Category Archives: Mindset

You sell more when you care less about the sale—and more about the customer. If you are a frequent reader of my blog or have attended any of our Delta Point training seminars, you’ve probably heard us express this in a variety of ways. We talk about being other focused, about approaching the sale from the customer’s point of view (Thinking Like a Customer) and planning your sales conversation with a mindset of pure intent. In his most recent book, To Sell Is Human, Daniel Pink confirms that these tenets are not only the right thing to do but are extraordinarily effective.

One of my favorite quotes from Walt Disney is, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” I’m a firm believer that you can do whatever you want, which brings me to another one of Jerry’s Laws of the Universe: mindset drives behavior. Basically, we achieve what we believe we can. That’s why any change to what we are currently doing actually starts with a change in our thoughts/beliefs. When we change our mindset, we will change how we act.

What your customers believe to be true—about you, your product or your competition—may not be based in fact. But that doesn’t matter. Because what your customer believes is true is more important than whether or not it is.

Customers are not known for being open and honest when approached by sales people. In fact, studies confirm that during a typical sales call, customers only reveal about 20% of their thoughts. So how do we tap into that other 80%? Sounds quite challenging, doesn’t it? The answer lies in gaining access—both physical and mental.

One of the best leaders I ever worked with, Don Cutcliff (a man who changed my life forever in two minutes), used to say all the time, "When you're green you are growing and when you are ripe you are rotting." I am not sure where he learned that but it has resonated with me for many years. Success is so dependent on continuous learning and a constant exposure to new ideas that it is hard to imagine great inventions or discoveries without them. Ideas are great—

In selling, thinking like the customer makes all the difference. Most sales people tend to think of their agenda and what they hope to accomplish. A change in mindset to thinking of the sales call from the customer’s viewpoint results in a very different sales conversation.

"Whether you believe you can or believe you can't... you're right!" These words of wisdom are as true today as when they were first spoken. We often say our beliefs drive our behavior. When I changed my belief about selling, I was able to make a radical change. When I first entered the profession of selling,

Reggie Williams, NBA star, attributes Jerry Acuff to helping him attain his goals.  Read the article  by clicking here. ...