Intuition: Your Secret Weapon for Sales Success

Mark sits at his desk with his eyes closed, pen in hand,
apparently deep in thought. Or is he dozing? Actually, he's
about to take a crucial first step in winning a new account.

Holly is on her way to see a potential client when a flash
of insight radically changes her strategy for the meeting.
An hour later she has a contract for a six-figure account
plus a substantial signing bonus.

Mark ponders and Holly has an ah-hah moment. Yet they're
both doing the same thing - they're checking in with their
intuition before making a sales call. Why? They've
discovered that the insights and promptings they get from
their "inner voices" can help them score more sales more
easily than when they go it alone.

Make Intuition Your Ally - Intuition is the secret weapon of
many successful sales leaders. Ask them about it, though,
and they're likely to describe it as "gut instinct." Sound
familiar? Of course it does, because whether you admit it or
not, you're highly likely to have experienced it yourself,
and just as likely to have ignored its messages.

The fact is, everyone receives intuitive information. It's
both a gift and a skill, and the more you practice it the
better you get at it. How does your intuition speak to you?
Do you receive information in words, feelings, a flash of
insight, a gut reaction? Do you simply just know? Roy Rowan,
author of a study on intuition, said, "This feeling, this
little whisper from deep inside your brain, may contain far
more information - both facts and impressions - than you're
likely to obtain from hours of analyzing data."

Ask Your Intuition Questions - My friend Mark, who you met
at the beginning of this article, is a national sales leader
in his industry. When I asked him how he explains his
success he told me that before he meets with a client he
asks his intuition a series of questions such as, "What do I
need to know about this company?" "What is the best way to
approach the decision maker?" "What should I know about who
I'm competing against for this sale?" "What can I do to win
this account?" He sits with pen in hand and quiets his
thoughts. The answers come to him as he writes. Mark's
competition scratches their heads.

Keep Your "Inner Sales Person" Positive - Pay attention to
what you tell yourself about your sales prospects and your
life. If your "self-talk" is positive and optimistic your
personal and business life will reflect that. Try a simple
experiment. Close your eyes and say the following to
yourself for about 30 seconds: "I'll never get ahead. I'm
not good at sales. I won't make my quota this month." How do
you feel? Depressed? Demoralized? Hopeless?

Now do the same experiment and focus on these statements:
"Things have a way of working out." "I'm learning some new
skills and things are beginning to change for me." "Today
I'll take steps that will open up opportunities for more
income." Now how do you feel? Hopeful? Optimistic? More
confident? When you're in this state it's much easier for
you to be open to intuitive messages pointing you to avenues
of increased prosperity.

Know Your Gut, Know Your Client - Successfully making the
sale requires that you process hundreds of pieces of
information subconsciously. You must develop and trust your
ability to use your intuition to read between the lines. Do
you press a client for the sale, or do you back off and
wait? Are they motivated by the lowest price you can offer
or is the quality of your product or service the prime
impetus for buying from you? Many times, logic and analysis
will provide that information. On other occasions, your gut
feelings or instincts - your intuition - will provide the
answers.

Use the Power of Silence - As any good salesperson will tell
you, "Sometimes the best thing to do is 'shut up.'" But
there are times when you also need to silence your mind to
receive valuable intuitive insight. When you need help
making a decision - pause - take a deep breath, reflect on
the question and allow the intuitive impressions to come to
you. Intuition is often described as "still and quiet." It
doesn't usually answer in a big, booming voice. It is much
subtler. Pay attention to any images you receive, words you
hear, physical sensations you experience or emotions you
feel. These are all ways that intuition will communicate
with you. Write down any impressions you receive. Some
people find that intuitive insights will pop into their mind
immediately. For others, it may come later in the day when
they least expect it.

Make Your Enthusiasm Work for You - Intuition often
communicates its message through passion and excitement. The
root of the word enthusiasm comes from the Greek, entheos.
It literally means, "God within." If a sales strategy or
decision leaves you feeling drained or bored, that's a clear
message from your "inner guidance" saying, "Don't go there."
Conversely, if you feel energized and enthusiastic, your
intuition is giving you the green light to continue with
your plan of action.

Envision Your Success - Spend time each day imagining your
ideal life. Envision the details of that life. Imagine you
are living it now. What are you wearing? What are you
feeling? Who are the people around you? We are often quite
clear about what we don't want. The path to success comes
from spending time thinking about what you do want. What
does an ideal day, month or year look like to you? Being
clear about what you want is often the first step in being
able to create it. Successful people visualize their goals
and dreams. Your intuition can help you achieve success when
you know what you want to achieve.

Write it Down - Many people have great success receiving
intuitive information through writing. This technique is
similar to brainstorming. Write a series of questions about
your choices. Suppose you have to make a decision to fill a
position in your company. You might write, "If I hire Mary
will the company's sales increase?" "If I hire her will this
be a positive choice? "What are her strengths?" "What are
her weaknesses?" When you've completed your questions, write
the answers quickly just as they come to you. Repeat your
intuitive Q&A about each potential employee and then assess
the results.

Take the time, make the sale - Be sure to set aside time to
routinely check in with your intuition. It won't be long
before you'll be experiencing faster, stronger and more
accurate insights. Though intuition can be described as a
secret weapon, there's no big secret about how to use it.
Follow the suggestions I've outlined above, and begin now to
enjoy the rewards of this powerful competitive advantage.

© 2003 Lynn Robinson, M.Ed. All rights reserved in all
media.
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