10 Steps to Become the Greatest Salesperson In the World – Part 6

“Today I will be master of my emotions.” - from The Scroll Marked VI, The Greatest Salesman In the World by Og Mandino

I woke up in a bad mood today. I was still tired from staying up until 1:00 AM writing a guest blog post, and I’d failed to meet my goal of getting this post finished in time for Wednesday morning . I must have slept in an odd position, because my shoulder was throbbing with pain. I left the house in plenty of time to make it to the meeting I was headed to, then got stuck in traffic. It seemed like a dozen or more bad drivers cut me off, and once I got off the highway every light was red. I ended up being 10 minutes late.

As I was parking my car, I stopped to check the rising tide of of frustration I was feeling. I realized that if I was going into this meeting under the control of the emotions I was feeling, I might as well get back in my car and head home; the meeting would be a pointless waste of time. Instead, I closed my eyes, took a couple of deep breaths and broke the spell of negativity I’d been under. The meeting turned out to be a success, and I was able to form an alliance that I believe is going to do great things for my business. All because I was able to master my emotions…this time.

Trust me: there have been many times that wasn’t the case, and I’m sure there are going to be many more. Why? Because I’m going to forget that I have the ability to control my emotions. I know I’m going to slip back into the illusion that all of us suffer under from time to time: the illusion that our emotions spring unbidden from somewhere deep in our hearts and that we can’t do a thing about them. It’s just an illusion, though. Our emotional reactions are programmed responses, and if they’re to be reprogrammed it’s up to each of us to get it done.

Why not just let your emotions run free, though? Isn’t it better just to let it all out and wallow in the emotions you feel? Not if maturity and success is your goal. Being at the mercy of your emotions is letting the monkeys run the zoo. Your emotions have no regard for your overall well-being; in that regard, they’re a little selfish. All they care about is their own expression. They are like children that need to be supervised and pointed in the right direction so they don’t end up in juvenile hall.

And for the salesperson, letting the emotions run the show is even more dangerous. Mandino nails it when he says:

“For unless my mood is right the day will be a failure. Trees and plants depend on the weather to flourish but I make my own weather, yea I transport it with me. If I bring rain and gloom and darkness and pessimism to my customers then they will react with rain and gloom and darkness and pessimism and they will purchase naught.”

Did you ever stop to consider that the reason so many customers are reluctant to buy right now is that they are catching the anxiety of the salespeople they interact with? That the Fear Fever you’re suffering might be contagious? Because it is, and it’s killing your chances of being great.

What’s the remedy? I always say to “mind the gap”, that is the gap between stimulus and response when you get to choose your emotional response to what happens to you. And when you can manage to remain aware, to simply observe, that you have certain emotional reactions to specific situations, the emotions begin to lose their power over you and you begin to take mastery over them. The Buddhists call it being mindful. They say that if you can just be aware of what’s happening in the moment, you’ll be able to exercise control over how you respond. That is true sales mastery!

Remember that if you can master your emotions, you can master anything. You will exert a new control over your life, your circumstances, and the universe around you. You’ll begin to experience the power of creating your reality to look how you want it to look. Because when you choose your reactions, you choose your destiny.

“I will become master of myself. I will become great.”