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Talk about the art and science of business development: Stories and details to earn new clients or accounts, gain a competitive advantage and find your success.
Welcome to the Finding Business Podcast where in just a few minutes, you'll learn something new to attract ideal clients and accounts. I'm your host, Scott Channell. For more episodes and information on services offered, visit Scott Channel with two t's, two n's and 2l's.com. Now on to today's episode. Today, I want to talk about having a fixed versus growth sales mindset.
Scott:And I want to ask you a question. Are you really sure that some of your sales goals are too hard? Yes or no? Doable or not doable? In or out?
Scott:And when it comes to our goals, we often have an additional category. That category is what I call the too hard pile. So we treat this like a no. And we tend to throw things that we think are too hard into the no pile. We treat it like a dead end.
Scott:And we tend to toss things into that too hard pile prematurely. And when we do that, we really rob ourselves of goals and achievements, of skill sets and results that we are fully capable of achieving. And I see this constantly in sales marketing and business development. And frankly, it's always saddened to me a bit because I see people in organizations that are fully capable of reaching a higher level of success deny themselves their growth by unnecessarily labeling a task as impossible when it simply may be a bit uncomfortable to start. I want to tell you what I think is the most powerful force on this earth.
Scott:People in general tend to resist change, particularly as we get older, we tend to resist change. But those who who are capable of greater things yet remain stuck in mediocrity often ferociously resist change. And I have a saying that I use in my sales coaching practice. The most powerful force on this earth is a person's ability to rationalize why they can't do or won't do something that they're capable of doing and absolutely should be doing. You may not be capable of something in this exact moment because you lack maybe some information, some assistance or practice, but there are many things that you are likely fully capable of achieving or mastering if you decide to learn, seek help, and practice that skill.
Scott:There are goals that you may not be capable of achieving in the exact moment because you lack certain information, assistance, or a bit of a practice, but it is probable that you're fully capable of achieving certain goals or mastering new skills if you decide to learn, seek help, and master the skill. Practice a little bit. So why do reps and organizations resist even screamingly obvious improvements? Why do we choose? And it is a choice.
Scott:Stagnation over growth. And I have a few theories regarding these self defeating behaviors. Number one is the comfort trap. Change is hard. When you have habits that have become comfortable, sales reps and teams will perform Olympic caliber mental gymnastics to justify staying the course.
Scott:They'll argue against a new strategy, not because it won't work, but because the old way feels safe, even if the old way is failing. Two, fear of failure, ego protection. So too hard is often a kinder way of saying to ourselves, Hey, I'm afraid of failing and looking stupid. And if we label something as impossible, we don't have to try. And if we don't try, we can't fail.
Scott:So it's a shield for our egos. Three, the fixed mindset. This is a classic case of what Carol Dweck, who is the author of Mindset, a great book, calls Fixed versus Growth Mindset. The theory playing out on the sales floor. We convince ourselves that our skills are set in stone.
Scott:I'm just not a script person or systems don't work for me. I like to keep it natural. We decide that having to struggle or make an effort is a sign that we aren't talented rather than just recognizing that effort is the only path to improvement. Four, the stop short. You might be a stop short.
Scott:These are people who mistake discomfort for impossibility. You may have tried a difficult task in the past, maybe a new script or a new sales process or a new way of conducting meetings, but you hit the first speed bump. It might be awkwardness, it might be a bit of a confusion, maybe the prospect is rude, and immediately it stops. You convince yourself that you weren't capable, when in fact you just stopped before you gave yourself a fair chance to learn. So let's have a reality check.
Scott:What is actually too hard for business development success? Ask that question. Now, let's be clear. I'm not saying everything is possible. You have to know the difference between hard and delusional.
Scott:There are some things that certainly do belong in your no, don't bother pile. If someone had suggested selling heavy winter parkers to people who live in Miami, that would be a hard no. Or if someone suggested to you that you could close a $1,000,000 enterprise deal on the very first cold call, that would be insane. Or if you're trying to sell something that's very complex, say maybe compliance software to CEOs of large companies using TikTok dance videos, that would be stupid. These defy the laws of physics, economics, common sense, social awareness.
Scott:They truly belong in the no pile. But there are many things like learning a new CRM or refining new scripts or booking more first meetings or writing a book to build authority or trying new processes that are not impossible. They're just difficult in the moment, and there's a massive difference. Let's dwell a moment on the cost of this too hard pile. And I really think the too hard pile, to a large extent, is self sabotage in sales.
Scott:When you confuse difficult with impossible, you pay a very high price. Now I'm gonna assume that you're capable of more, that you're a good sales rep or you're a good VP of sales, you're a good sales organization, and for whatever reason, you're not achieving the level of sales or sales productivity that you really feel capable of. Why? It might be because you're throwing too many things in the too hard pile that are in fact not too hard. When you put things into the too hard pile, you pay a price.
Scott:It becomes a graveyard for your potential. This is where you will find all of your regrets. How often have you had an idea, stayed silent because it seemed too hard to execute, or you were fearful of mentioning it because of a negative reaction, and later watched someone else do it and get the applause. You choose obsolescence. Real growth only comes from the too hard pile.
Scott:If you limit yourself to the easy pile, the things you can already do, you will never get smarter, stronger or more resilient. And in business, if you aren't growing, you're dying. You leave money on the table. When you limit yourself to what works quickly, you deny yourself the sustained higher level success that comes from mastering more complex skills. You're cheating yourself out of the career that you could have.
Scott:Now, to rescue your goals, my suggestion would be that you apply a growth mindset to sales. Take a second look at your too hard pile and resort it. Here's four steps for you. Step one, relabel too hard as assembly required. Adopt a dynamic view.
Scott:Carol Dweck, author of Mindset, calls this the power of not yet, but I think I might call it assembly required. You have the raw materials, your brain, your drive, your talent, your desire. You just need to read the instructions, put the pieces together, practice a bit. Reframe the task from impossible to assembly required. Changes your brain's reaction from a fear to problem solving.
Scott:And that's the core of sales motivation. Step two. Define the first step. So you want to clear the fog. We often label things too hard because the goal is too big.
Scott:We can't see all the steps necessary to get to success. And you don't need to see all the steps to success. You just need to see the first few steps. Deconstruct the impossible task. You can't double your sales, that's too big.
Scott:But you can make five extra calls a day or improve the quality of the prospect pool you're calling. Step three: redefine failure as data. First attempts that don't work perfectly are not failures. They are data points. No one is as good on day one as they are on day 90.
Scott:Imperfect initial attempts are the necessary prerequisites for improvement. If you stumble, you haven't hit a wall. You've just found something that needs improvement. And step four: Identify your fear. Identify your real fear.
Scott:Ask yourself, is this really too hard or is it just uncomfortable? Are you afraid of the work or are you afraid of being judged by others? Let me give you a little tip. If you're worried about being judged by mediocre performers, you are worried about the wrong thing. Overcoming limited beliefs requires you to separate actual inability from simple discomfort.
Scott:So you have a choice, and that choice is yours: a growth mindset for sales or self limiting beliefs. You hold yourself back. Prematurely putting doable goals into the too hard pile is a self defeating behavior. Things that require learning, practice, coaching, or a little help along the way are not too hard. They require a different mindset and expectation.
Scott:So go to your mental filing cabinet, reevaluate the goals in the too hard bin, and relabel some of them as assembly required, and then get to work. Hope this has got you thinking. For more information about this podcast, show episodes, and services, go to Scott channel with 2t's,2n's,and2l's.com. Thanks for listening.