You Are What You Eat - And Think!

If you eat junk food for every meal and live a sedentary lifestyle, it won’t take long for you to become unhealthy. In the same way, if you feed your brain junk food (TV, Internet, etc.) and it lives a sedentary lifestyle (no reading, thinking negative thoughts, etc.) your mental state will also become unhealthy. You need to be vigilant about the kind of information that you consume, what you think about, and the company that you keep in order to be successful. This is not a new thought.

Over 50 years ago, Earl Nightingale produced the first spoken-word record, “The Strangest Secret”. Click HERE to listen to the recording. In a nutshell, Nightingale explains that you become what you think about. And, it’s up to you to decide what you think about – nobody can control that – only you. And, what you think about is a function of what you read, see, listen-to, etc. If you are not a careful consumer, what you allow your mind to take in can have a negative impact on your sales results.

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As a seller it is important to keep a positive mental outlook. After all, I once heard that sales is 90% disappointment and 10% ecstasy. Those are pretty depressing odds! So keeping a positive mental attitude with clear goals in mind is critical to your success. Likewise, keeping negative thoughts at bay can be a challenge but it is a necessary part of your overall mental health - and ultimately your success as a sales person.

So how do you take proactive measures to keep negative thoughts at bay? It can take some work and you need to be vigilant. Start by repelling those subtle negative thoughts that creep in to your every day conversations. Call someone on a Monday and ask how they’re doing. They will probably say something like “Not bad for a Monday.” Is that a positive statement or a negative one? How do you react to that? Or what about those responses to “How’s it going today?” You may hear something like “Just getting by”, or “Hanging in there.” Again, subtle, but negative responses. Are those your responses? Can you replace them with something more positive? Worse yet, are those the kind of responses that you give a customer or prospect?

Years ago I was a new sales VP at a software company. I started hanging out with a really great group of guys at the office. I was lucky enough to join their lunch group. But over time, they started getting to me. They were constantly complaining about the company and its leadership, the products, services, etc. It was a very negative experience. I quit going to lunch with them. I just couldn’t handle the negativity. What kind of people are you hanging out with? What kind of conversations are you having with them? Misery really does love company! What kind of company are you keeping?

Here’s one very simple way to make sure that you are constantly reminded about your own positive thoughts. Change your passwords! That’s right, make them something positive. If you are like most sales reps, you have multiple systems that you access every day – CRM, email, ERP, online banking, etc. What do those passwords say about you? Are they all about sports, family names or pet names? Change them to something meaningful with a positive influence. Then you will be reminded several times a day what you are working towards. Here are a few ideas:

Play2Win

SellMore1

PrezClub1

TopSeller

1SelllerMe

2TheTop

TopTeam1

The combinations are nearly endless.

Changing your passwords may represent a very subtle shift in thinking, but something that you can start your day with, reminding you to maintain a positive outlook. And, it can be a small step towards managing your personal outlook to a more positive tone, and that is a good thing for any seller. Become more vigilant about the kind of conversations you are having. Notice the negativity and begin rooting it out of your work life. Replace it (or them) with something more positive.

Selling is a hard business. Why make it harder with negative thoughts? Take a few minutes and listen to the timeless recording by Earl Nightingale and start working today towards keeping your thoughts positive and focused toward your goals.

After all, you really do become what you think about.