Improving Sales Performance
Professional Selling is Simple, but that doesn't mean it is
EASY.
This explains why 92% give up somewhere
between the first and fifth call, whilst the remaining 8% never give up and account for 80% of the sales
made! The 8% are the Sales Superstars.
To improve effectiveness, all salespersons must know what the
Superstars know, and that is that they must become the CEOs
of their own life - both in business and private. Secondly,
they need to learn how to take personal responsibility for what happens to them in both learning and performing their sales work.
Scientific Fact: No one can successfully
do that until they are shown how to use their whole brain in conjunction
with their mind power
Scientific Fact: Selling is 80%
psychological and 20% technical and skill
And - it is the technical and skill areas that 90% of businesses
focus on. Then they wonder why they're not getting the results
they want. Crazy!
What Is The 80% Psychological Factor and How Can We Work
With It?
The 80% psychological factor is your attitude, feelings, reactions
and behaviour as they occur in relationship
to every component of your work. What do you feel in
relationship to each part of the work you do? Do you feel confident
when making a call? Compassion when receiving a customer complaint?
Enthusiasm as you plan your weekly schedule? Having an empowering
attitude towards disappointment or 'failure'? Happiness while
doing your work? Satisfaction at the end of your day? Or are these
activities interspersed with the feelings of stress, fear, anxiety,
uncertainty and the lack of self-confidence.
All of your feelings contribute to your own motivation. It's important
to know that all meaningful and lasting motivation comes from
within. You motivate yourself. Only your own motivation addresses
issues such as call reluctance, 'failure', rejection and self
confidence. There are reasons why we feel the way we do, and we
can change these negative feelings. To do this, we need to understand:
The relationship between
the conscious mind and subconscious mind.
The importance of understanding
the language of the subconscious mind.
The importance of increasing
focus through conscious relaxation.
The Relationship Between The Conscious and Subconscious Mind
There is the conscious mind, which is 12% of our mind, and the
subconscious mind, which is the other 88%. Scientists have also
identified four brain wave states which the mind uses to perform
separate tasks: Beta (b ), the
'action' or 'doing' state (also the state in which we accumulate
stress), Alpha (a ), the 'single
focus' concentration, or learning state, Theta (q ), the creative, meditative or healing state, and Delta (d ), the deep sleep state.
The
conscious mind is the one we readily identify with, it is our
Beta "doing" state, that we use to perceive the world and make
decisions such as "I need to make a cold telephone call". The
subconscious mind is responsible for storing our memory, habits,
beliefs, personality and self-image. It also controls our bodily
functions (notice you don't have to consciously think about doing
these things). It is accessed through the Alpha brain wave state.
When we form a conscious desire or goal ("I need to make a cold
telephone call"), we come up against our existing habits, beliefs
and memory of the activity ("I am unsure how to make effective
cold calls and the last ten calls I have made today have not been
positive!"). This is the 12% of your mind starting to battle with
the other 88%. If you make this a battle of conscious will, you
can experience stress as you fight to discipline yourself to keep
to a calling schedule. This can lead to much internal pain and
suffering which is why most people will quickly look for ways
to avoid making cold calls, or give up completely.
The conflict between the conscious and the subconscious mind is
experienced on an emotional level (reluctance to perform a task,
fear, anxiety, depression, etc). You can avoid this conflict when
you understand how the conscious mind can influence the subconscious
mind.. Between the conscious and subconscious is a very important
filter called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). This filter
opens as the brain waves move from Beta to Alpha. Once it is open,
you can learn how to change any disempowering 'programming' -
habits, beliefs - in the subconscious, so that it can work in
harmony with the conscious mind.
Objectively Measuring the Ability to Relax and Focus Through
Biofeedback
Diagrams 1 and 2 are actual examples of a person's brain wave
states as they appear on the screen display from the electroencephalograph
(EEG). The height of the "peaks" indicates the 'intensity' of
brain activity. This is measured on the Y-axis in millivolts.
The area in which the brain activity is occurring is indicated
on the X-axis. It is measured in Hertz and divided into the different
brain wave states of Beta, Alpha and Theta. The brain wave activity
is also measured over a period of time so that changes can be
seen and compared on the Z-axis in approximately one-second intervals.
In Diagram 1 the person is watching TV. 
- The intensity of neural activity is consistent over the
Theta and Alpha states and slightly greater in the Beta state,
as expected.
- The mind is still focused on several things at once.
In Diagram 2 the person is relaxing. 
- The Beta activity is minimal and intense neural activity
is 'focused' in the Alpha and Theta states.
- The mind is concentrated on one thing.
- This is a state of relaxation and releasing stress.
Using Biofeedback greatly assists
in the development of the conscious ability to reach the Alpha
and Theta brain wave states. When we can reach these states at
will, it leads to the improvement and eventual mastery of the
techniques and skills taught in the CALM Life
Skills Seminar.
We use the Biofeedback equipment to prove to seminar participants
that they can succeed in using the techniques.
