| "Selling worth doing is worth doing badly ... at first!" | | | | that you can count on is that they always get back |
| ~ Gavin Ingham, 2002Have you ever wanted to | | | | up again. Crawling for the rest of their lives is never |
| learn something new but just found it too difficult? | | | | an option - they are going to walk just like the rest |
| Or started something but gave up because you just | | | | of us. It's a certainty. Yet as adults we're not so |
| couldn't get the hang of it? Or maybe you just find | | | | resilient. We don't tend to push, push, push our |
| the thought of ringing new clients far too scary? | | | | limitations. Infact there are many people who, even |
| Perhaps you sometimes get great results but don't | | | | with the weight of the medical establishment behind |
| know what you're doing differently? Could you be | | | | them, fail to teach themselves to walk again properly |
| stuck in your ways?If any of these could possibly be | | | | after an accident even though physically they could. |
| true then this article is for you.Everyone would agree | | | | Somehow life and growing up seems to programme |
| that the ability to learn, understand and utilise new | | | | us to not try as hard.There might be many reasons |
| information, strategies and behaviours is important | | | | for this however I think that one of them is the |
| particularly with a topic such as sales where you may | | | | perpetuation of the win / lose culture in our society. |
| well have tried before with limited success. In order | | | | There can only be one winner and for every winner |
| to help this process it is important to understand the | | | | there must be a whole group of losers. You often |
| learning process itself and the stages through which | | | | cannot win unless you've beaten someone else. Now |
| we develop new skills, behaviours or | | | | don't get me wrong I do not subscribe to the no |
| attitudes.Whenever we learn anything new we go | | | | competition brigade - that's just sop - what I do |
| through 5 steps.Sometimes we will do this so quickly | | | | believe however is that we should create ways for |
| that we may be unaware of the process whereas | | | | us to win by being the best that we can be. In cold |
| other times we may be made much more aware of | | | | calling many salespeople set unrealistic targets that |
| the process by our emotions. Understanding this | | | | they are never going to hit because they have |
| process, why we do it, the pitfalls and the strengths | | | | benchmarked someone else. Had they benchmarked |
| will allow you to maximise your learning | | | | themselves they would have found that they were |
| capabilities.Step 1) Unconscious Incompetence. You | | | | winning all along.On the other side of the coin we |
| are unaware of what you don't know. You don't | | | | need to realise that everything in life is a learning |
| know all that you don't know!Step 2) Conscious | | | | experience. Eddison's much hyped quote as he failed |
| Incompetence. You become aware of what you | | | | to invent the light bulb for the umpteenth time was |
| don't know. You're ignorant and you know you | | | | that he had eliminated another way to not make a |
| are!Step 3) Conscious Competence. You become | | | | light-bulb! In sales we have to accept that we will |
| aware of how to do things properly. You can do | | | | continue to be put through the learning experience |
| something but you have to be concentrating on | | | | for the whole of our career. As a director, author, |
| it.Step 4) Unconscious Competence. You are unaware | | | | business owner and sometime sales guru (!) I believe |
| of how you do things you know. You do things | | | | my sales ability to be a real asset to my business |
| without even thinking about it!I think one of the best | | | | however I am constantly put through learning |
| ways to really understand this process is to consider | | | | experiences. And I wouldn't want it to be any other |
| a specific situation such as learning to drive. Do you | | | | way. My feelings as yours are telling me something. |
| remember learning to drive? I think that most of us | | | | They are reminding me to be prepared to practise |
| do! It was for most of us a fairly sizeable landmark in | | | | and to make sure that I am at the top of my |
| our lives so it tends to stick in our memories! I | | | | game.So how do we break through from conscious |
| certainly remember learning to drive! Like most | | | | incompetence to conscious competence?Persistence. |
| teenage lads it meant a lot to me - freedom, | | | | Determination. |
| adulthood and sex appeal!On my 17th birthday I | | | | Self-belief. |
| dragged my mother out to the car and hopped in to | | | | Drive. |
| have a go. I knew that I would be able to drive! I | | | | Tenacity. |
| had been watching others for months in preparation - | | | | Repetition. |
| this was going to be easy! How unconsciously | | | | Add your own here!!!But if I was to say to you, |
| incompetent was I?! I was totally ignorant of how | | | | "Hey look! Just go out there and be tenacious, |
| difficult this was actually going to be! Ah well, | | | | persistent, determined and have drive!" you'd tell me |
| ignorance is bliss. Easing into the seat I grasped the | | | | to tell you something that you didn't know! And quite |
| wheel, started the engine, depressed the clutch, | | | | rightly so! Because we all know that this is what's |
| punched the accelerator and ... stalled the car! Not | | | | required - it's maintaining it that's the challenge.I was |
| deterred I had another go ... same result. Another ... | | | | reminded of this when I first started sales coaching. I |
| another ... another.Suddenly I was overtaken by the | | | | was working with a client who had a small telesales |
| dawning recognition that this was going to be really | | | | team. Two of his staff were organising a campaign |
