This article is written by Dean Whitby, Managing Director of our company.
In my experience, asking the universe, maintaining a clear vision, surrounding yourself with positivity, and embracing small gains are key to achieving lasting success in sales
It sounds simple and I hear you saying “um like duh!” but then if we are all honest with ourselves how many times do we lose crystal clear focus and so undo all the work.
Navigating the world of sales and entrepreneurship has taught me invaluable lessons about the importance of positivity, clarity, and focus.
Through my journey, I’ve learned that while there are countless strategies being shouted from the rooftops—each promising overnight success—the true path to achievement is much more personal and grounded.
For a start there is a difference between being a sales person, self employed and an entrepreneur. Most new business people are self employed sales people.
I didn’t even realise that to call yourself an entrepreneur you have to be able to remove yourself from your business for 90 days and know that your business will run fine and even grow. That means I am half way towards being an entrepreneur this time around.
Anyhow whether you are a salesperson, a self employed business owner or an entrepreneur then these are the pieces to your success.
We all forget them from time to time and run on some sort of unconscious beings looking for comfort and happiness. It’s my belief we aren’t here to be comfortable and happy, we are here to learn, take risks, make mistakes and in doing so to grow and move towards a vision! Unhappiness and pain is part of success and the journey we are all on.
That is just my opinion.
So what are the essential habits for sellers, business owners and entrepreneurs?
Crafting a Clear Vision
It all starts with a vision. Not just any vision, but a crystal-clear depiction of where you want to be. I’ve always believed that if you can’t see your destination, how can you plan your route there? This vision has been my north star, guiding every decision I make, no matter how small. It’s about knowing where you’re heading and reminding yourself of it every day.
The vision needs to be crystal clear and with thought to why? and what does it look like when you get there, how does that feel?visualisation will help with that!
Asking the Universe and Law of Attraction
A pivotal element of my journey has been understanding and utilising the Law of Attraction. This philosophy posits that the universe creates and provides for you that which your thoughts are focused on. It’s about more than just hoping or wishing; it’s about manifesting your desires through the energy you exude.
Asking the Universe isn’t just a spiritual concept; it’s a practical tool for clarity and intention. When I set a goal, I don’t just write it down—I ask the universe to guide me towards achieving it. This act of asking helps to clarify my desires and reinforces my commitment to pursuing them.
Here’s how this practice integrates into a business setting:
- Visualisation: I have a vision board in my house with all the things i want to achieve with photos with me added into them of all of my goals. Throughout the day I can look at the board and see pictures of me in the places I want to travel to, pictures of the money I have in my portfolio etc. It’s a very clear vision and I can feel like I have that or already had it by looking at it.
- Affirmative Thinking: I make a conscious effort to frame my thoughts positively. Instead of thinking, “I hope I don’t lose this client,” or “We lost a client, my business is failing” I think, “I am going to provide excellent service to retain this client.” or “we will lose clients along the way but we bring in more than we lose because we always improve the value we offer” It’s a small shift in wording, but it has a significant impact on mindset.
- Gratitude: Each day ends with gratitude. I will write down the 3 things that I am grateful for in that day. By being thankful for the day’s successes—no matter how small—I cultivate a mindset of abundance, which the Law of Attraction suggests attracts more success.
- Reflection and Adjustment: At the end of each week, I reflect on what has moved me closer to or further from my goals. This reflection helps me adjust my thoughts and actions, aligning them more closely with my desired outcomes. If there is something to be improved then I use a technique which is 3,6,9 so I write that thing 3 times in the morning, 6 in the afternoon and 9 in the evening and after 21 days it will be such a focus that I’ll improve on that one thing and then i’ll change the thing creating a better version of myself.
Integrating the Law of Attraction into your business practices isn’t about abandoning rational and strategic planning. Rather, it’s about enhancing those plans with a mindset that attracts success. The universe is a powerful ally, but it requires clear signals from you. Tell the universe what you want through your actions and thoughts, and it will respond by moving you towards those goals.
The Art of Focused Execution
With a vision firmly in place, the next step is maintaining focus. In this digital age, distractions are around every corner. There’s always a new marketing gimmick or a social media guru claiming they have the secret to success. I’ve seen many peers get sidetracked by these promises, losing sight of their original goals. Through these observations, I’ve learned the value of filtering out the noise and concentrating on what really works.
Find a strategy or process that works as quickly as possible and then replicate it over and over and you’ll reach the target. But be focused and have crystal clear clarity. If something does not move you nearer to your goal don’t do it.
Now you could see if you don’t have evidence it helps then don’t do it, but actually I don’t 100% believe that as sometimes taking a risk brings the highest rewards so just because you can’t measure something well doesn’t mean it won’t be a good decision but trust your gut and try and have clear processes moving towards your path.
Do NOT celebrate the wins or get down about the losses
A Lot of people will say that one thing that works for them is celebrating small wins. Each small success is a step towards the larger goal. These victories keep them motivated, especially when the going gets tough. It’s like setting up markers along a marathon; reaching each marker gives you the boost to push forward to the next.
