A Different Perspective Can Do You Good

When my first daughter was two or three years old, I remember taking the time to watch a caterpillar crawl along a sidewalk. We studied that bug for an eternity until she stepped on it and killed it (just kidding!).

Several years later my second daughter and I lay down on the grass behind our apartment building and spent a long time staring into the sky. We looked at the clouds and watched them as they drifted by.

Both situations gave me a different perspective on something I had seen hundreds of times.

A different perspective can be healthy in sales, too.

Sometimes we encounter a situation that we haven’t dealt with before. Or, something changes mid-way through an existing sales conversation/process and we don’t know how to manage that change.

It can be helpful to get a different perspective.

Have you created a network of people you can approach that will give you honest, open feedback for situations like this?

I have several good friends and a great business partner (aka my wife) with whom I can discuss new problems, challenges and obstacles.

Their viewpoints and insights help me see my problems from a different perspective. They can’t always offer a solution but they usually ask me questions that help me discover an answer that has been evading me.

Sometimes, you don’t have time to consult with others so here’s another approach that I have suggested in my sales training workshops from time-to-time…

Write the challenge or problem you are struggling with at the top of a sheet of paper. Below that write, “What if…”

Then, for 3 minutes, record every thought that pops into your head. Don’t edit those thoughts. Don’t filter them. Allow the ideas to flow as freely as possible.

A few years ago, I was searching for ways to improve an existing training program I taught on a regular basis. I listed the title of each of the seven modules on a separate sheet of paper and brainstormed ideas.

Admittedly, some of the ideas were ludicrous and hare-brained.

But, I also generated some excellent thoughts that helped me reformat the program and improve its effectiveness.

Getting a different perspective can help you increase your sales, improve your approach and find creative ways to solve the problems that crop up from time-to-time.

I do more than write about sales. I conduct sales training workshops and deliver keynote presentations at conferences and sales meetings. Contact me to find out how I can help with your upcoming event.