Much of this book focuses on the mechanics of prospecting: what to do and how to do it. Really, though, none of that matters unless you possess the most important part: the mental ability. This is the desire to work and succeed, the self-motivation that drives you, confidence in yourself, and a positive attitude.

We could hand this book to people off the street to equip them with the processes and techniques for sales success. However, most would fail, since they probably could not handle the head part of the game. Conversely, I’ve seen some people who weren’t necessarily blessed with the highest levels of intelligence and communication skills, yet were wildly successful salespeople. But they all shared one even more important characteristic: the desire to succeed, which translated into doing whatever it took to reach their goals.

The mental aspect of selling—and of life, for that matter—is a choice. You decide what type of results you will get each and every day based on your outlook on life, what you believe. According to my friend, motivation and achievement expert Dr. Alan Zimmerman:

Beliefs are like filters. When you observe life through a particular filter, you can only receive certain information. The rest is unavailable. It’s like having your TV tuned to NBC. You’re not going to see any shows on CBS, no matter how hard you try. If you don’t like how things are going, if you don’t like how you’re feeling, change the channel.

(Subscribe to his free Tuesday Email Tip at www.drzimmerman .com)

I must admit that I am a motivational information junkie. I’ve purchased countless online courses, and have been—and still go—to the seminars and rallies. For the past year I’ve been in transformational expert Jim Fortin’s coaching program, which I highly recommend, along with his podcast (JimFortin.com).

And if I fall into a slump or a rut, the way all humans do occasionally, I’ll stop and review the thinking that is causing the funk. Then I’ll review the materials in my motivation and inspiration library, and snap myself out of it. It’s almost magical how filling your mind with this information can quickly pull you up.

What I find sad, however, are what I call the cynics and skeptics—the people who make fun of motivational and self-development opportunities. They’ve seen it all before. And there’s one more word used to describe most of them: miserable.

Just like their negativity toward self-improvement, that feeling bleeds into every area of their lives. They find fault with just about everything and everyone they view through their mud-colored glasses.

If you have more than a few people in your office, you probably work with one or more of these cynics and skeptics. My advice: Avoid them. Their joy comes from making others depressed, which can be fatal for your attitude and Smart Calling achievement.

To be truly successful in your Smart Calling, you do need to possess the proper mental mind-set, and because of all the potential negativity you will encounter on the phone, you must be proactive about it. I can’t motivate you. Your boss can’t motivate you. Only you can motivate you. To help you do that, I’ll share some useful information on motivation, attitude, and achievement. In more than 30 years of studying successful salespeople—and people in general—I have found definite patterns and behaviors. I’m confident you will find some ideas in this chapter that will positively affect your attitude—that is, if you want it to.

To Do, We First Need to Be

We’ve all been to motivational programs where we got all jazzed up with intentions of doing great things. But then, more often than not, we returned to our regular lives, and old habits—and old results.

Why? One very important principle I’ve learned from Jim Fortin, is that most people work from a flawed model, which is “Have–Do–Be.” Meaning, they want to have something (success, money, weight loss), then they think about doing some action, so they then can be that successful, or healthy person.

The problem is, if we don’t see ourselves first as the successful or healthy people (the BE-ing), we won’t consistently DO what it takes. If you don’t first see yourself BEing a person who is a successful Smart Caller, who confidently and consistently makes calling a part of your daily ritual, it is doubtful that you will do it regularly. Especially when the going gets tough. Therefore, Jim says, you must first transform your BEing.

I’ll give you another example. At the gym this morning I saw the same familiar faces I regularly see between 4:45 and 6:00 a.m. every weekday. Most I’ve seen for a few years. Here’s who I didn’t see: The people who showed up the first week of January, then gradually stopped coming.

For the regulars, it is who we are. Consequently, it’s what we do. It’s a non-negotiable part of life. If I don’t feel like it, I go anyway. If I’m a bit sore, I go anyway. If I’m on the road with a busy day ahead, I figure out a way. If I wake up and the bed is feeling really really good, and I’m rationalizing, “Well … I already went three times this week,” I remind myself that excuses breed mediocrity and downsliding. Then I go.

