I did not smoke a cigarette today.

I did not buy cigarettes today.

In fact, just the smell of cigarette smoke sets off disgusting thoughts.

Now, what DID you do this morning that you always do?

Brush your teeth?

Have your coffee?

Go to the gym?

Check your email?

Did you have to think about those things, or did you just do them?

I'm guessing you went through your regular rituals. Automatically.

Because that's who you are.

Identity is built through repetition. Not once. Not when you feel inspired. Not after a conference. Through repeated thoughts, repeated behaviors, and repeated emotional experiences …. until they simply become who you are.

Just like brushing your teeth.

"But wait, Art, what does this have to do with me making calls, closing deals, and serving customers?"

Well, just absolutely everything.

I'll explain in the Big Lesson.

The problem holding most salespeople back is that they are liars.

Not to customers and prospects. (OK, some unethical ones do, unfortunately, as I wrote about a few issues ago.)

They lie to themselves. They want to set appointments, hit numbers, and earn commission, and they know they need to talk to more new prospects in order to do it. So they lie to themselves and say, "I'm going to do more prospecting this week."

They start out Monday making a few calls, maybe even having some success. But by Friday they are back to their own, honest-with-themselves, self.

Then they rationalize.

"I work better under pressure."

"I'm more of a relationship person."

"Cold calling doesn't work anymore."

"I'll start fresh Monday."

Which are often just elegant ways of protecting the identity they already have.

Why? Because deep down, they really don't see themselves as the person who IS the power prospector, and master of follow-up. The person who just does it consistently.

Non-negotiable.

Without having to talk themselves into it.

Just like brushing your teeth.

You can set all of the goals you want. Listen to the motivational podcasts. Read the inspirational memes. But until you ARE someone first, who then does the things necessary, you will continue to have what got you where you are, at this very moment.

Most people have the equation backwards.

They think: "If I HAD more success, I would DO the things successful people do, and then I'd BE that person."

But it actually works in reverse.

You must BE the person first.

Then you DO what that person does.

Then you HAVE what that person has.

Going on a one-time, one-hour prospecting blitz might be good for one hour. But it didn't change the software … your subconscious programming … running the hardware, which is your physical body and behavior.

It's like an out of shape person who wants to get fit and healthy, doing one session with a physical trainer.

They wanted something.

Told themselves they would get fit.

Did something once.

And never updated the software to support the new behavior.

Permanent behavior change only happens after identity changes underneath it.

And therein lies the problem with most underperforming salespeople, and the sales training that doesn't address the most important part.

Actually, a lot of sales training and often-repeated sayings contribute to salespeople getting and staying stuck, and in fear.

"You need to love rejection."

"Just make more calls."

"Just be yourself."

Umm, no.

Rejection is a story you tell yourself. And stories repeated long enough become identity.

Doing something wrong in higher numbers increases the number of fails.

Being yourself is fine. If yourself knows what to say, and does it from a position of confidence and authority.

The great news?

Not to get all Tony Robbins on you, but you are capable of being the person who does the things that will get the results you want. In fact, people who are less intelligent than you, who started with less and from worse circumstances, are right now getting the results you want. And more.

Why is that?

Most of it starts with who they were at the identity level, or who they decided to become.

In business and sales I've seen it so many times. For example, Brent …not his real name, but he looked like one … got hired into a potentially lucrative pharmaceutical sales job because, in his words to me, he was a stud college football player. Well-known in the territory he was assigned. Problem was, off the football field, he had none of the confidence that he displayed while leading last-minute drives on it. He felt like he didn't belong with the other "brainy" reps, and certainly thought he wasn't qualified to talk to doctors and other medical professionals.

So what happened? After months of floundering, and hating what he was experiencing, he drew on his innate disgust of losing. He decided that who he was as a quarterback was no different than who he could be as a sales pro. So he worked hard. Not physically in the weight room or field, but in the "film room" of his mind, reprogramming who he was. And over time, his behavior followed. He became just as smooth and confident discussing medical procedures, problems, and treatments as he was spinning stories of how he led the epic comeback against State six years earlier.

So, let's talk about you.

Are you perfectly satisfied with where you are right now?

Do you ever feel frustrated that you are not achieving what you see others getting?

First, the tough love. You are exactly where you are right now because of the decisions you have made to this point in your life. Some might argue that, but that would be the same thinking that is keeping them back.

And again, the great news is, you have what it takes to get what you are capable of.

It does require a shift in thinking.

How big? I don’t know… how big are the results you want?

This is certainly not a one-newsletter fix, because you did not get here overnight. But the fix can begin right now.

Here are some questions to get you thinking about the possibilities:

I know I might have lost a lot of people already. Some want a magic phrase, a cute opening, a tricky subject line. I admire that you are still here.

Over the past few issues I discussed the Four Pillars of the Ultimate Sales Professional, how most salespeople are missing at least one, and how a low score in even one area quietly cancels out the others. And how this part of excelling in sales has been woefully neglected for... well, pretty much forever.

I did something about it by developing the Ultimate Sales Professional program to address the three pillars most sales training completely ignores: identity, fear and rejection, and consistent disciplined action.

And then building the Smart Calling Ultimate Sales Pro Mastery coaching program to integrate the fourth pillar, proven messaging and process, and personal coaching, accountability, practice, community, and more.d

This is deeper work than learning scripts.

But it's also the work that permanently changes careers.

Because at some point, every sales professional has to decide whether they merely want better techniques… or whether they are finally ready to become someone different.

If you are at all intrigued, you can get full explanations on how you can get involved in either.

Ultimate Sales Professional program

Smart Calling Ultimate Sales Pro Mastery coaching and training program

Go make it your best week ever!