Is Your Mind Present While Making a Sales Deal?

Much has been said about the various skills and personality traits that a sales person needs to have – he needs to have excellent communication skills, should be persuasive, should have the ability to negotiate a deal…. The list is endless! Yet, a salesman (or woman) may have all these qualities, yet fail to make a mark with his potential customers if he doesn’t have that one vital quality – Presence of Mind!

To better understand the importance of having Presence of Mind, let us look at an example. You make a very convincing pitch to your customer, and have all but closed the deal. Suddenly, the customer asks you about the truth of a recent news that has been circulating about your organisation which isn’t very positive. The customer is waiting for your response. What do you do? Evade the question? Lie through your teeth? Stumble on your response? In such a scenario, it is your Presence of Mind that is going to come to your rescue!

So what is this elusive quality all about? Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Common sense tells us that Presence of Mind simply means you have to be able to think on your feet, that you have to be able to come up with a relevant response when your customer throws you a googly. It is having enough mental agility to change course mid-journey, to address the unexpected when it comes up and do course correction without batting an eyelid. Indeed, for some of us who naturally possess this quality, this is simple enough. It is these people who can quip that when Life gives you lemons, make Lemonade! But for many of us, who tend to work within a given structure, the moment something out of the box is thrown to us, we tend to get flustered. So how do we learn to deal with such situations?

In order to become more adept at dealing with unexpected situations when making a sales call, it might be worthwhile to explore what this truly means. Presence of Mind, at its very basic level, essentially means being fully present to the moment. It means being completely tuned into your customer’s thought process, so that you anticipate the unexpected before it is uttered, or you are quickly able to relate to it from the customer’s point of view. If your Mind is fully Present in the situation, it will be easy for you to effortlessly go with the flow, address the unexpected that the situation throws up in an unfazed manner, and move on to successfully close the deal. You would have addressed your customer’s query without damaging your sales prospect and maintaining your integrity. This is what Presence of Mind is all about! It is not about lying to the customer, making excuses to wheedle out of the awkward situation or question, or ignoring it. It is about remaining in your integrity, addressing the issue tactfully and honestly and still being able to carry on with your deal.

To know more about where you stand on Presence of Mind and other Sales Skills, take our Sales Skills and Personality Profiler (SSaPP)!

Ms. Samindara Sawant

Clinical Psychologist
Disha Counseling Center | Psychometrica

Is Your Mind Present While Making a Sales Deal?

3 Guidelines to Master the Art of Maintaining Relationships

The term, ‘Relationships’ refers not just to romantic relationships, but to all the relationships that we share, be it our parents, siblings, friends and children, relationships between bosses and employees, teachers and students, and anyone we interact with.

Relationships, simply mean any situation in our life that involves others.

Human beings live in a society and man is a social animal. Thus our happiness, self-esteem, and ability to work, is greatly influenced by the quality of our relationships, thus affecting our mental health itself. And it is these relationships which lead to problems and also maladjustment in our lives. It is important to realize that in order to change relationships in a positive manner, we can only change the way we relate to others. Only this will change the way others relate to us.

Your relationships will work best if you are able to be yourself within them. Relationships in which you can be yourself are likely to feel more comfortable and to make you happier. Some very good relationships can be provocative and challenging too. However this in no way means that one can throw tantrums or be rude to people as one wishes. Also, relationships tend to be unsatisfying when one is fulfilling a role rather than being oneself. It is important then to improve such relationships.

Three guidelines to help you improve your relationships:

1. Work on changing yourself, not on changing others.


2. Changes take time.


3. Work with people as they are.

1: Work on changing yourself, not changing others.

The temptation, particularly if a relationship is stormy, is to insist to oneself and to others that it is not you that needs to change but the other person. Now it may be true that the other person could change but since you cannot change other people, it is not worth trying. The only way you can change another person is to change the way you relate to them. Working to change one’s self is always difficult. However, the changes you make will eventually bring in the necessary changes in others. Leave these changes up to them, and the relationship will feel better to you both.

2: Changes take time.

When you change the way in which you relate to others, they may resist that change and do things to make you change back. Making changes in relationships can take longer than making changes in yourself alone, and it requires persistence and sustained efforts over a period of time. Give change, time.

3: Work with people as they are.

Be realistic. If you find yourself thinking “If only he would tell me what he’s thinking” or “If only he didn’t criticise me so much”, remember that if you want to bring about some changes in those relationships you should put away these “if only” and accept people as they are. Once you start making changes in yourself, the other person is likely to begin to change.

To learn how to manage change in Life click here.