| difficult and challenging. Welcome to conscious | | | | focused on a specific niche market. They were |
| incompetence! Gavin you're useless and you know | | | | targeted to make 100+ outbound calls per day, to |
| you are! But I was determined to learn to drive so I | | | | speak to 25 decision-makers and to organise at least |
| persevered and practised. After a lot of heartache | | | | 2 interviews. For the market they were working in |
| and effort I eventually reached the point where, if I | | | | this was about average. One of them was very |
| could maintain my concentration, I was actually quite | | | | positive and was consistently surpassing his target. |
| a proficient driver. Now I don't know if you | | | | He was a joy in the office and great to have on the |
| remember your driving test? I do. There was so | | | | team. The other however was really struggling, not |
| much to concentrate on wasn't there! Keeping your | | | | good around the office and mostly fairly negative. I |
| hands at 10 to two, mirror, signal, manoeuvre, the | | | | wasn't specifically working with these chaps and |
| examiner, the speed limit, the road signs and that's | | | | therefore hadn't really spoken with them much but |
| without mentioning the other road users! Remember | | | | we had been introduced. One afternoon as I was |
| taking your test and that's probably a fair gauge of | | | | sitting there I found myself alone with the chap who |
| conscious competence!"Now you really go out and | | | | wasn't doing so well. I asked him what he was doing |
| learn to drive!" That's what everybody said to me | | | | and how it was going. He turned to me, scowled and |
| when I passed my test and they weren't wrong. | | | | said, "I'm cold calling, what's it look like! It's awful!" |
| Your whole concept of driving changes. You don't | | | | Needless to say I left him alone.About half an hour |
| have to focus on every little detail all of the time | | | | later the other chap went to make a coffee so on a |
| infact you might not have to think about it all. Have | | | | whim I followed him determined to ask him the same |
| you ever driven somewhere got out the car and | | | | question. As I asked him he turned to me and smiled, |
| thought ... how did I get here? I don't even | | | | "I'm developing an new and essential part of the |
| remember driving here. Welcome to unconscious | | | | business. This project is going to get me into major |
| competence! Fabulous the way that the brain works | | | | account sales and get me noticed within the |
| isn't it!Being able to operate at unconscious | | | | company. I should be promoted within 6 months. It's |
| competence clearly has many advantages. We're able | | | | hard work but I know that it will be worth it!" |
| to multitask, we generally operate fluidly and easily, | | | | Interesting! Same job, same opportunity, same |
| it's within our comfort zone, it's stress free, it's the | | | | potential clients, same products - totally different |
| way we do things and for most people we spend | | | | meaning.The meaning we attach to things determines |
| the vast amount of out lives here. Just think about it | | | | the impact that they have on us. When you attach a |
| for a moment. How many things do you now do that | | | | strong personal meaning you don't have to remind |
| you once had to think about consciously. Walking, | | | | yourself to be motivated or persistent, you just are. |
| talking, picking things up, bodily awareness, writing, | | | | The successful sales professional in the above |
| driving are all great examples but we also become | | | | example doesn't constantly have to harry himself to |
| unconsciously competent at responding to certain | | | | be motivated because he knows why he is doing the |
| stimulus in certain ways. If I were to walk into your | | | | cold-calling and he knows what it means for him. He'll |
| office and say, "Right! Time to make 100 cold-calls" | | | | still have days when he feels less motivated, outside |
| you'd probably be unconsciously competent at | | | | his comfort zone, challenged and uncomfortable but |
| producing a feeling and a response. Maybe not a very | | | | he will view them differently because he will accept |
| nice one! When a client snarls, "That's too expensive, | | | | them as part of the essential development process |
| you must be having a laugh!" chances are that you | | | | on his journey to success.Exercise: Take a moment |
| will also be unconsciously competent at producing an | | | | to review your goals. When you've done this make |
| emotional reaction.So unconscious competence does | | | | note of why setting up client meetings plays a vital |
| have disadvantages too. We are unconscious or | | | | part in helping you to proactively achieve these goals. |
| unaware of our responses or our behaviours | | | | If one of your goals is materialistic, try getting a |
| therefore we may gradually change what we are | | | | picture of it and sticking it by your phone. Every time |
| doing and be unaware of it. We may find it very | | | | you make a call think to yourself - "one step |
| difficult to teach others our skills because we are not | | | | closer!".Top Tips for the 5 Steps to Sales Success1. |
| aware of how we put them together. Maybe we | | | | Look around at what you habitually do and how you |
| continue to do things in a way that used to be | | | | habitually react once in a while.2. Most things worth |
| unconsciously competent but external changes now | | | | learning will feel uncomfortable or challenging at some |
| mean that what we are doing is now wrong. And | | | | point.3. Practise, practise, practise!4. It takes several |
| here's the challenge and the danger of unconscious | | | | week's worth of telesales to beat your fear.5. |
| competence. When does unconscious competence | | | | Challenge yourself one step at a time."But Gavin - |
