The Miami Heat had a challenging and successful run for the NBA championship. And in their success, all of us who observed the series could certainly sense and feel the practices of a champion. Relentless effort, unstoppable drive, and an unyielding competitive will to win can certainly describe their recipe for success.
Essential to their journey was the “change in mindset” which the team exhibited since last year’s run for the championship.
There are some strong analogies here for sales pros. If you genuinely want to be a top producer, you will also need to cultivate a change in mindset. In sales, mindsets are important, as they reflect how top producers THINK – how they approach their work with customers….how they “see” things. Our upcoming book, The 12 Mindsets of a Rainmaker, explores these different mindsets and as we have done with previous posts, we will highlight brief overviews of some of these mindsets.
We covered the Listening mindset in the most recent post, today we will highlight what our research affirms is one of the most important mindsets in selling – the Achievement mindset – which certainly aligns with the pursuit strategies of this year’s NBA champions.
The Achievement Mindset
Your beliefs, how you think and then how you act drive performance. It is obvious that one trait will not make you successful. Yet in sales, having an ACHIEVEMENT orientation and bias is essential.
Let’s take a look at two of the most important elements of the Achievement mindset
Intensely Goal Driven – Over and over again, top producers are fanatical about having goals that are clear and inspiring. They don’t establish hundreds of goals, but instead focus on the 1-3 goals that will propel their behaviors. Goals establish a worthy target. Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great, introduced the acronym “BHAG” or a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Goals need to be audacious in that they encourage you to strive. They also induce personal accountability, and when you are accountable to yourself, the journey has more meaning and impact
Desire and Will to Win – The foundation of the Achievement mindset is desire and a will to win. The Miami Heat’s burning desire to win was evident all season. And when they faced the fiercest competition in the stretch, it was their level of desire that made the difference. Desire is the engine that propels success.
We see this mindset all the time in top producers. I remember one rep who was having his best year, and in fact was 3rd in the country out of a sales force of over 100 sellers. Three weeks before year end closing, he happened to announce to one of his good friends and a perennial top producer, that there was a good chance the he would overtake him. His good friend, a true Rainmaker, simply said – “it isn’t over until it is over.” We all know the end of the story – the top producer’s insatiable will to win propelled him over the top.
So….what type of Achievement mindset have you cultivated? If yours or your team’s needs polish, then a good way to start is by establishing your big hairy audacious goal. Keep that goal in front of you EVERY DAY. Stare at it, look at it, visualize it – and in time, it WILL help you build that intense desire and personal accountability – the hallmarks of a champion.
Think about it.