THAT IS WRONG!!!!
I believe that if you celebrate the wins you feel the losses more. Everything in life is yang and yang soo you have to have balance. I believe that if you have a clear vision, law of attraction, focus, good surroundings, positive action and continuous learning that I will reach my goals and vision without being a little bi polar about it or borderline personality.
When I had my previous businesses I would get all excited when we won clients and tell everyone and I would get really down when we lost some clients or something didn’t work and it meant I drank alot and had horrendous anxiety and had no real clear vision and a whole load of insecurity that didn’t help me.
Now I just trust the process and the techniques this article outlines and I know if I keep moving forward I will get there and I’m growing as a person by actively doing this.
I remember when I was a salesman for many years and in the bad times it would be the worst job in the world full of stress and difficulty and i’d talk to all the other losers not winning too and we’d all chat problems and manifest more problems. It just didn’t serve me well.
The same is true of me as a sales personI remember one job I had I really loved was with a company called Tempest Cosgrave and a chap called Jon Sanctuary ran that company and he was a great leader without even knowing he was. He brought out the best in me but I had a clear set of processes and strategies that I knew worked. We had high targets like book 30 sales meetings a month for our clients. I would start each month on 0 but I had the fullest confidence that all my clients retained because I used the same processes and strategies every month that on day 1, I knew I was hitting 125% of my targets. I just had the confidence. I didn’t celebrate no wins or get down about no losses. I saw it as part of the process. I was unconsciously and unknowingly executing something I now know how to do deliberately.
The moral is do not get too hung up on wins and losses and trust in your process which allows you to be one mood and one power in positivity and confidence towards the end vision all the time without fail!!
The Impact of Positive Surroundings
Another crucial element is the company you keep. Early in my career, I never realised how easily others’ doubts could seed my own. I have always had people in my life, personal and business that had doubts. I even doubted myself but now I see that the people and the information in your life can have a huge impact.
If you have people in your life who say you can’t do that or negatively affect your positivity towards your vision or goals whether that friends or your bosses, get them out of your life and replace them with people who say you can do that and i support you and what else are you going to do, what else? Having positive people around you is key.
Every time you get a negative thought you must stop it and replace it with a thought that is positive that tells you “I can”!!!! The mind has such power that if you think you can you are right and if you think you can’t you are right!!!!
Switch off the all the negativity you feed your mind such as the news, turn the tv off and pick up a book and learn, pick up tick tock and search for things and like things that you know would help you grow as a person and if you do that every day for a month your tik tok will be a library of videos that help you to put positive things in your brain and to achieve your vision and goals and change your limiting beliefs. It’s the same with youtube.
Go back to schooling and learning everyday as it’s a better use of your time!!!
Replacing Negativity with Action
Whenever a negative thought tries to creep in, I actively replace it with a positive affirmation. It’s a technique I adopted after reading about the cognitive restructuring theory, which suggests that you can change your pattern of thinking to overcome cognitive biases. And it works. Changing my thought patterns has profoundly shifted my perspective, helping me maintain my mental focus and resilience.
I even go to sleep at night to a youtube soundtrack called ‘Reprogramming your mind to accept new beliefs’ In order to change my subconscious limiting beliefs to those that empower and help me to reach my goals. After a year of this it really is working.
Continuous Learning and Adaptation
Lastly, I’ve committed to being a lifelong learner. Whether it’s picking up a new book, scrolling through educational content on TikTok, or diving deep into a YouTube tutorial, every piece of knowledge adds to my arsenal. It’s this constant learning that keeps me adaptive and innovative.
Free tip 1
Watch “The Secret” on YouTube: Begin with the basics and watch the full-length film “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne on YouTube. This film introduces the Law of Attraction in a highly accessible format, discussing its principles through personal stories and testimonials from various experts. It’s a great starting point for anyone new to these concepts.
Free tip 2
Gratitude Journaling: Utilise a simple notebook or a free journaling app like Day One to practise daily gratitude. List at least three things you are grateful for each day. This habit not only cultivates a positive mindset but also aligns with the Law of Attraction by focusing on abundance rather than lack.
Free tip 3
Create your own vision board Canva offers a user-friendly interface to create digital vision boards. You can select from thousands of images, or upload your own to add personal goals, inspirational quotes, and aspirations. Canva also provides templates specifically designed for vision boards, making it easy to start and update your board anytime. This can be particularly useful for those who prefer a more flexible and portable format for their vision boards.
Free tip 4
Look at your vehicle to get to your vision, for most this is sales and marketing processes
Do a SWOT Analysis. What are the Strengths, Weaknesses and Threats and then set new actionable goals towards your vision.
For a streamlined approach to conducting a SWOT analysis, consider using MindTools. This platform offers intuitive tools to help you easily create and organise SWOT analysis.
With MindTools, you can input data directly, analyse patterns, and generate actionable insights. This helps in aligning your strategies with your overall business goals, making it an essential tool for any marketer or sales strategist looking to enhance their planning.
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