Creating Unlimited Belief for Success!
What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?
It may be those Old beliefs and Personal Insecurities. (aka: conceptual barriers)
Conceptual barriers are the barriers that are right behind the eyes, DEEP within the brain. "Beliefs" which were planted at a very young age and re-enforced over a long period of time - which is why they are so hard to "dislodge".
Use the following exercise to help your team members identify their limiting beliefs and feelings. Then explain how those beliefs and feelings directly impact (positively and negatively) their bottom-line results.
Before we proceed, keep the following quote in mind - it's a powerful reminder of why it is so important to complete sales management activities.
"Successful people DO, what unsuccessful people
are not willing to do."- Unknown
Here are the Four Steps to Overcome Conceptual Barriers:
Step One - Uncover Negative Self-Talk
Ask the employee to tell you what he or she "least" enjoys about each step of the sales management process. Follow up by asking how that particular aspect of the process makes the employee feel.
For example:
- Prospecting/Cold Calling - (feels like I am intruding)
- Asking for the Business - (feels like I am being pushy)
- Cross-Selling/Up-Selling - (feels like I am taking advantage)
- Assumptive Closing - (feels like I am being presumptuous)
Step Two - Identify Beliefs that are the root source of negative feelings toward sales management practices.
Go back to our prior examples of Old Beliefs that get in the way of our progress in the sales management process:
- Don't talk to strangers
- It is impolite to talk about money
- Never interrupt important people
- Wait to be asked
Help the employee understand and be aware of why it is that they may feel the way they do.
Employees should understand that they feel the way they do for a reason. Once they understand this it can be much easier for them to make a decision to overcome their old belief(s).
Step Three - Turn Limiting Beliefs into Unlimited Possibility!
Illustrate the following to your employee so they can clearly see how their beliefs and feelings ultimately "pre-determine" their outcome.
On one hand:
Positive Beliefs » Positive Feelings » Actions » Positive Results
And on the other hand:
Limiting Beliefs » Negative Feelings » Inaction » Negative Results
So based on the preceding, it's obvious which hand offers the most value - correct?
Step Four - CHOOSE a path together!
Obviously, if an employee is unwilling to work to overcome conceptual barriers, then you should agree that a sales position is not the right fit.
You should either find a more suitable role for the person, or part ways so he/she may pursue a more rewarding opportunity somewhere else.
Let's assume however that the employee seeks to overcome their conceptual barriers and is willing to take ownership of their plan for improvement.
As the leader, you have an important role to play in your employee overcoming their limiting beliefs. You are responsible for supporting the employee in three key areas. Once again, they are:
- TEACH - lead by example, reinforce positive actions and behaviors
- COACH - help to improve technique, debrief progress, track results, ensure employee stays on task
- EXPECT - inspect what you expect, hold yourself and your employee accountable for continued improvement and increased results.
In conclusion, ask yourself the following question.
Can you name one person who is a top performer that:
- believed he wouldn't be successful?
- feels she shouldn't be successful?
- does not take the actions necessary for her to become successful?
The answer to each question? "Of course not!" Right?
So by default we must agree that in order for anyone to be successful, he/she must understand what is holding him or her back.
Then, she must be willing to work to overcome obstacles, and choose to proactively follow a corrective action plan.
Finally, he must "execute" the plan.
Through this process he will build new beliefs that will enable him to discard that old and tired, limiting belief.
Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools, Inc. His web site, http://www.leadership-tools.com is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today's aspiring leaders. Offering high-quality tools in the areas of Business Planning, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building/
More Resources
Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting
More Leadership Information:
Related Articles
Leadership and Change in a Holographic Universe
Have you ever noticed that since the early part of the 20th century, nearly every new scientific theory manages to sound more and more like the same sort of metaphysical philosophies science once dismissed? Well, it's happening again and this time our views on the structure of the universe, the power of human consciousness and even the nature of reality itself are being challenged by a startling new finding: that many hard to explain events and scientific puzzles become suddenly clear and easily understood if we consider that everything we see and experience around us is not in fact a physical reality, but rather our own interpretation of an infinitely large, dynamic and multidimensional hologram, constructed by and interpreted through our own consciousness.Most people are familiar with the concept of a graphic hologram - an image imprinted on a special film that, when illuminated with a certain type of laser, projects a 3-dimensional picture that you can view from any angle.
Leadership Lessons from Pope John Paul II
"Heroes are rebels with a cause. Rebels because they challenge the traditional ways of thinking and refuse to follow the herd.
Leadership Tips From My Dad
Lee (L.B.