| become unconscious incompetence? It's very difficult | | | | you said there were 5 steps."Correct. And in my |
| to say for sure because the one commonality | | | | opinion there are.I have been teaching the 4 steps to |
| between the two is that we are | | | | success now for several years and in several |
| unconscious!Reacting in a certain way to a certain | | | | different forms and I have used it successfully in |
| stimulus may be right for one situation but it may be | | | | individual coaching sessions with both myself and |
| wrong for another. Take the example above of the | | | | others. Powerful as I know that it is I believe that |
| snarling client. Many salespeople would feel frustrated | | | | the fundamental construct has inherent challenges...If |
| and angry without having to think about it. When we | | | | many times we find ourselves back at unconscious |
| unconsciously learned this response there may well | | | | incompetence despite our best efforts or we have |
| have been good reasons for it however I'd suggest | | | | to keep dropping back to conscious competence to |
| that if you want to be a sales superstar then this | | | | check ourselves then we are performing below our |
| kind of reaction is unconscious incompetence. One of | | | | potential. There must be a better way...Step 5) |
| my first clients used to frequently tell his salespeople | | | | Mastery. Mastery is something more than |
| that they should sell products that were a 50% | | | | unconscious competence - it has an extra, somewhat |
| match and that if they couldn't they were bad | | | | mystical quality. It's the sort of state that most of us |
| salespeople. Maybe in his day the clients were happy | | | | only experience once or twice in a lifetime - you |
| with this kind of product but in today's competitive | | | | probably never quite know how to describe it. Top |
| markets they certainly would not be! Maybe this boss | | | | athletes would call it being in the zone. I remember |
| was once unconsciously competent but changing | | | | the first time I saw it in action. I was nearly 13 and |
| market conditions, changing client attitudes and his | | | | the athlete in question was Sebastian Coe. He |
| lack of flexibility had left him unconsciously | | | | smashed the world record for 800m running 1 minute |
| incompetent. Most dangerous of all was the fact that | | | | 41.72 seconds, a time nearly two seconds faster than |
| everyone in the business knew it but him!So it's clear | | | | the next fastest person ever. But it wasn't the time |
| that if we are doing things unconsciously we need to | | | | - it was the way that he ran it. Majestic, graceful, |
| periodically step back and have a look around to see | | | | relaxed. He made it look easy! Of that race Seb |
| if what we are doing makes sense and is getting us | | | | himself said,"Other sportsmen say there are |
| the results that we want. If it is great, if it's not - | | | | moments when they are outside themselves, |
| change it for something that does work.But if | | | | watching from the stand, as it were, and I've only |
| unconscious is where most of us are most of the | | | | experienced that in the 800 metres."I believe that we |
| time conscious incompetence is what most of us try | | | | all have the potential to enter this state if only |
| to avoid at all costs. When you are learning a new | | | | momentarily and I believe that this is the state that |
| skill or behaviour and you reach conscious | | | | top salespeople reach when they are playing their |
| competence how does it feel? Take a bit of time to | | | | best possible game. When I present, this is what I |
| think about it. Typical associations with unconscious | | | | strive for and, having achieved it a few times, I can |
| competence are feelings of stress, frustration, | | | | say no more than that once you taste it you know |
| challenge, obstacles, pain, outside your comfort zone, | | | | that you have the tools to recreate it and become |
| lack of control, uncomfortable, fear and uncertainty. | | | | the best that you can possible be.Exercise: Describe |
| When we think about ringing new clients on the | | | | what cold calling will be like when you achieve a state |
| phone this will often occur the moment that you | | | | of mastery? What will you be doing? Feeling? |
| step outside of your comfort zone and have a go. | | | | Thinking? What is the one most important thing that |
| Indeed this barrier is so great for many people that | | | | you need to learn to help you to move towards |
| they would rather give up than actually break | | | | mastery right now?For the last 10 years, Gavin |
| through. But the human mind is a clever animal and it | | | | Ingham has been helping sales people to explode |
| won't punish you for this - nope! It will give you | | | | their sales performance by turning self-doubt, fear |
| reasons, other things to do. It will rationalise, explain | | | | and lack of motivation into self-belief, confidence and |
| and help you to feel OK. As you slip back to | | | | action. With his inspirational approach to sales |
| unconscious incompetence you will feel perfectly | | | | performance and motivation Gavin combines |
| great because ignorance is bliss!To achieve anything | | | | commercial experience, personal excellence and |
| worthwhile you must break through this barrier. And | | | | communications technologies in delivering personal and |
| you can! As children we achieved some absolutely | | | | business sales success.Visit now to join my free |
| amazing feats. One of the most impressive was | | | | monthly newsletter packed full of sales secrets and |
| learning to walk. How many times do toddlers fall | | | | strategies. Join now and get my ground-breaking |
| over? Thousands and thousands but the one thing | | | | 9-part objection handling course absolutely free. |