When you’re selling your startup idea/ product/ service to other businesses, and thoughts of competition, lack, or limitation negatively impacts your performance and results. It makes the difference between success and failure. Your thoughts make the difference between how you are with prospects, because how you think impacts the way you act and what you say.

Drunk squirrel

Be honest, isn’t your mind like drunk squirrel, where as soon as you wake up it’s off scurrying all over the place, with incessant chatter thinking about the past, what you did last week, what so and so said to you in a meeting? Or what might happen and imaginary conversations that stir up stress inside you? Sound familiar?

My partner and I joke about how lethal the shower is, because sometimes we go in feeling happy but come out in a real foul mood because it’s a place where your mind runs off like a roller-coaster thinking about all sorts of things that haven’t happened.

Managing your state

Managing your state of mind is absolutely critical not only for success to grow your business, achieve the revenues you want, but also to feel happy and stress free. And managing your state begins with being aware; in other words, being mindful. Mindfulness can be achieved through meditation; this Stanford University study shows meditation can help regulate emotions.

Scientific studies prove meditation boosts positive emotions, a necessary trait for successful sales, and it reduces anxiety. And meditation boosts  your productivity – yep, doing absolutely nothing for a moment helps you get more done. And it increases your attention span – and we could all do with a bit of increased attention span since our smart phones sapped every last drop out of us.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is about being aware or being conscious, which is achieved by being aware of your thoughts.

Meditation is a technique for exercising the mind and practising mindfulness: you can achieve it by either by focussing your thoughts, being aware of your thoughts and surroundings, or eliminating thoughts.

When I first started my mindfulness journey almost 8 years ago, I found it incredibly difficult to control my thoughts and reach that moment of calm and quiet. After all, my mind ran like a crazy drunk squirrel for more than 25 years, so it takes practise. I found these 3 simple techniques a great place to start, so I thought I’d share them with you.

3 simple meditation techniques to get you mindful

Conscious breathing

• Sit comfortably with a straight back, not too stiff, just a straight back, no slouching.
• Rest your hands on your lap.
• Close your eyes.
• Inhale as normal, and listen and feel your breath while doing so.
• Then exhale as normal, and relax.
• All the while just focus on your breath as you inhale and exhale.
• Take 3 conscious breaths.

You can do this on the train or tube or at your desk.

Moment meditation

You know those times when you’re waiting at the bus stop or waiting for a tube or waiting for a late friend to arrive? Instead of reaching for your phone, try this..

• While standing, listen to all the sounds around you; the traffic, the foot steps, the birds, everything
• Notice the smells
• How many different sounds can you hear?

When you focus on your surroundings, it takes you out of your head so you’re being fully present. This is what “stopping to smell the roses” literally means.

Walking meditation

• As you take each step, feel each foot as it touches the ground while you walk.
• Feel your left foot as you walk, feeling the heel touch the ground, arch, the balls of your feet and toes.
• Then feel the other foot as it comes down on the pavement.
• Listen to your feet as you walk.
• Be aware of your feet touching the ground as you walk.
• Do this for 20 steps.

This one is suitable for next time you’re walking from one meeting to the next, or while you’re walking to and from work.

Keep calm and do mindful selling

Mindful selling can help you sell more because you’re operating from presence and therefore eliminating concerns about lack or limitations. Mindful selling prevents you from becoming one of those annoying sales people who has to talk about them and their products the whole time. Also, mindful selling allows you to be more focussed and ask intelligent questions during client meetings, uncovering real needs and pain points, therefore helping you clearly demonstrate value to more clients. You can begin your mindful selling outreach with mindful cold-calling, and this tip on how to networking in a mindful way allows you to enjoy networking even when you hate it.

We do offer mindful sales training, so do get in touch here if you’d like to learn more.

Your turn

Pick one of these 3 meditation techniques and give it a go today. Then come back and tell us how you got on in the comment box below. And do you have a meditation technique not mentioned here that work for you? I’m sure our readers from over 50 countries around the world would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading. Keep soaring!