Everything I just wrote about going to the gym could be substituted with picking up the phone and prospecting (if that is what you want to BE). No amount of training, techniques, or reading motivational memes will help, unless and until you ARE the person who then puts in the activity. That’s non-negotiable. Then it is interesting how everything else flows from that.

Here’s a great question to get you started with transforming your being (if you are not where you want to be): What are the characteristics of the person who already is getting the results that I desire?

Begin adopting those traits as part of your being a successful Smart Caller.

Never Get Rejected Again

In Chapter 5 we discussed how having a secondary objective means never being rejected. Since fear of rejection is probably the largest issue hindering prospecting success, let’s dive into it a bit deeper.

Those of us who have endured and prospered in the sales and prospecting game have undoubtedly taken our share of beatings. But we have always found a way to insulate ourselves from the endless barrage of nos and bounce back. As we’ve already discussed, you are rejected only if you think you are.

Steve Klayman said that with nos he takes the approach“This isn’t bad. It’s just different.” And that tells him he needs to adjust in order to handle it successfully. When you drill deep, nothing is good or bad on its own. It is only what you THINK it is.

Everything that happens is just a thing.

Jim Fortin says nothing has meaning until you give it meaning. Do you think you were rejected? Then, of course you were. Do you think that at least you got a decision, so you don’t need to waste more time with them any further but that you kept the door open in case things change? Then, of course that is what happened. Those two interpretations could describe the EXACT same situation.

Here are instances of how I’ve seen rejected reps handle everyday situations and taint them with self-defeating thoughts and actions, contrasted with how successful reps—achievers—constantly reach new heights and avoid what most people call rejection.

• Rejected Rep: Burns through calls, hearing no after no, and slams the phone down after each—ending each call negatively.
• Successful Rep: Accomplishes something on every call, even if it’s not the primary objective. Even if she fails to make a sale or appointment, she always has a fallback position, something she can accomplish on every call, even if it’s as minor as getting agreement to leave the door open for the future. A success, regardless how minor, means no rejection.
• Rejected Rep: Lets the no answers pull his attitude down.
• Successful Rep: Accepts the fact that he will get nos and move on. Judges success based on attempts, not just the yes answers.
• Rejected Rep: Associates a no with who she is as a person.
• Successful Rep: Doesn’t take it personally. Realizes that it is not her they are rejecting. Recognizes that the prospect or customer simply did not have an immediate perceived need and that this could change someday.
• Rejected Rep: Mopes around after a no call or, worse, avoids the next call.
• Successful Rep: Realizes the last call he made has absolutely no bearing on the next one. The fact that he did not meet his primary objective on the previous call does not affect his attitude or presentation on the ensuing one. After he has dissected the previous call, he moves on and doesn’t dwell on it. Instead, he wipes any negative thoughts from memory. He realizes his biggest sale ever could take place the next time he punches the keypad—and is always prepared.

Overcoming the Fear of Calling

Have you ever scrolled through your contacts while planning your day, stopped at one particular lead or account, got that sinking thud in your heart, and then … bypassed it—again?

If so, you’re not alone. Many of us can trace this reluctance to fear: fear we’ll get blown off the phone, that we’ll sound like a jabbering fool to this intimidating prospect, that we won’t know the answers to his questions—fear of anything, for that matter. And if we do manage to muster enough courage to place the call while in this state of mind—isn’t it interesting how often our fears become reality?

I was talking to a sales pro who was struggling with just picking up the phone. She believed in her product and was personally sold on the value it delivered—which was much more than the price. She has also invested in herself and her skills and is fairly proficient in the Smart Calling process. She’s fairly new to prospecting but has lots of experience working with customers.

So what was the problem? She was too attached to the outcomes of calls. If you do that, you are destined to roll up into the fetal position and crawl under the covers. You WILL get nos. So what. Who cares? Move on.

And, don’t be desperate to get the next deal. That is a certain repellent.

