Having the right entrepreneurial sales mindset is one of the most important parts of success.
Everyone knows that you need a solid business strategy to create the success that you want. But winning in business is about more than just strategic action steps.
You can have the snappiest website, optimize your Social Media posts according to Facebook’s latest whim, and have the ultimate sales funnel. But if your head isn’t in the game, no strategy can cover the gap.
Don’t start with trying to perfect your tagline. Start by asking yourself if you believe that you are worthy and able to achieve the success that you desire. Listen to how that voice in your head answers. Then ask yourself if your mind is on your side.
I’m talking about a powerful entrepreneurial sales mindset. And my friends, having it in place determines how you’ll perceive successes, failures, and most of all, YOURSELF.
My friend and Master Sales Strategist Shameca Tankerson remembers how she first noticed this truth when working with her clients.
“One of the things I recognized was that it didn’t matter how much sales strategy I gave my clients. Their real problems had to do with limiting beliefs.” she shared.
That’s what made Shameca shift her practice from providing strictly strategy to helping create massive mindset shifts. And her business has never been the same since.
Rocking your business top line growth is more than just having the perfect sales script. It’s taking on your beliefs, tapping into your personal power, and shifting how you show up in the world.
At the end of the day, YOU are your business. It’s critical to make sure that you are your biggest supporter, cheerleader, and coach. And getting your mind on board is where it all begins.
That is the power of a positive sales mindset.
But what does “positive sales mindset” mean, anyway? Is it just positive self-talk, or is there more to it than that?
Shameca shared a story about a time that she looked like she had it all together on the outside, but on the inside, the story was significantly different. It was a moment when “mindset” took on a whole new meaning for her.
“What was happening was on the outside. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna go get this client, I got this great lead!’ And on the inside it was like, ‘They’re gonna know I’m a fraud. They’re gonna know I lost everything. And how can I help them if I can’t help myself?’”
This internal dialogue came up every time she had a sales conversation. And no matter how promising they sounded, the results were always the same. The client said, “Thanks but no thanks.”
The common denominator was clear. Was she doing something wrong? Or was there just disagreement between the person she wanted to be and the person she believed that she was?
“I started working with a mindset coach. Somebody who helped me walk through some of the internal dialogue I was having with myself.” says Shameca.
What did she learn about the voices in her head?
“I thought the stories in my head were valid ones. I thought they were truths. And they were my truths at the time…but they were not THE truth.”
Your mind loves to tell you stories. But those stories don’t always love you back.
Let me share a secret with you: your prospects and clients know when you’re not 100% behind your own cause. Everyone projects what they think and believe, no matter what they say.
If you’re telling a prospect what they could achieve in working with you but you secretly doubt your ability to get that client results, guess what happens?
They’d never tell you. Perhaps they don’t even know themselves. But they will sense that you have doubts. It’s not what you’re saying but who you’re being in the conversation that sends those red flags.
That translates into hearing things from potential clients like “I can’t afford it.” Or, “It’s not the right time.”
Those red flags are your negative self-talk and the stories that those voices creates. And your prospects can hear them loud and clear.
Some of those stories might have come from failures that still stir up fear, doubt, and shame. Unfortunately, these are frequently the stories that your mind puts on autopilot.
But there is good news. You can reframe old incidents, drop your judgment, and recreate any story at any time. If you become aware of your stories, you can decide for yourself if you want to keep telling them. Or not.
My last company, FITzee Foods, shut down for good about a year ago. No question, it was a devastating experience. I could’ve chosen to bury that failure in the past. I could’ve constantly worried that someone would find out that my grandest business went down in flames, and I had done everything I could to avoid facing that experience.
Instead, I decided to give that story a new title: “My Two-Million Dollar MBA Program.”
The experience that I had with that business, from pitching major retailers to appearing on Shark Tank, taught me what no education ever could have. There is not an MBA program on the planet that could have taught me more about running a business than that massive meltdown did.
After the disappointment subsided, that silver lining became clear. From there I started telling a new story AND found a new mission: to teach others what I learned, help them avoid the same mistakes I made, and encourage them to keep going after their business dreams no matter what happens.
That’s how The Pitch Queen was born!
Shameca learned to put the same spin on her business misadventures. “The things that I thought I was ashamed of, like losing my business, actually made me more valuable. I’m a different person because of what I went through. I wouldn’t be able to help my clients play a bigger game and transform their lives if I hadn’t gone through all that first,” She shared.
Reframing your failures as steps on the pathway to success is the cornerstone of an entrepreneurial sales mindset. It’s changing the way you define success and failure. In fact, just a slight shift in perception is the difference between a deflating story that keeps you stuck and an empowering mindset that sets you free and helps you increase your sales by helping more clients!
So what do you do when you hit a snag in your business and everything looks like it’s falling apart? How do you put the power of positive mindset into action for yourself right away?
Take a step back, refocus, and remember that things happen in life FOR you and not TO you. And that somewhere in what looks like a massive meltdown there is a genuine lesson.
“There’s a misnomer that if you try NOT to make mistakes, somehow everything’s going to be perfect,” says Shameca. “But it’s about understanding that failure is part of the process. It doesn’t mean I’m wrong or that something is wrong with me. Or that I don’t know what I’m doing. It just means there was a lesson in that failure.”
And when it comes to perfection, Shameca says it best:
“Perfection is a lie. It’s FEAR masquerading as perfection.”
When mistakes happen, you have two choices. You can focus on the failure, stay stuck in that moment, and create a story in your head about why it means that you’re the world’s biggest loser.
OR you can feel what you feel, then take a step back and find the lesson in the madness.
What happens when you decide to focus on the negative self-talk? You reaffirm in your brain both the negative feeling and the negative emotion behind it. Which only reinforces that fear and apprehension about getting back in the game.
But if instead, you choose to make every situation a win, you’ll see a brand new scenario. You’ll see that forest for the trees and glean the lesson you were intended to learn. And you’ll grow into a wiser and more empowered version of yourself.
Which one sounds like a more fun pathway to you?
I’m not saying that a positive sales mindset will prevent all future disappointments. But you will recover from setbacks more quickly. You’ll get to the point of the failure with more clarity, and be able to use that knowledge to help yourself and help others a lot sooner.
Most of all, you’ll learn to trust in your own value. And you’ll feel more secure in the person you are.
When you turn that negative self-talk into positive lessons, another unexpected benefit kicks in, too.
You’ll start to treat yourself with more respect, kindness, and love. And by treating yourself that way, you’re teaching others how to treat you. You’re letting the world know that you are the real deal, and you’re 100% deserving of all that you desire in business and in life.
Feeling worthy isn’t about arrogance. It’s about self-love. When you feel deserving, that self-respect radiates outward. And when people see your confidence and happiness, you’ll start to notice a change in the outcomes of your sales conversations, too!
It’s all about mastering your sales mindset. But it doesn’t just happen at the drop of a hat! It takes work, commitment, and time. The good news is that you can get it all started with just a few simple tweaks!
It doesn’t require elaborate rituals. You don’t have to commit to a or a major life overhaul. All you need is to implement a few simple yet powerful habits designed to build a powerful you from the inside out!
What habits do Shameca and I recommend for creating an entrepreneurial sales mindset that sets the foundation for your ultimate success? Let us share our decades of experience with you!
Check out this video and join us for our brand new FREE Mini-Course, “3 Power Practices To Create A Kickass Entrepreneurial Sales Mindset” and get your mind-mojo going starting TODAY!
