We all know that a habit is something we do repeatedly, often without thinking about it. How do we get good at anything but to learn the skills so well that the performance is all but automatic? If we look at highly skilled individuals in any area of endeavor, we can say that they go about their business in an almost automatic manner. One of my colleagues, Bill Walsh of Powerteam International, refers to it as "unconscious competence". So what does neuroscience contribute to inform us about helpful habits of highly skilled sales producers? There are three habits which stand out:
1. Focus:
Focus is a powerful strategy for sales personnel. Most people have limited attention span. To help your sales force, you can prevail by teaching them the importance of being present and focused. Multitasking really does not work. As in any endeavor, this is particularly true when a salesperson is learning a new skill or attitude. It has to do with how the brain works.
The frontal cortex, often referred to as the executive area, is involved with learning new information. This part of your brain can only concentrate on one thing at a time. Just think about what you see when you watch professional athletes on the field. They do not text or email but rather focus on execution of their skills (habits). Top sales personnel, like top athletes, know that focus is needed in order to execute the sales program.
Sometimes, managers fall short on modeling focused behavior. During a meeting, they are often the first ones to pull out their smart phone to check messages. I remember that I had a manager once who spent so much time on her phone during meetings she chaired that occasionally she had no idea about what we were speaking. I felt embarrassed for her for the example she was setting with lack of focus. The irony is that these managers often complain about the lack of focus of their team members when they themselves model the wrong behaviors.
2. Practice
I often have heard people say to successful persons, "You're so lucky". Actually, what they don't see are the hours, days, months, and years of hard work, dedication, and practice that went into the success they've achieved.
So what's the neuroscience of practice? You are born with billions of neurons. Each one of these neurons has the ability to make tens of thousands of connections, called synapses. Continued connections become a neural pathway often referred to as a reverberating neural circuit. Think of it as hard wiring.
When you practice, you form new circuits in your brain that can be easily accessed. These new networks get stored in an area of the brain called the basil ganglia.
Knowledge stored in the basil ganglia is recalled without much thought or effort. Here is where the "unconscious competence" comes into play. If, for example, a prospect asks a tough question, the "practiced" or "unconsciously competent" sales representative delivers a response without hesitation. They are not spending time trying to think of what they should say or do.
3. Delayed Gratification
This is a skill defined as the ability to put in the work to get the reward. Too often, sales personnel are taught to expect sales success without putting in the time or work. Think of service before reward. Building referral partners through seeing how you can serve them is a strategy that produces good relationships. The result is shorter sales cycles and increased close ratios. Many sales personnel do not implement this strategy well because it takes time to build a relationship. The ability to defer gratification and inhibit impulses also is found in an area of the frontal lobe, just like the concept of focus we discussed earlier.
Successful sales personnel develop the habit of giving/serving in order to build relationships. This might be giving a referral, inviting your partner to events, presenting at their event for free with no selling, and educating them on how and why you do business. Put aside your need for instant gratification and do the work in order to earn the reward.
Control the power of your brain. Focus, practice and develop delayed gratification skills. These are three simple but time honored habits that will help achieve extraordinary sales results.