How do you want to close out 2022? Forgetting it is probably high on your list if you didn’t make your sales goals. Here’s something else you can do. My suggestion is for you to make your own sales luck in 2023. Do you think that’s not possible? I think it is. Here’s how.
Go with your gut.
Professor Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire in England has been conducting research since 1994 on what makes people lucky. After conducting thousands of interviews and hundreds of experiments, he has identified four principles that you can follow to be luckier. The first principle is to listen to your gut. Lucky people make effective decisions by listening to their intuition and gut feelings.
In sales there are many opportunities to pay attention to your gut. When you first telephone a prospect, how do you feel about the person? That feeling is a gut reaction. Pay attention to your reaction. During the sales call, what does your gut tell you about how the meeting is going? That’s another gut reaction to notice.
Why does paying attention to your gut make you luckier? Your gut gives you quick access to additional information. Prehistoric man used gut reactions for survival. Using this additional information can serve you well by helping you make better decisions. This contributes to your good fortune. See how using your gut works for you by jotting down your gut reactions and noticing your results.
Take a chance.
The second principle is to be open to new experiences and break your normal routine. The researchers found that lucky people are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities. Why would doing something new contribute to your luck? Your good fortune typically will happen with the help of other people. By doing the same thing every day, you are limiting yourself to opportunities from the same people.
This is why it’s important to expand the number of people you meet. You will open yourself to new people who might be in the position to present better opportunities for you. One of my selling columns came from a new experience because I attended a seminar not related to selling, arrived late and I randomly picked a seat that happened to be next to an editor of a business magazine. How’s that for luck?
Be less driven so you can be open to random events. Relax and open yourself up to new experiences.
Think differently.
Lucky people see their bad luck differently. They see the positive side of their bad luck. What if you went to an appointment and your customer couldn’t meet with you? Is that bad luck? Maybe not. With that appointment cancelled you now have some free time to make some cold calls. You didn’t dwell on the misfortune of the cancelled appointment. Moving on is what lucky people do.
Lucky people also take constructive steps to prevent more “bad luck” in the future. Maybe you’ll call to confirm appointments the next time. Lucky people take lemons and figure a way to make lemonade.
Expect good things.
Lucky people are certain the future will be bright. That spirit of optimism serves them well as self-fulfilling prophesy is a factor in success. When you make sales calls, are you expecting the call to go well? That’s what a lucky person does.
Pay attention to your self talk as you sell. Your positive attitude can contribute to your luck. Along with the expectation of good fortune, the lucky person is willing to persevere to make that good fortune happen. Persistence in sales is a necessary trait. Lucky people make their own luck. They expect good things to happen in their sales call and they work hard to make them happen.
You may have thought that luck is random and beyond your control. You can make your own luck. The year 2022 is almost over. Now you can start to make your 2023 filled with good luck.