How can mindfulness help you manage stress in sales?

Think of being mindful as choosing to respond instead of react. To do this, you need to: 1. Be present (sit back and take a breath) 2. Be aware (get out of your head and into the moment) 3. Keep your focus outward (most things are not about you) ;) In sales, this short process is helpful because it keeps your focus outward and on your client. It keeps you off the "script" (which is ALL about you and your company and your product) and on the conversation in the moment (what do THEY want, what would make THEIR life better or THEIR job easier). This lowers your stress level because it is no longer a "presentation," but rather a "conversation." Your brain is much more at ease in conversation mode than in presentation mode. :)

It's being present in the moment. It's watching your thoughts pass by as opposed to interacting with them. As if you were watching your thoughts on a screen. Our brains are always in action so you just take a step back and watch them.

Mindfulness encompasses the capacity to focus on the present instant, devoid of judgment or diversion. It's a trainable aptitude attainable through diverse methods like meditation, controlled breathing, yoga, or mindful movement. By fostering mindfulness, individuals heighten their awareness of thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and environment, embracing them without immediate or adverse reactions. This practice encourages acceptance of experiences as they unfold, facilitating responses characterized by mindfulness rather than impulsivity or negativity.

Mindfulness is an important ability, but it differs from the more helpful concept of "presence" in many ways. In the healthcare or sales setting, there is the need for attentiveness, but it is just as important to examine "intention." In our book Enhance Your Presence, my colleague and I lay out the distinctions with the end result being the ability to light up new possibilities in the minds and hearts of others. This is rather disctinct from just pure mindfulness, which is not outcome oriented.

The fast-paced, target-driven world of sales can be a breeding ground for stress. But there's a powerful tool called mindfulness that can help you navigate the highs and lows with more grace and resilience. Remember, mindfulness is a journey, not a destination. With consistent practice, you can harness its power to manage stress, improve your performance, and thrive in the dynamic world of sales.

Not every deal will go your way so learning to be mindful by staying cool, calm and collected in challenging situations can help salespeople build resilience and keep moving forward 🤝

While mindfulness has a plethora of physical benefits such as lowering blood pressure, improving sleep and insulating the individual from stress, there are social benefits that stem from using mindful practices. The practice of mindfulness enhances the individual’s capacity to empathize and emotionally connect to others. The skill maybe used in many areas of work. Specifically in sales, the use of mindful practices enables the individual to have a broader understanding of the client’s needs and expectations which lead to stronger communication and alliance during an exchange.

Mindfulness is actually about being in the present with the awareness that whatever is happening is actually meant to happen & that you are only a medium of what had unfolded , unfolding or meant to unfold , so don’t take yourself too seriously . This means that being in sales the only rule to follow is to do our duty diligently & effectively.Once you are in the “chill zone “ , nothing over excites you not does it depress you…Ideally it takes the “mindful” out of the picture & brings the sense of calm & understanding , which is necessary for success.

In any form of sales, one thing which is very important is rapport building. Rapport building requires observation, self awareness, connect and patience. Mindfulness helps build these aspects over a period of time with practice.

Mindfulness serves as a valuable stress management tool for sales professionals. By cultivating relaxation, focus, and emotional regulation, it enables them to navigate the high-pressure sales environment more effectively. Mindfulness practices enhance communication skills, resilience, and reduce reactivity to challenges, fostering improved sales performance and overall well-being in the competitive sales landscape. Beyond mere stress reduction, mindfulness illuminates the path to authentic communication—a cornerstone of effective salesmanship. It fosters empathy, active listening, and a genuine rapport with our clients, transforming routine transactions into meaningful connections.

It is simple, yet very few do it. Stretching in between calls. Taking a break and looking at nature. Smelling essential oils. Pausing your work day and feeling grateful for what you have. Taking a moment to breathe. These are all the simple tricks to practice leading to a development of mindfulness. It takes very little time to practice, yet it requires consistency and attention. Over time as you practice, you naturally develop a mindful attitude and way of living. Peace enters your life and stress dissolves away.

When you feel discouraged? Take a few minutes in between the work to appreciate the good stuff. What went well today? Did you connect with a cool customer? Celebrate small wins to keep your motivation up.

I used mindfulness app throughout day and it help reenergize and control breathing and keeping stress level as low as possible . I used 20 20 20 rule … every 20 minutes look away from screen for 20 seconds and walk at least 20 steps

Here are some practical tips to incorporate mindfulness into your sales routine: Start your day with a few minutes of meditation or mindful breathing. Take mindful breaks throughout the day to refocus and de-stress. Practice mindful eating during lunch to savor your food and clear your head. Be present in your interactions with clients by focusing on active listening and non-judgmental communication. End your day with a gratitude practice to appreciate your achievements and cultivate a positive mindset.

The moment you notice yourself scrolling on LinkedIn or any other social platform, pause, take a deep breath, look away from the screen and notice what's present in your body. Attach mindfulness to the tasks you already are doing which makes the practice even more accessible. Example, do you take showers? Great, use a 30-second window in the shower to close your eyes, stand tall and notice the water hitting your head. Can you notice the individual streams or droplets? Example 2, do you walk your dog or cat (yes I've seen cats and ducks be walked in the Bay Area)? Great, can you slow down your pace for one street so that each step you feel the connection with the ground from heel to toe? Start with one street and extend to the next one!

Sales is a unique mindset , resilience , persistence and an inner resolve are keys to success . Targets , budgets , daily ,weekly monthly ,quarterly, yearly . It’s a long game . Embrace the stress it’s a driver , it’s the heighten sense of awareness . The stress forms part of the urgency that drives results . That WINS . Ignore it and you will fail Embrace it and channel it and you will be more successful than you ever dreamed of . It’s a marathon not a sprint ! Mindfulness is to visualise your success daily and believe in you day in day out . Look after yourself , step out , breath but never loose the task tension , it’s the difference between success and failure .

And the other thing about mindfulness is that you can practice mindfulness in your daily tasks. When it comes to Mindfulness there are two main practices, one is the formal practice where you stop and pause and do a mindful meditation practice, and the other is what is called the non-formal or informal practice which basically means being more mindful while doing your daily activities. For example mindful eating, mindful walking, mindful listening, mindful commuting/driving. There are so many opportunities in your day to practice mindfulness. Put simply, think of all of the things that you do in default mode, or automatic pilot every day and choose to do that task more mindfully.

Stress is a direct result of staying either in the past or future. Sales involves 🎯, constantly thinking about meeting / beating the numbers. The challenge is you move away from the present and constantly keep chasing the future. Mindfulness helps you to retain your Balance and come back to the center i.e. Present. Your future is a result of your actions in the present. You reap what you sow. I have never seen anyone losing weight by worrying about weight-loss. I have seen many who are Running, doing Yoga and working out who have lost weight. Be Present. Be Happy. Be Here and Now.

3000 years of practice that has been passed down generation to generation for a reason and now finally, since 20 years MRI scanning of the brain is possible and so we can now actually have a scientific explanation for something that was simply WOM.

Mindfulness includes being aware of and taking action according to your most important values possibly in every situation. Mindful value-based actions are opposite to impulsive choices and non-reflected reactions.