American former professional boxer. Widely considered one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of sport. One of the most recognized sportsmen of all time. Recently he passed away, but left great learnings and approach that should be a motivation for all of us. This is a post inspired by and dedicated to one of the greatest people of all time. Today, Muhammad Ali will teach you, sales folks, how to be successful in your own sales ring!<\/p>\n
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This is a guest post by Emilia Mosiewicz\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Sales Director at\u00a0LiveChat<\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Muhammad is known for his great boxing, sense of humour, honesty, and \u2026 a delightful wiggle dance in the ring. He was constantly moving, jumping, and circling opponents, holding his hands low and lashing out with a quick left punch that he threw from unpredictable angles. He created his own unique style that helped him win 56 of 61 fights. <\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to sales<\/a>, there is no opponent and fight, but there is a challenge. If you want to win repeatably \u2013 you have to create your own exceptional style. You can do it by providing better sales<\/span> experience than your customers are used to, or by creating a unique way of presenting them your service. Think differently, beat others\u2019 performance to the punch \u2013 that way you’ll always be two steps ahead of your competition. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Muhammad faced many talented opponents in his career. In every interview after a successful fight, he never admitted to feeling any fear \u2013 quite the opposite \u2013 he loved to recount what had been happening inside his head during the fight, and how strong he had felt. He used to speak about himself in superlatives and then add<\/span> \u201cIt\u2019s not bragging if you can back it up\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n In sales<\/span>, just like in the ring, confidence is a must. Your customers won\u2019t put trust in you and your product if you don\u2019t feel confident enough while presenting it. You can develop your confidence by becoming a product expert <\/span>(learning everything about it)<\/span>, having a 10-minute meditation session before a meeting <\/span>(<\/span><\/i>ex. using\u00a0Headspace<\/a> app), <\/span><\/i>or simply working on a slightly slower pitch.<\/span><\/p>\n Whenever we are nervous, we tend to speak faster. To avoid getting lost in it, imagine that your client is a young student and you are a teacher. Speak clearly and encourage your prospect to ask questions. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most famous Muhammad\u2019s quotes is: <\/span>\u201cImpossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n If you limit yourself with the assumptions that your product can\u2019t be sold at a higher price, or you can\u2019t close more than X clients per month, or this type of a client would never buy your product \u2013<\/span> stop doing that. Whatever you put your mind into \u2013<\/span> you can succeed. If a certain\u00a0approach doesn\u2019t work \u2013 pivot, change the approach.<\/p>\n The difference between people that achieve the impossible and the ones that don\u2019t, is that the latter\u00a0keep repeating the same vision. Change your vision, look into your sales<\/span> approach from many different angles in order to find a perfect attitude, and achieve what others perceive as unreachable.<\/span><\/p>\n Ali once said: <\/span>\u201dYou can\u2019t plan a fight. You just have to get your tools ready. Like an astronaut before going into space, who pretends that something happened to the ship, so when it does \u2013 he is prepared for anything.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n1) Think different<\/h2>\n
2) Have confidence<\/h2>\n
3) Have a bigger vision<\/h2>\n
4) Be prepared to roll with the punches<\/h2>\n