The importance of solitude

Although good relationships are valuable, don’t underestimate the importance of solitude; the ability to enjoy, and to find creative strength in our own company. To be at ease with oneself alone can be a source of refreshment and energy. Solitude is a necessary component of many creative activities that require us to draw from our own inner depths. Solitude is not the opposite of good relationships. In fact, if we are continually seeking company because we are uncomfortable with ourselves, this is likely to tarnish our relationships with others. If we are at ease with ourselves we will be at ease with others.

Ms. Shital Ravi.
Senior Consulting Psychologist.
Psychometrica and Career Pathways


3 Guidelines to Master the Art of Maintaining Relationships

Free Change Management Test

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Free Change Management Test

Understand and Learn to manage change...

“The only constant thing in life is change”.

This familiar quote sums up that nothing in life is static.  Everything is in a state of constant flux and there’s nothing we can do to stop change.  The whole world, countries, societies, companies and organizations must evolve and change to survive and so must every individual within them.

However the actual response to change and newness that occurs in the environment and the way one deals with its repercussions differ from individual to individual.  Broadly, there seem to be three types of responses to change:

Resistance:

Resistance is one of the strongest reactions to change. However not all resistance to change is confrontational and direct.  Resistance can also be passive in people who refuse to accept re-training or cannot accept new ideas and approaches.  Extreme passive resistance can be seen in people who refuse to engage in any kind of dialogue with those who have proposed a change.

Indifference:

The individual who is indifferent to change, usually views change as something going on around them.  The view of the indifferent person might be one of avoidance until some form of acceptance becomes absolutely necessary.  The indifferent person often believes that his or her world will remain unchanged and that someone else will be affected or will do what is necessary.  Apathy often accompanies this attitude to change with an “I can cope with it” mentality.

Openness and Receptivity:

These people are receptive to new ideas and prepared to embrace the reality of a situation recognizing what needs to be improved or done differently.  It is not necessarily about the desire for change for its own sake.  It is more of accepting the reality at a personal level.

Why do so many people respond so negatively to change?

In the short term, change can mean loss, discontinuity, and the destruction of a familiar and “safe” way of life…. “the good old days”. Basically change makes one leave their ‘comfort zone’ which many individuals find difficult to cope with.  Consequently it can lead to feelings of insecurity, a lack of understanding, a lack of trust and fear of the outcome. And these perhaps are some of the key reasons that lead people to reject change.

However one must take into account and focus on the positive factors that change brings in. Positive elements of change can include the creation of a better set of circumstances, the fun of being involved in something different, the opportunities presented from a new venture or means of employment.

Since you can not avoid the stress of change and you do not want to isolate yourself from positive change, you must learn to control the way you respond to these new situations.

Some pointers you can adopt to minimize the impact of change:

• Recognize and accept your limits. Remember that everyone is unique and different.


• Become aware of your reactions to change and newness.


• Make plans, but “hold your plans loosely.” Develop plans, but know that they may have to be reworked or adapted to change.


• Take the long view; realize that change takes time and you should not force yourself to make it happen too quickly.


• Take conscious efforts to change your reaction to change. Cultivate a positive attitude towards change.


• Learn some relaxation techniques.


• Pay more attention to your diet.


• Include an exercise regime in your daily schedule.

Understand and Learn to manage change...

Are you a good team member?

The buzzword in today’s corporate world is “collaboration”, and not “competition”. With super specialized jobs coming to the fore, networking with different professionals has become vital to survive in the corporate world today! Along with good technical knowledge, one also needs to possess the ability to work well as part of a team. Research has shown that teams are more successful than individuals in the following ways:

• In implementing complex plans.


• In coming up with innovative or creative solutions to problems.


• In getting breakthroughs in difficult and challenging obstacles.

What exactly is expected of you when you are working in a team? By working as part of a team, you contribute to the overall success of the organization. You work in conjunction with other coworkers to bring about this success. You have a specific and pre-designated role to perform; but at the same time, you are unified with the other members to achieve the overall targets or objectives. As a team, your chances of achieving your organization’s goals are much higher.

Yet ……. Many a time, we have seen that teams have failed miserably! Why does this happen? What are the qualities that are essential for a team to perform optimally? To begin with, an effective team should have clearly defined objectives and goals. A good team should also have unity and cohesiveness between team members. There should be a sense of being on the same side, and not a tendency toward one-upmanship!

A well functioning team also needs a good leader to lead and direct the activities of the team members, to resolve conflicts as and when they arise, to monitor the team’s progress and to see that the team is always on the right track and does not digress from its goals.

Are You A Good Team Member?

Answer the following questions to know more about your functioning in a team:

1. I prefer to work on my own. If you don’t have the ability or the willingness to collaborate with others, you are likely to be unhappy and dissatisfied in a team.


