Sales is so much more than closing a deal, it’s about building influence. While this skillset is especially important for entrepreneurs and business owners, it helps anyone thrive in all areas of life.

During my sales career and now as an executive coach, I consistently notice a few things: smart, hard workers struggle to build their businesses, sales teams are trained together yet not everyone excels, and internal saboteurs like perfectionism or avoidance get in the way of achievement.

The common theme that sets the superstars apart is not their training, work ethic, smarts, or high standards. Those who have been consistent overachievers have something else in common: a salesperson’s mindset. Ultimately, a positive mindset drives results.

These three key elements will help you foster that positive mindset and spring you into success:

1. Selling Is Serving

Let go of the negative stereotypes about pushiness in sales – sales at its core is about serving the customer. Be a thought leader: bring new ideas, innovative solutions, and best practices to provide value before and after the sale closes. This mindset builds trust and more authentic relationships in work and life.

2. Objections Are Not Rejections

Have you heard the phrase “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater?” That’s what you’re doing when you assume objections are rejections. Objections appear for many reasons: the timing may not be right, you’re trying to solve the wrong problem, they don’t have access to a big enough budget, or maybe they don’t understand the solution well enough to make a decision.

Explore with your client to discover what’s missing or misunderstood. Sometimes there isn’t a fit, and that’s okay!. This mindset will help you invest in your personal or company’s growth, whether it’s now or later.

3. Always Be Curious

One of the old sales mantras that puts negative connotations in people’s minds is “Always Be Closing.” It puts the sale at the center, when the customer should be at the forefront of everything you do. My ABC of sales is instead Always Be Curious, Clear and Compassionate

This mindset will help you find creative solutions to the pain points they’ve laid out for you and ones they didn’t even know they had! This curious mindset helps you find opportunities everywhere.

Last year was a uniquely difficult one, no matter your circumstance. With Spring upon us, we have an opportunity to embrace the idea of new beginnings. Are you ready to Spring into Success? Now is the time to shift your mindset to increase your confidence and resilience needed to build influence, close deals, and eliminate internal saboteurs.

Which mindset tips resonate the most with you and what do you want to learn more about? Drop a comment below or contact me for further information on how to build these skills.