Sales Leaders... Could A Beginner's Mindset Unlock The Door To Client Growth?

"Be ready and willing to be a beginner every morning. That's how you grow and step into your greatness."

Joel Brown

What could your team learn about their clients by developing a beginner's mindset?

Some will say, with experience comes comfort. I am here to inform you that comfortability is not always good, especially with your clients. When salespeople get complacent with themselves, their career and their client relationships, disengagement starts to happen.

Client growth and client comfort do not play well together

Imaging for a moment if many on your team interacted with their clients with a learn it all mindset as opposed to a know-it-all mindset... what could happen?

When it comes to defining a beginner's mind, let's refer to Wikipedia for a moment as we peel this back.

"Shoshin" is a word from Zen Buddhism meaning "beginner's mind." It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner would. 

How could the relationships and outcomes change with your clients with a beginner's mindset?

What could happen if you made a conscious effort to learn new things about your clients as opposed to being in autopilot with your clients?

My challenge to all sales leaders... for the next 90 days, have your team temporarily let go of their ideas, concepts and thoughts about their clients, so that they can approach each interaction from a completely new perspective.

Imagine what your salespeople could learn?

Imagine what you will learn?

This will separate the sales professionals from the sales reps. And I am sure you crave a team full of sales professionals.

Shunryu Suzuki says it the best,

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the experts mind there are few."

WHAT CAN YOUR TEAM DO TO DEVELOP THE MINDSET?

Cultivating and coaching your team to develop a beginner’s mind gives them the opportunity to see their clients through a fresh set of eyes.

This all starts with you challenging your team in answering these questions...

• Why do I interact with my clients the way I do?
• How could I interact with them differently and what would I learn?

The more your team learns about their clients, the more they will earn from their clients.

BE PRESENT

Your salespeople must become present and intentional in their interactions. They must avoid thinking about their past experiences or past knowledge of their clients. They must observe what they can in the present moment. They must become extremely inquisitive, almost child-like in nature.

ASK QUESTIONS

Your salespeople must become intentionally curious. They must act as if they know nothing. They must ask questions that someone new in sales would ask. They must not be afraid, fearful and remove the stories in their head. They must question the most basic assumptions and you may even say "play dumb."

CHALLENGE THEMSELVES

Your salespeople must be willing to challenge their mindset. They must be willing to question their thoughts and beliefs about their clients. Encourage them to think from an opposite point-of-view. This helps them to avoid getting trapped into the same old thinking or from the same old perspective.

"If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything."

Shunryu Suzuki

STARTING OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN

I believe that by cultivating a beginner's mindset this will allow your team to redevelop and reverse their self-imposed beliefs about their clients.

Seeing things afresh brings new perspectives and opens up a world full of sales opportunities previously left untapped.

What is so cool about your team developing this mindset is that it’s always accessible. Every day, every week, every month, and every client interaction becomes an opportunity to begin again.

A beginner's mindset may just unlock the door to incremental and additional sales revenue, isn't this what you want?