I recently finished reading an extraordinary book called Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister & John Tierney.

One of the examples of willpower used by the authors is Navy Seal Hell Week training.  During Hell Week, trainees pushed their physical limitations beyond belief with continuous running, swimming, crawling – all while cold, hungry and on less than 5 hours sleep a night.  Not surprising, over 75% failed to complete this gruelling training but what may surprise you is the one common trait shared by the survivors had nothing to do with being in the best shape or having the biggest muscles. It was their ability to look beyond themselves and set aside their own pain to focus on helping their fellow trainees get through Hell Week.  Studies showed that those who were less focused on their own survival and more focused on the survival of the others, experienced more self-control, more willpower and more discipline.

So what does all this have to do with sales?
Let me explain. I recall one of our coaching clients who struggled to make follow-up calls to her open house guests.  After a few questions, I discovered she didn’t make the calls because it felt like she was bothering them and she feared being rejected. But why did she feel this way? Because she was focused on producing a result for herself, rather than on helping the person she was calling. I suggested that instead of worrying about rejection or thinking that she was bugging someone that she develop a mindset that she was simply calling to help.  If they accepted her offer to help, great, if not, that was okay too but at least she did her best. With this small shift in thinking and huge shift in her intention – making these calls became second nature and her business soared within a year.

It seems that self-control becomes easier when it is not selfish. It seems that self-control becomes easier when we are doing something for others rather than for ourselves. 

So next time you are struggling to make your prospecting calls, afraid to ask those tough prequalification questions or perhaps avoiding those post-sale service calls fearing there might be something wrong with the house – remember the selfless few who survived Navy Seal Hell Week – and shift your thoughts away from yourself and focus on how you can really help those you are privileged to serve.   

“Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow men.” Gandhi

Are you a Navy Seal of sales?