Instead, be attached to the process, and your activity. THOSE are the things you control. The results follow. Be attached to WHO you are, as I discussed earlier. You need to BE that. For example, “I am a committed, top-producing sales pro who helps thousands of people.”

Finally, you need to be attached to what you really VALUE. For example, perhaps earning at a high level can help you provide the lifestyle you really want for you and your family. Never let the thought of a “no” be bigger than what you value and who you are.

If this resonates with you—like it did with the sales pro I mentioned—re-read it. Apply it to yourself. And take that action. Just place the call.

Remember the Wins, Forget the Losses

I was interviewed about prospecting by a business news and training site, and the host mentioned how it probably is necessary that callers need to forget about the times when they don’t achieve their objective, and focus more on their successes.

Precisely. Too many reps beat themselves up about, and dwell on, the nos. This only hinders us on the next attempt. I told the host, “We need to treat our results like most gamblers do. They always will talk about their wins, but they don’t dwell on the losses.”

Size Does Matter as It Relates to Your Thinking

Why do some people consistently produce at high levels, get bigger results, and make more money? Because that’s what they expect of themselves, and this translates into bigger action.

Big thinkers don’t want to perform just well enough to meet quota; they anticipate blowing their numbers away and consistently earning more money and exceeding results like never before. It’s quite simple, really. Think large, and actions and success follow, and the same is true with small thinking. The good news is that you’re in control. Let’s look at specific ways that big thinking translates into action and big results in your Smart Calling.

Change the Stories You Tell Yourself

Pretty much everything we are and will achieve is the result of the stories we tell ourselves. Both positive and negative. You think you are not good at something? That is a made-up story that hinders you.

You believe you are excellent at something? That is a positive story that drives you.

Here’s a quick exercise to help with your Smart Calling:

1. What false story do you tell yourself that prevents you from putting in the activity you know you need to—in any area—therefore hindering the massive success you desire?
2. What new, positive story can you replace that with?

1. Example  “I am not confident targeting the higher level decision makers in companies because I feel I am not at their level.”
2. “I am an expert in my product/service, and I am confident in the value we deliver, which is what the buyers at the higher levels want. Their title or position does not intimidate me.”

Will You Go for the Big Jump?

At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Eric Bergoust, an American, was the defending Olympic champion and the odds-on favorite in the freestyle aerial ski jumping. He seemed to have it clinched—except for the fact that Ales Valenta of the Czech Republic crashed the party by nailing an unheard-of quintuple-twisting, triple backflip on his last jump.

Bergoust was the final jumper. His jump would determine gold, silver, and bronze in the Olympic freestyle aerials, and it had to be as good as or better than Valenta’s. In his mind, his options were win or lose. First or last. All or nothing.

Staring down the hill, Bergoust knew he had to go for it in order to win. He glided down the mountain, raising his left hand as he approached the ramp for takeoff. To the untrained eye, the jump looked good. But the excess speed made him fly too high and rotate too fast. When he stuck his arms out to his side to slow down the twists, he didn’t slow as fast as he needed. He fell back upon landing. In an instant, snow sprayed like it was shooting from a snowblower—and the defending Olympic champion finished dead last.

But Bergoust had no regrets. “I really had to risk it,” he said. “I’m glad I didn’t go out there and go conservative and finish fourth. I wanted to get the gold or last, and I got last. And sometimes when you risk it, it doesn’t work.”

Just think of how many times salespeople have opportunities to speed down the hill, laugh at danger, and go for the triple-flip twist. Now think of how many times they take the safe, easy route by not making the tough call, not going after the big prospect, or not calling at a high enough level within a company.

Are you willing to take risks and go for the big jump? You will always be glad you did because the risks you regret the most are the ones you don’t take.

Sell More by Being a Kid

I’ll finish up this section with perhaps the easiest way to be motivated and show success in your Smart Calling: Regress a few years and be a kid again. All kids are born salespeople, but what happens when they grow up is that many lose the attitudes and behaviors that make kids great salespeople. Here’s why we should be more like them.