Posted on: 29 October, 2003
Author: Lynn Robinson, M.Ed.
Mark sits at his desk with his eyes closed, pen in ... deep in thought. Or is he dozing? ... ... to take a crucial first step in winning a new ... is on her way to se Mark sits at his desk with his eyes closed, pen in hand,apparently deep in thought. Or is he dozing? Actually, he'sabout to take a crucial first step in winning a new account.Holly is on her way to see a potential client when a flashof insight radically changes her strategy for the meeting.An hour later she has a contract for a six-figure accountplus a substantial signing bonus.Mark ponders and Holly has an ah-hah moment. Yet they'reboth doing the same thing - they're checking in with theirintuition before making a sales call. Why? They'vediscovered that the insights and promptings they get fromtheir "inner voices" can help them score more sales moreeasily than when they go it alone.Make Intuition Your Ally - Intuition is the secret weapon ofmany successful sales leaders. Ask them about it, though,and they're likely to describe it as "gut instinct." Soundfamiliar? Of course it does, because whether you admit it ornot, you're highly likely to have experienced it yourself,and just as likely to have ignored its messages.The fact is, everyone receives intuitive information. It'sboth a gift and a skill, and the more you practice it thebetter you get at it. How does your intuition speak to you?Do you receive information in words, feelings, a flash ofinsight, a gut reaction? Do you simply just know? Roy Rowan,author of a study on intuition, said, "This feeling, thislittle whisper from deep inside your brain, may contain farmore information - both facts and impressions - than you'relikely to obtain from hours of analyzing data."Ask Your Intuition Questions - My friend Mark, who you metat the beginning of this article, is a national sales leaderin his industry. When I asked him how he explains hissuccess he told me that before he meets with a client heasks his intuition a series of questions such as, "What do Ineed to know about this company?" "What is the best way toapproach the decision maker?" "What should I know about whoI'm competing against for this sale?" "What can I do to winthis account?" He sits with pen in hand and quiets histhoughts. The answers come to him as he writes. Mark'scompetition scratches their heads.Keep Your "Inner Sales Person" Positive - Pay attention towhat you tell yourself about your sales prospects and yourlife. If your "self-talk" is positive and optimistic yourpersonal and business life will reflect that. Try a simpleexperiment. Close your eyes and say the following toyourself for about 30 seconds: "I'll never get ahead. I'mnot good at sales. I won't make my quota this month." How doyou feel? Depressed? Demoralized? Hopeless?Now do the same experiment and focus on these statements:"Things have a way of working out." "I'm learning some newskills and things are beginning to change for me." "TodayI'll take steps that will open up opportunities for moreincome." Now how do you feel? Hopeful? Optimistic? Moreconfident? When you're in this state it's much easier foryou to be open to intuitive messages pointing you to avenuesof increased prosperity.Know Your Gut, Know Your Client - Successfully making thesale requires that you process hundreds of pieces ofinformation subconsciously. You must develop and trust yourability to use your intuition to read between the lines. Doyou press a client for the sale, or do you back off andwait? Are they motivated by the lowest price you can offeror is the quality of your product or service the primeimpetus for buying from you? Many times, logic and analysiswill provide that information. On other occasions, your gutfeelings or instincts - your intuition - will provide theanswers.Use the Power of Silence - As any good salesperson will tellyou, "Sometimes the best thing to do is 'shut up.'" Butthere are times when you also need to silence your mind toreceive valuable intuitive insight. When you need helpmaking a decision - pause - take a deep breath, reflect onthe question and allow the intuitive impressions to come toyou. Intuition is often described as "still and quiet." Itdoesn't usually answer in a big, booming voice. It is muchsubtler. Pay attention to any images you receive, words youhear, physical sensations you experience or emotions youfeel. These are all ways that intuition will communicatewith you. Write down any impressions you receive. Somepeople find that intuitive insights will pop into their mindimmediately. For others, it may come later in the day whenthey least expect it.Make Your Enthusiasm Work for You - Intuition oftencommunicates its message through passion and excitement. Theroot of the word enthusiasm comes from the Greek, entheos.It literally means, "God within." If a sales strategy ordecision leaves you feeling drained or bored, that's a clearmessage from your "inner guidance" saying, "Don't go there."Conversely, if you feel energized and enthusiastic, yourintuition is giving you the green light to continue withyour plan of action.Envision Your Success - Spend time each day imagining yourideal life. Envision the details of that life. Imagine youare living it now. What are you wearing? What are youfeeling? Who are the people around you? We are often quiteclear about what we don't want. The path to success comesfrom spending time thinking about what you do want. Whatdoes an ideal day, month or year look like to you? Beingclear about what you want is often the first step in beingable to create it. Successful people visualize their goalsand dreams. Your intuition can help you achieve success whenyou know what you want to achieve.Write it Down - Many people have great success receivingintuitive information through writing. This technique issimilar to brainstorming. Write a series of questions aboutyour choices. Suppose you have to make a decision to fill aposition in your company. You might write, "If I hire Marywill the company's sales increase?" "If I hire her will thisbe a positive choice? "What are her strengths?" "What areher weaknesses?" When you've completed your questions, writethe answers quickly just as they come to you. Repeat yourintuitive Q&A about each potential employee and then assessthe results.Take the time, make the sale - Be sure to set aside time toroutinely check in with your intuition. It won't be longbefore you'll be experiencing faster, stronger and moreaccurate insights. Though intuition can be described as asecret weapon, there's no big secret about how to use it.Follow the suggestions I've outlined above, and begin now toenjoy the rewards of this powerful competitive advantage.© 2003 Lynn Robinson, M.Ed. All rights reserved in allmedia.-- Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com