FEAR is the strongest and most easily triggered of the three prime motivation sources (incentive and attitude being the others). Fear evokes deep emotions we’ve carried for the millions of years of human evolution. It occurs at a subconscious level and can be triggered in dramatic or subtle ways:
- Meeting a bear on a mountain trail is daunting
- Participating in a school play is less daunting
Both are not equally dangerous, but they are equally challenging.
One of our basic needs is to be APPRECIATED. And another need is to NOT be DEPRECIATED, so REJECTION is salespeople's #1 fear. I know top producers who admit they worked their butts off, so they would never have to make cold calls again - Never to have to face that pain of rejection or hear, "No. Don't call me again."
Surveys confirm some people would prefer to jump out of an airplane than give a speech or try to sell something. However, we can overcome our fears when the fear of staying where we are is worse than what we are afraid of. It's like when a person jumps out of a burning building. Their fear of heights is less than their fear of burning.
As salespeople, we need to motivate ourselves by overcoming our fear of rejection with the promise of acquiring what we WANT. If the reward is worth it, often we will “pay the price.” What I may not be willing to do for $100 may be worthwhile at $1000 or $10,000.
To make that next call, a salesperson needs:
- A strong attitude to make one more call
- An incentive to make one more call
- A fear of being fired to make one more call
Fear and incentives are the methods most companies use to get their salespeople to make one more call. Unfortunately, few companies understand how to motivate salespeople through the development of their ATTITUDE. Attitude motivation is what HPA Academy does better than anybody. Attitude motivation changes lives and lasts forever!
You may share this message freely and comment below. Join me next week when I discuss vision.
This post is Part 3 of 10 in the series "The Magic of Your Mind, and You are the Magician"
- Gratitude - What you are grateful for RIGHT NOW is the clue to what you want more of.
- Wants/Desires - The inner drive to achieve and succeed.
- Fear of Failure - It stops most people before they start.
- Vision - Your gift from the universe. Most people are so distracted that they never see their vision.
- Purpose - Your why. It's bigger than you and part of giving back.
- Needs - Must do now (not “nice” to dos).
- Goals - The Score Card toward your Vision.
- Prioritizing Actions - Blocking time for High Payoff Activities in your calendar.
- Accountability - You can’t do this on your own! You'll need a trusted person to hold you accountable.
- Habits - You are your habits.
