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What Is A Growth Mindset in Sales? Why do you need a growth mindset in sales?

Have you ever noticed that some people seem always to be happy, no matter what is happening in their lives? Or that some people seem to walk around under a cloud of doom and ongoing catastrophe? Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” And this pretty much sums up how mindset works. Those that believe they will succeed are more likely to, while those that think they will fail are destined to fulfill that prophecy. 

What else will be covered in this podcast:

What Does “Growth Mindset” Really Mean?

The Benefits of Growth-Oriented Thinking

Fixed Versus Growth Mindset

What is a Growth Mindset?

The Difference Between Fixed and Growth Attitudes

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There is no shame in making mistakes. We all do it. It is part of being human and living. So, you can’t expect yourself or anyone else to be perfect. But what is bad is when you make a mistake, and you do not take any of the lessons you could have learned from that experience and apply it to your life now. Not learning from mistakes, making the same errors over and over, and ignoring the opportunity to learn from your missteps are crucial problems for anyone. So, how exactly should you learn from your mistakes? Here is a step-by-step guide to analyzing your setbacks. 

Step 1. Recognize and Accept that You Messed Up

Step 2. Look for Possible Causes 

Step 3: Look for the Mismatch

Step 4: Evaluate Yourself as an Outsider

Step 5: Gather Information About What to Do Next

Step 6: Apply What You Learned to a New Plan

How can you use everything you have learned in this process moving forward? What will you do in a similar situation in the future? How are you working to fix poor habits that contributed to the problem? What perspectives have you gained that will allow you to look differently at similar problems next time? What action are you going to take to apply your new learning to make up for your error or to prevent future difficulties? 

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Your mindset controls how you view yourself, others, and the world. It manages your ability to grow and change in sales, whether you realize your dreams, and how you control your sales career and destiny. Your mindset determines whether you develop throughout your career in sales or if you remain fixed in your development and traits. Adopting a growth mindset is one of the most positive things you can do for yourself, but what exactly are the benefits of taking this outlook? Here are just a few. 

Growth Thinking Boosts Your Confidence

Growth Strengthens Your Relationships

You Will Gain Better Insight into Yourself Through Growth Thinking

You Can Have More Fun in Sales with a Growth Mindset

Growth Thinking Helps You Let Go of Perfectionism

You Can Reframe Setbacks and Challenges

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Those with a growth mindset tend to take more risks in sales, embrace feedback from others, and value the process over the end result, as they understand that critical learning and development typically takes place during the process. Meanwhile, those with a fixed mindset tend to stray away from risks, perceive feedback from others as negative, and place more significance on the final product as opposed to the process. 

Why does any of this matter, you may be asking yourself? It matters because the type of mindset one carries significantly shapes the potential one reaches within their career in sales. While there are various negative impacts a fixed mindset can have, this podcast outlines five specific limitations of a fixed mindset.

Low Self-Esteem & Depression

Inability to Cope with Change

Complacency and Mediocracy

Decreased Self-Awareness

 Stagnation 

Research suggests that the implications of a fixed mindset are increasingly negative. The limitations one imposes upon themselves by rejecting the notion that there is an ability to grow and learn are great. Thus, embracing a growth mindset in sales seems to be the best way to ensure continual progression and development in sales and life. 

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In sales, we learn lessons from many different situations, customers, and circumstances. Think back to some of the most lasting or impressionable lessons you have learned. Are any of these lessons from less-than-positive situations? Have you ever learned something valuable from doing something dumb or making the wrong choice? These types of life lessons are often the most helpful and come from what our mistakes and failures can teach us. These are five of the most powerful lessons you can learn from these types of situations. 

#1. You Can Learn More About Yourself

#2. You Can Become Stronger and More Resilient

#3. Mistakes Can Help You Develop Better Habits

#4. Mistakes Can Teach You to Face Your Fears

#5. Mistakes Can Help You See What is Important to You

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The research of psychologist Carol Dweck has drawn attention to the fixed and growth mindsets and the implications of both on the individuals who possess them. Dweck’s research and that of others after her have highlighted the detriment the fixed mindset can be as compared to the value the growth mindset in sales has to offer. While the list of potential downfalls could be lengthy, this podcast seeks to highlight the major pitfalls of a fixed mindset as compared to the growth mindset. 

Self-Awareness

Learning

Self-Esteem

Challenges, Risk-Taking, & Competition

When it all boils down, what has been outlined in this podcast can be summarized by the following statement - you are what you think. If your mindset in sales is fixed, you will become fixed - a person who is unable to grow and mature due to lack of feedback, poor self-reflection, and diminished overall learning. If one wants to experience personal growth and expand personal knowledge, the development of a growth mindset is key.  

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How much time have you dedicated to your personal development in the past year? Six months? Week?

Unfortunately, society trains us to put other things first, like education and careers. We’re not downplaying their value in life. We just want to point out the importance of taking the time to invest in our self-improvement.

Today, we’re talking about all the reasons why personal growth matters. As you’ll find out below, it makes up a huge chunk of your life as a whole, no matter how old you are.

How to Start Your Personal Growth Journey

Set Short-Term Goals

Keep Learning

Find Your Purpose

Wake Up Early

Read More

Practice Self-Acceptance

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Empathy is perhaps the most important soft skill we can develop for better interpersonal interactions in sales. Empathy is the ability to identify with another person’s experience. While we often think of empathy in terms only of identifying with someone’s pain or negative experience, we can apply empathy in a variety of situations. Developing empathy allows us to imagine ourselves in another person’s shoes, to respond to others, and even to vicariously experience others’ feelings of emotions. When we demonstrate empathy, we create connections with others, which can help to build teamwork or otherwise create shared goals. Empathy also helps to forge stronger interpersonal connections between team members and colleagues, which is as important as shared goals or complementary skills when it comes to accomplishing work.

There are four key components to Emotional Intelligence:

·        Self-awareness: The ability to recognize our own feelings and motivations

·        Self-management: The ability to appropriate express (or not express) feelings

·        Social awareness: Our ability to recognize the feelings and needs of others, and the norms of a given situation

·        Relationship management: Our ability to relate effectively to others

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Soft skills are personal attributes that allow us to effectively relate to others. Applying these skills helps us build stronger work relationships, work more productively, and maximize our career prospects in sales. Often we place the focus of our career development efforts on hard skills – technology skills, knowledge, and other skills that specifically relate to our ability to get work-related tasks done. This means we neglect to develop our soft skills. However, soft skills are directly transferrable to any job, organization, or industry. As a result, they are an investment worth making. 

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Comfort zone – customers resist change; no fear; risk-free; safe; getting by; easy to do;

Learning zone – customers open to new possibilities and exploring new things; pursuing their goals and vision; fear and risk involved; 

Panic zone – too far and too tough to do; uncomfortable; customers block every initiative;

When Does the Status Quo Win?

commodity

challenging to implement

fear of change

When is the Status Quo no longer possible? 

Trigger Events are happening

Executives are engaged

New leadership

Internal champions

How to Sell Against the Status Quo?

identify pain points (Away-from direction)

identify goals and missions and vision (Towards direction)

Engage rational and personal reasons

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