2. I like to have my work goals set by someone else. Teams are typically self-directed. If you’re more of a follower, you may feel more responsibility than you want.


3. I think other people work as hard as I do. Respect for the contributions of others is a foundation of good teamwork. If you think you’re the only one doing the hard work, you are likely to be frustrated! 


4. I like taking suggestions from others. Collaborating with others and teaching each other is the whole point behind teamwork.


5. At the end of the day, everyone is out for him/herself. On a team, success or failure will be determined by the team’s achievements, not your own.


6. I like to work with people who aren’t like me. The best teams are those that combine people with complementary, but differing, skill sets and work techniques.


7. I am more competitive than cooperative.  Some amount of healthy competition within team members is good. But if you are always competitive, it can undermine the team’s efforts.


8. I am always right. No one is! If you are one of those people who believe that they are always right, you will be resented by other team members!


9. I find it easy to trust other people. The most highly skilled individuals will be unable to accomplish anything as a team if they are unable to trust others and always suspecting the motives of other people.

Reflecting on these questions will give you some insight into your strengths and weaknesses as a team member. Remember, to be successful in today’s competitive world, it is necessary to recognize situations where you need to network and collaborate with others!


Are you a good team member?

How to overcome low self esteem

A very important aspect of an individual’s life, self esteem is a much talked about factor that can completely influence an individual’s outlook and approach towards his life and environment. What is this Self esteem?

Rosenberg defined self-esteem in terms of a stable sense of personal worth or worthiness. Nathaniel Branden says that “Self-esteem is the experience of being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and being worthy of happiness”.Simply put it is the confidence in our ability to think and to cope with the basic challenges of life. It is the package of beliefs that one carries around in his/her head, that one has accepted to be the truth about him or herself, whether it is or not. Self esteem is important as it has the power to influences our lives. It mainly influences ones achievement, accomplishments, beliefs, values, and ones commitment towards ones values.

How does low self esteem develop?

• Due to negative and bad environment.


• Put downs from significant others.


• Subjected to ridicule by others.


• Negative experiences.


• Failures and inability to see them in the right perspective.

Some people constantly view themselves negatively in every aspect of life. This is known as Low Self Esteem because you become what you think about most.

Characteristics of Low Self esteem:

• Undermining of one’s own abilities


• Feel devalued by others


• Feelings of helplessness


• Get influenced by others easily


• Avoidance of situations that provoke anxiety


• Become defensive and easily frustrated – Anger problems.


• Blame others for their own weaknesses

Alarm bells: Low self-esteem can have devastating consequences:

• Can create anxiety, stress, loneliness and increased likelihood for depression.


• It can lead to underachievement and increased vulnerability to drug and alcohol abuse.


• Worst of all, these negative consequences themselves reinforce the negative self-image and can take a person into a downward spiral of lower and lower self-esteem and increasingly non-productive or even actively self-destructive behavior.

However there is hope and one can develop healthy self esteem by taking focused efforts and systematic measures for the same.

Some Self esteem boosters:

Develop realistic expectations from the self: Most of us end up expecting too much from ourselves.  Perfection is not possible but bettering our-self should be a lifetime goal.

Make balanced self evaluations: Recognize and focus on both your strengths and weaknesses. Accept your weaknesses. In fact, make a pact with yourself to work on them. Change what can be changed. But accept gracefully what you cannot.

Engage in useful and supportive behaviour: Drop avoidance and do not withdraw from life. In fact approach new situations with an open mind and engage in life doing pleasant activities.

Always speak well of yourself: Always have good things to say about yourself and if you have nothing good to say about yourself, keep your mouth shut.

Accept compliments: Accept and give compliments and recognize the beauty in yourself and others.

Treat yourself well: Let people know how you expect to be treated, in particular, set an example by the way you treat yourself and them.

Accept mistakes: Accept your own mistakes gracefully. There is nothing wrong in saying ‘Yes, I was wrong.”

Always, Always, Always… Think positively.

Have you ever tried boosting these above qualities in you? Know about yourself by taking an online personality test click here https://goo.gl/kL74Ik

Take a few moments to answer the questions given below to determine your level of self esteem. This questionnaire is purely a simple indicator of the level of self esteem that you may currently be experiencing as an individual.  It is not a substitute for seeking professional advice or diagnosis.

When will one know that self esteem has developed?

When you see these CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH SELF-ESTEEM in yourself …..know that you have achieved your goal:

• Act independently


• Assume responsibility


• Be proud of accomplishments


• Approach new challenges with enthusiasm


• Exhibit a broad range of emotions


• Tolerate frustration well


• Feel capable of influencing others

Keep in mind the Self Esteem Mantra:

“No one can Make you feel inferior Without your Consent.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

How to overcome low self esteem

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