As you sit comfortably reading this article, chances are that you have already made one of the biggest decisions of your entire life – probably without even realizing it.
At some point while you were walking down the path of life you came to a Y in the road and made this ultimate decision. What is it? You decided if you were going to be like Teflon or flypaper!
Flypaper is a strip of paper that has a thick, sticky substance on it to attract annoying flying bugs – much like annoying negative comments and situations that are hurled at us in life. It gets loaded down with icky stuff and becomes a mess.
Teflon is a wonderful coating on non-stick cookware that allows even burnt foods to simply slide off without a trace – a perfect analogy for those people that are always in a good mood. Nothing negative sticks to them and they move effortlessly through life toward their goals.
How does this apply to sales?
Flypaper people allow external events and comments to affect their mood and their ability to sell. They constantly recall the current market conditions, or listen to the doom and gloom of fellow owners and salespeople. Life becomes a sticky mess bogged down with low expectations and even lower sales.
Teflon people, on the other hand, are making and breaking sales records. They seem to march to a different, upbeat drummer. Sales are easy for them no matter what the market claims. And people enjoy being around them while also wanting to buy from them.
How do you become a Teflon person? Here are three ways you can shed the flypaper and start improving your sales immediately:
- Become grateful. Being thankful sets the stage for great and wonderful sales to enter into your life. And the Teflon person is thankful for the large and small transactions. Start being thankful before you get to the store – even as soon as you get up in the morning – “Thank you for my great night’s sleep. Thank you for this wonderful shower. Thank you for my career in jewelry.” Then really be thankful for each sale you create – large or small. “Thank you for that last sale!”
This simple technique is the foundation of your sales success. Try it for a week and let me know how many additional sales you start receiving. I’m always amazed how well this works! - Compliment your co-workers. You can create a supportive and motivational sales environment within your store by complimenting your fellow salespeople when they make a transaction. You’ll be astonished how a mere compliment will motivate you and others to sell. It all starts with a positive Teflon person (you!) starting the ball rolling. Soon others will be complimenting your sales as well. I have seen phenomenal sales results by implementing this simple technique of support in each store.
- List the top three sales of which you are most proud. I call this the “hip pocket motivation technique.” Have these successes readily available when you are feeling down. Go over these scenarios in your mind in vivid detail. Recreate what you said, how you said it, and the feeling of success when you perfectly closed the sale. This technique will immediately remind you of your excellent sales ability, and put you in the perfect mind-set for additional sales.
You have more control over your sales than you think. By becoming a Teflon-like person you can deflect the negativity that casts it’s shadow over the jewelry industry from time to time.
It’s easy – start by being grateful for all sales, then create a supportive work environment through mutual compliments with your co-workers, and remember to visualize your best sales when you start to feel low. These techniques will eliminate that pesky flypaper once and for all!
Ivan Levi is a sales trainer and president of Ivan Alan SolutionsTM, a Chicago based company that understands the independent jeweler’s subtleties that puts them in a league of their own. Ivan can be reached at 800-235-1918.
