The Number One Killer of Sales with Ann Holm

[01:10] So many people say coach, consultant, and trainer interchangeably. Talk about the differences between them and a little bit about your background in brain science.

• The value of working with a coach is not for that individual to be an advisor, but to help you get at the root of why you want to do something and how you will accomplish it.
• There's lots of different roles people can play in your success. You can have consultants advise you about what to do. There are trainers that can train a particular set of behaviors.
• The difference is when you're coaching, you're trying to tap into your inner wisdom and create self-awareness. It's in that self-awareness that you're able to move forward.
• I worked for twenty-five years in brain science. It was a therapy role, but coaching was also required.

[03:10] Can you talk briefly about Myers–Briggs?

• I use the Myers–Briggs personality test when I work with someone, along with the TypeCoach assessment.
• Our personalities are complex, but these tests are a good place to start understanding one's personality.

[04:50] What is the number one killer of sales?

• It's procrastination.
• Procrastination shows up in a lot of different ways. Essentially, it all boils down to doing things that are either counterproductive or that distract you from the goals and tasks that you need to accomplish.

[06:04] Is there usually an emotional component to that?

• There can be a fear of failure. "What if I put this all together and nobody is interested in purchasing it? What if it's subject to a great deal of criticism from my coworkers or customers?"
• It can also be a fear of success. Sometimes you will be concerned about if you can complete the deal that you landed.
• There are also people who get a thrill from doing things at the last minute.

[09:08] Let's talk about what procrastination looks like in sales.

• Procrastination can be obstructive in many ways when trying to do lead gen.
• It's a task that can be unpleasant to do because you have to put yourself out there, so you might feel a fear of rejection.
• You might experiment with too many ways of getting leads, and before you know it, you've tried all the ways but haven't made a decision about what you will do.

[13:17] What if we have important things that need to get done besides our top priority?

• Distraction is related to procrastination, which is finding things that will take our attention away from what we need to do.
• Another aspect is rationalization, which can be the strongest of all. When you're looking at your tasks, it's important to watch out for the rationalization component.

[15:34] Let's talk about strategies for getting around these horrible monsters.

• The first one is called "worst first." This is the commitment that the very first thing you're going to address is your priority.
• In the morning, your brain energy is at a very high level, so you can address something that is the worst. If you put it off until the end of the day, you may not have the energy to do it.
• Start to develop an awareness of if you are procrastinating and not addressing your top priority.

[20:15] What's another strategy we can use to kill these triplets?

• The next one is "mini milestones."
• Some projects are huge, so setting a mini milestone can really be helpful. They help you focus on a small part of the big picture.

[21:59] What's another strategy for beating procrastination, distraction, and rationalization?

• I call it "the cone of silence."
• This is the idea of creating a space where you have no other place to go. It's about finding a way to eliminate as many distractions as possible.

[24:27] What's the next strategy?

• The next one is called "time boxing."
• Time boxing is a pure output commitment. "I'm going to work for thirty minutes, and I'm going to do X, Y, and Z."

[26:30] Do you have any more strategies?

• One of them is just a reminder that it's okay to do some daydreaming and things like that. Procrastination is not inherently bad all the time.
• People become more creative when they get up and take a walk, for instance.
• This is, again, where the self-awareness piece comes in.

[28:50] What's the last strategy?

• It's the idea of partnering with somebody; having an accountability partner.
• Often that's a role of the coach, but it could be someone you work with, a friend, or anyone that's going to help you stay on task.
• If you want to have a little fun with it, you can throw in a vile disincentive to loosen the energy up.

[33:15] Will you summarize this for us?

• The most important takeaway is to really pay attention. Develop self-awareness of what you're doing and pay attention to those three brothers waiting to derail you.

Learn More:

Ann Holm's website: https://www.annholm.net/