Hidden Self Confidence
Peer independence is arguably the least understood aspect of self confidence. Many people who are shy, or suffer from social anxiety, tell me that they lack confidence.
What We Can Learn From J. Paul Getty
J. Paul Getty planned to enter the U.
Act on Some of the Facts
Making any decision without having all of the information and facts beforehand can be very tough. I spoke with a young man recently and he told me that some of his professors had changed the rules on him in the administration of his classes.
7 Excellent Ways To Improve Your Leadership Skills!
Did you know that there are 7 really effective yetpowerful ways to improve your leadership learningopportunities?If you have ever looked at using a leadership skillstraining program, you probably have run smack into one ormore of the following problems:- leadership training will usually cost you some seriousmoney - in fact, some programs are outrageously expensive- leadership training programs last for a very short time -quite a few of them run for only one or two days- many leadership training programs fail to give you someway to support or help you meet your daily challenges- less than 1% of all leadership training programs couplecoaching and mentoring follow-ups with classroom sessions- most leadership training programs like to do 'raw datadumps'- the vast majority of them do NOT give you chances to'blend' your learning experiences with supervised practiceThis article will help you to find, use and take advantageof every leadership skills learning opportunity youencounter - you will be able to employ your leadershipskills in highly effective, more creative and powerful ways.Power Strategy - 1 -- Make sure you get clearly defined andsignificant returns on your training investment!When you spend your money on training are you looking forentertainment, engagement or education?I don't know about your priorities but I know that I demanda ton of convincing to invest in training of any sort.
10 Smart Ways Leaders Can Bring Out the Best in Others
You are a leader. Everyone is a leader.
Seven Personal Characteristics Of A Good Leader
How often have you heard the comment, "He or she is a born leader?" There are certain characteristics found in some people that seem to naturally put them in a position where they're looked up to as a leader.Whether in fact a person is born a leader or develops skills and abilities to become a leader is open for debate.
Leadership Development for Success
In today's highly competitive world, there is a lot of pressure on leaders to create highly productive organizations. To be successful with this task, leaders will need all of the talent, skills, techniques, and experience they can muster through leadership development.
The Top 10 Questions for Socially Responsible Leaders
The assets of your business traditionally include property, plant, equipment, and your customer base. Progressive organizations understand that business assets also include their good reputation, responsiveness to change, the ability to conduct a constructive dialogue with stakeholders, the ability to take advantage of networked resources, and a host of other non-traditional assets.
A Winning Choice for Leadership!
"The only way to enjoy anything in this life, is to earn it first."-Ginger RodgersOne bad apple can spoil the bunch! As a leader, we cannot allow "bad apples" to interrupt our efforts toward achieving our goals.
Communication Skills & Leadership - Organizational Communications Processes in Leadership Activity
"Sooth 't were a pleasant life to lead,With nothing in the world to doBut just to blow a shepherd's reed,The silent season thro'And just to drive a flock to feed,-Sheep - quiet, fond and few!"- Laman BlanchardCommunication skills give leaders ways to connect with, understand and influence the needs of people. It would be so very pleasant to live the life depicted in Blanchard's musings.
Tough Times Demand Resilient Leaders
The stock market gyrates with unpredictable and heartburning results. Icons of solid companies become straw figures before balance sheets.
Boy Scouts of America and Leadership Coaching
The Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness talks with Dennis St. Jean, Assistant Director Professional Development Division, Boy Scouts of America, Irving, Texas.
Leadership and Power - Being the Boss Doesnt Guarantee Either of Them
Some people mistakenly associate supervisory positions, or seats of power, with leadership. They presume that these two things are synonymous.
Having Fun In Leadership
"Don't measure your life by your goals, but rather by what you are DOING to achieve them."-UnknownOne of the biggest mistakes leaders make is getting so wrapped up in achieving results, they forget to ensure that people are having fun along the way.
In Leadership, Dreams Are The Stuff That Great Results Are Made Of
Leadership is motivational or it's stumbling in the dark. The best leaders don't order people to do a job, the best leaders motivate people to want to do the job.
What Kind of Leader Are You?
There are literally millions of words written and spoken each week on enlightened leadership yet the fact remains that low morale, high stress and job dissatisfaction continue to be three of the most serious problems facing the workplace. We seem to be so effectively socialized into top down leadership that we find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to change our autocratic ways.
E=MC - Is It In Me?
How many times have you seen the E = MC2 formula andwondered what it might mean to you?Old Einstein had a lot more up his sleeve than fancyalgebraic equations. This particular "thought experiment"still inspires discoveries of various sorts throughout theworld today.