The Yips

One day you’re on top of your game, the next you can’t sink a putt to save your life. Golfers aren’t the only ones who get the yips, in fact it’s not even limited to sports at all. You’ve heard of writer’s block? The yips. It happens in sales too. You’re a high-flying achiever one day and can’t close the next.  The longer it goes on, the worse it gets until you’ve lost all faith in yourself and your confidence rates a zero, which of course exacerbates the problem!

It’s all about overthinking something so much that you can’t do it anymore and the cure is simple. Take your game right back to basics. Forget all the fine-tuning you’ve accumulated over the years, you can bring all that back later once you’ve sorted yourself out. Get back to the core of the sales process and build yourself back up from there. And what is the core?

• Build rapport and trust with your customers

• Ask the right questions

• Determine customers’ needs

• Disturb them sufficiently that they’re acutely aware of their problem and will do something about it

• Match their needs with your products

• Flush out objections

• Recognise the difference between real objections and smokescreens

• Deal with real objections and stair-step your way to a trail close

• Ask for the order

• Ask for referrals

• And let’s not forget all-important prospecting!

You don’t need any fancy tricks or refinements, there’s plenty of time for those later.  Just get the basics right and work at it until you’re back on top of your game.  Oh and by the way, the same cure works for your golf game!