifications.  They are not aware of your ability to provide solutions and solid customer service.

Your toughness focuses on the fact that you will have many rejections during prospecting, and some customers will leave you because of pricing, economics, and other varied reasons.  If you are calling potential customers as frequently as you can, you will not feel the pain of a few calls going bad.  It is a numbers game as was discussed in Black Sales Journal 2/28, How Many Prospects Do You Really Need?

We will talk more about mental toughness and extra effort in a future post.  Realize that you probably have it but do not recognize it.  Be the professional!

I welcome your comments. Reach me at Michael.Parker@BlackSalesJournal.com.

I share those often at job fairs and employment clinics.  It will always be true. Many companies are attempting to avoid costs and wasted time by doing preliminary employment screening with a telephone interview.  This is your first chance to shine!  Simple objective: Get a face-to-face interview!  Here is how to be successful!

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You have been selected to have a preliminary or phone interview as part of the screening process for a job that you want badly.  This job has all of the trappings including the business automobile, protected territory, great compensation plan, and more.

The phone interview, if you are successful, will lead to an in-person interview in another state with the hiring manager.  The phone interview is with the human resources recruiter and you want a home run!

This scenario is not uncommon.  In the sales profession, with candidates often located good distances from the main offices, companies wisely make decisions to screening interviews on the phone before considering bringing a candidate in for an in-person interview.

There are many reasons to use the phone for this purpose; the main reason is that it is cost effective.  Travel which is very expensive now days, and companies are wise to try to avoid some of this expense.  Additionally, if candidates are closely matched in their qualifications, a decision as to who to interview might be determined by some well-directed questions.

There are some tactics that you can undertake that will prepare you and put you in the best light.

You Are the Expert on You!

You have heard me say this before, and you will undoubtedly hear it again, “You are the expert on you!” Don’t fall into the trap of waiting for questions that will show your worth, be prepared to give the interviewer the requisite information that makes you shine.

Gather the following information:

• Your Resume – the exact copy that the interviewee has been given.  Know your accomplishments, that is what sets you apart.
• A clear concise salary history (This is for you, not as much the hiring party).
• A brief ‘elevator pitch’ on yourself describing why you deserve the job.  Brief means 45 seconds or less.
• Your reasons for leaving any job that you have had in the past 10 years. Reduce it to writing and be strong at explaining it.
• Your sales statistics (this is a big one). That should include percentages of improvement or growth (or the opposite).  Again, it is all about accomplishments
• A clear concise picture of the organization you would like to join. What are the markets, products, accomplishments, etc.

Your objective is to have this valuable information at your fingertips, as when there is a pause on the phone, the interviewer cannot tell what you are doing.  You need to be prepared mentally, and prepared from the standpoint of reference material on your background.  The most important part is that you should be able to recite it chapter and verse without much prompting.

Any question on your background and talents should be in your realm of information.  Additionally, you should be able to put into words your strengths, weaknesses and professional objectives as these are common questions.

Phone Interview Etiquette

Just a couple of rules for the interview itself:

• Establish what you will call the interviewer. This can be done during the introductions.  If you don’t know, then stick to “Mr. Johnson” until he tells you differently.
• No background noise at all if possible. You don’t need Barry White begging in the background, even if it does not distract you.
• No interruptions. Set it for a time when you will have no interruptions such as young students returning home from school.
• Don’t interrupt the interviewer. Do not step on someone’s sentences, as that will annoy them.
• Use a landline phone if at all possible. There is nothing more distracting than a dropped call when someone is trying to give you a chance at a career.
• Block call-waiting notifications. If your service allows it, block call-waiting notifications.  Those annoying clicks when your friends are calling are extremely distracting to an interviewer, even if they do not bother you.  (Dialing *70 prior to the call usually blocks the call waiting feature)
• Speaker or Conference correctly. If you use the conference feature on your phone, be careful with rustling paper and background noise.  No gum or candy, and no pets in the vicinity.
• No Eating. This may sound like a no-brainer, yet people do it.  No gum or hard candy either. Have water nearby, and recognize swilling water does produce noise.

It is important to realize that if they are annoyed by your background noise, or the difficulty they have in understanding you, they will ‘check out’ and lean toward another candidate.  Make this a pleasant experience.

Your Objective is Simple – a Face-to-Face Interview!

Go in knowing what the prize is, but also know that your chance to make the impression is increased if you can get face-to-face.  So…your phone interview might be done in racial anonymity, especially if your resume and other correspondence was done in a race neutral format. I am compelled to explain these briefly here:

Racial anonymity – Meaning there has been no disclosure as to race on your part, and none was asked.  The interviewer has no positive verification of your race, and presumably makes the decisions on the basis of the quality of the telephone interview.

Race Neutral Format – The resume, and any supporting information gives no indication of race, fraternal or sorority involvement. The reviewer is left to make the decision on the basis of your qualifications and the telephone interview itself.

You are not concealing anything, you are answering their questions and attempting to get the position.   The more level the playing field, the less of an effect that preference can have in the initial screening process (Refer to Black Sales Journal 12/30/2010 – Preference, Perceptions, and Prejudice and Your Employer).  I know that there may be issues that don’t allow racial anonymity including which college or university you attended, and some voice intonations, yet it is worth the effort if you can sound as race neutral as possible.

Above all, recognize that you will not have a chance without getting past this initial screen.  Approach it with vigor and a plan.  Be prepared!

“What Kind of Money Do You Want?”

There is an important question that you should be prepared for that many sales professionals get surprised by: “Now that you know the opportunity, what would you need in terms of salary for this position?”

I think the best answer to this is a simple one:  ”I am open and flexible with my salary demands.  Much depends on the benefit structure and the compensation (commission or remuneration) plan.”  You want a face-to-face interview so you can show your worth.  This response is legit and fair.  Keep all of your options open.

Your comments are welcome.  You can reach me at Michael.Parker@BlackSalesJournal.com.