What is The Difference Between Affirmations and Goals
An affirmation is a 'goal' repeated by the conscious mind in the
Beta state. It is acted on by only 12% of your mind - and the
filter is closed. It is what we call positive self talk. Furthermore,
an affirmation which conflicts with a current subconscious habit
or belief will be actively registered by the subconscious mind
on an emotional level. You experience this when you say the goal
and don't 'feel' that you can achieve it. That doubt, uncertainty
or fear is the subconscious mind resisting the goal.
If the same affirmation is said by the conscious mind in the Alpha
State, then you're dealing with the subconscious mind. The subconscious
mind is the 88% of the mind and the language of this mind is emotion.
Thus an affirmation becomes a goal when it is said in Alpha using
emotion. This is what we call conscious programming of the subconscious
mind. When correctly done, it is experienced as confidence, certainty
and enthusiasm about achieving the goal each time you think it.
In this case both the conscious and subconscious minds are focused
on achieving the goal.
What Is Actually Taught During The Seminar
Understanding the language of the
subconscious mind.
The ability to consciously relax
and control negative emotions which may arise.
The ability to think consciously
in the Alpha brain wave state.
The ability to reprogram subconscious
habits.
Exercises in reprogramming negative
subconscious habits or emotions.
practise in programming the subconscious
mind with goals.
How Can The Seminar Be Applied?
The CALM Life Skills Seminar teaches about the 80% Psychological factor - using scientifically
proven and easy-to-use tools. Some of the benefits that you will
receive include:
- Be continuously focused and motivated.
- Set and achieve goals up to
8 times faster.
- Have high positive self-esteem and be confident in all communications.
- Build business (and personal) relationships that last for a lifetime.
- Interact more harmoniously with
fellow workers, and eradicate internal politics.
- Embrace change, and take on
new challenges without stress.
- Exceed their sales targets.
- Confidently look at 'failure' as a stepping stone to success.
- Achieve their personal best in sales presentations (including meetings, project planning
etc).
- Enhance their leadership abilities.
- Respond positively and effectively to difficult situations.
- Learn and recall from memory up to three times faster.
- Increase productivity without
stress.
How Effective Are These Techniques?
The best way I can answer that question is to let you see
what some graduates of my seminar have had to say. Their success
is the proof that these techniques
work!
These are the words of Brixious Donpaul, who is today a Super
Successful salesperson in the highly competitive field of Real
Estate:
"If
you want your salespeople to double their sales within six months
(I did it in four months), send them to a weekend Switch On
Success (SOS) seminar run by Sandy MacGregor of CALM. It was
the best investment I've ever made, and it's the best investment
you'll ever make. I'd read many books on sales and self-development,
and I'd been to numerous seminars. I've always been considered
a good salesperson, but it was the weekend SOS seminar in April
1997 that really brought it all together. The seminar has taken
all doubts out of my mind. It has given me a recipe to work
with, and the results speak for themselves."
Brixious Donpaul
Businessman Reg Wells had to borrow money to go to my SOS seminar
in August 1995. A short time afterwards, he sent me a brief
note.
Today, he is a highly successful Financial Planner with the
Chambers Investment Group in Perth. Since the seminar, success
has followed success - so much so that in April 1997, he was
able to purchase a 130 acre property, just 40 minutes from the
city, for $475,000. In September, he was interviewed by 'Miracle
Workers', a Melbourne based corporate weekly newsletter that
goes to 1500 CEOs Australia wide. Here's part of what Reg had
to say:
"My
business has absolutely rocketed over the past 3 months since
doing your SOS seminar.
I've been to a host of seminars - Anthony Robbins, Tom Hopkins,
John Keogh, Bob Proctor - I even went to the US and studied
NLP under Richard Bandler - all of which I found helpful but
not life changing. I went to a 'promo' of Sandy's seminar, and
his laid back style almost convinced me not to go, but then
I said, why not, I'm broke, what have I got to lose. As I look
back on it now, I'd hate to think where I'd be today, had I
not gone.
Sandy's seminar pulled it all together for me. Because he limits
the number of participants, you feel involved, and you soon
learn you're dealing with a genuine guy with a real life-improving
and life-changing message. For me it was the weekend that turned
my life around.
For the first time I came away with simple, easy-to-use and
scientifically proven techniques, that in less than two years
have taken me from flat broke to doing very, very well.
Three things have had the biggest impact on my phenomenal success.
Firstly, the system I learned for tapping into my own creativity.
Sandy's 'Creativity' tape is the cause of our tenfold growth
in less than two years. Secondly, the simple exercises for getting
my left and right brain constantly communicating with each other.
Whole brain learning I think it's called. Third is Sandy's fantastic
method that enables you to achieve your goals up to 8 times
faster. And I'm living proof that this works.
It's a condition of employment for each member of my team. I
pay for it, but everyone must go to Sandy's seminar. Every year
he comes back to Perth, I'll go for a refresher. He should be
charging ten times what he does for his seminars!"
Reg Wells, WA
So What is the Next Action Step that You Can Take?
CALM makes suggestions on how you can develop your skills in dealing with Improving Sales Performance using Sandy MacGregor's low cost Tapes, Books, CDs, Videos and Seminars which have been utilised by thousands of people successfully since 1990. [click here]