The right mindset doesn’t just win games—it seals deals. It’s the “get it done” frame of mind that keeps your head in the game, keeps you sharp, and keeps you working for excellence.
Work to develop the mindset of a champion and you’ll find yourself skyrocketing in sales and life.
Jason, a star wrestler, learned to persevere the hard way.
I had the pleasure of meeting a fantastic high school wrestler this past year. Jason was exceptional—with a 35-1 record the year before.
This was his senior year and he had several college scholarships lined up. But two weeks before the season started, he had a severe knee injury. College offers were now up in the air. Everything he had worked so hard for now seemed completely unattainable.
He had every reason to quit. To stop. To give up. Instead, he had the mindset to work out, go to rehab, and get back in the ring.
In the end, he won the district and regional championships—and did very well in States. His scholarships remain intact.
In sales, a strong mindset isn’t just nice to have—it’s an important piece of your arsenal.
A few years ago, a client of mine hired two young salespeople. The first had wanted to get into sales because he saw how much money people made. He had been in a sales position at another company, but it didn’t “work out.”
He’d complain that he wasn’t getting enough leads, wasn’t making the money he saw other people making, wasn’t getting responses to his emails, and many more. He had an excuse for everything—none of which left him accountable.
His attitude was lacking; his mindset didn’t set him up for success.
The other new hire was different from the first. He didn’t have any experience at all but was hungry. He’d stay late, ask lots of questions to my client, and intently study the products and services the company offered.
In short, he was a sponge. He was persistent in trying to reach people by using a variety of methods. He’d always be the first to volunteer.
You can probably guess who got promoted first, made more money, and climbed the ladder faster.
It’s clear that we have complete control over one thing that no one else can have on us: our mindset. Science backs this up.
In a Harvard study, half of 84 hotel cleaning staff were told that their daily work met the recommended exercise guidelines for a healthy lifestyle. Researchers outlined the high amount of calories burned as a result of all their daily activities.
One month later, those staff showed lower blood pressure, weight loss, and better test results—all without changing their routines.
The other half of the hotel cleaning staff in the placebo group were told nothing—and saw none of the other group’s improved health measures.
What the study revealed was that their belief in the effectiveness of their actions had physically altered their bodies. Their minds altered their bodies.
You can train yourself to have a better mindset. Here are three ways:
Leverage the power of community. It seems like a simple concept—just surround yourself with people who have similar beliefs or aspirations. But it’s actually harder than it sounds.
There’s always the negative sales individual in an organization. The one who acts like the first salesperson described earlier. Nothing works. It’s always someone else’s fault.
The negative salesperson is like that crab in the crab bucket always trying to pull the other crabs back down as they try to escape. You need to act on your own terms.
Sometimes, you have to escape that crab trying to pull you down and get with the ones that want a better life. Look out for them at every turn. They will be the ones who don’t gripe and take responsibility for their success—whose good mindsets rub off on your own.
Affecting your internal messages impacts your external perceptions.
Instead of saying “I can do this”, try saying “You can do this.” Flip the pronoun to reinforce your thinking. Saying ‘“You can do this” helps boost your confidence by tricking it into thinking an external person believes it, too. It also activates brain regions associated with self-worth and resilience.
You can also reprogram yourself by internalizing questions (and answers) such as:
– Do you wake up thinking about how difficult the day is going to be or anticipating the possibilities of the day?
– Do you think “why not me?” or do you think “I don’t deserve this”
– Are you focused on the journey or on the destination?
Write down three real life examples where you persevered, overcame a difficult time in your life, made a huge sale, or won something. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small or big moment—write it down so that you see it. If you see it, you’ll believe it—and it’ll change your perspective.
Revisit them often to help shift your mindset back to positive if you’re in a rut. Or whenever you need a little boost to make that tough sales call or crush that next meeting.
What separates high performing from average people is actually in the way they think. Your mindset matters. Jason had it. The young sales rep had it. Now it’s your turn—train your mindset and start winning.
Get yourself into the right mindset with Jeb Blount’s best-selling sales book Fanatical Prospecting. Get two free chapters here.
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