Brian’s strategies when facing challenges

Brian LaManna has faced two brutal sales slumps in his career, but he emerged from them stronger and wiser.

He attributes his success to two key strategies:

Small changes

Firstly, he advocates for making small tweaks to your approach. Identify areas where you can improve, and then find people who excel in those areas.

Reach out to them, learn from them, and make small changes to your workflow. Don't try to reinvent the wheel – just focus on incremental improvements.

Celebrating

Secondly, Brian emphasizes the importance of celebrating small wins. When you're focused on a big outcome, it's easy to get discouraged by setbacks.

Instead, detach yourself from the outcome and celebrate each small victory along the way. This could be a positive email response, a great call, or a meeting scheduled for the next day.

By acknowledging and celebrating these small wins, you can stay motivated and build momentum towards your goals.

Constantly work on your mindset

Your mindset shapes how you perceive success and failure in sales. Jeff Riseley shared three tips in a recent post:

1. Mindset matters

Focus on positive beliefs and attitudes to see growth and opportunities.

Avoid dwelling on negative thoughts, as they reinforce failure.

2. Perception shapes reality

Your mindset directs your senses to find what you believe in.

For example, if you love dogs, you'll notice them everywhere. If you fear dogs, you'll see them as threats.

3. Shift your perspective

Change negative thoughts like "This will be a bad day" to positive ones like "What can I look forward to today?"

Invest energy in reframing situations positively to improve your outlook.

By consciously adjusting your mindset, you can change how you perceive and react to your environment, leading to better outcomes in sales.

How Kyle got suspended for a day

Kyle Asay shares a career lowlight when he was suspended for a day without pay, nearly getting fired. The company assigned territories based on zip codes, and Kyle got suburban Grand Rapids, MI, while his friend got Metro New York. Frustrated by his lack of prospects and his friend's success, Kyle loudly criticized the territory model to senior leaders and peers.

Leadership considered firing him, but his boss fought for him. Instead, he was suspended to adjust his attitude. During this time, Kyle realized he needed to be patient and propose solutions rather than complain. He learned to bring data, not emotions, when suggesting changes, to vent frustrations to his manager, not peers, and to be forgiving of others' mistakes.

Eventually, the territory model was changed, improving the situation. Kyle's experience taught him the importance of patience, data-driven communication, proper channels for venting, and forgiveness in the workplace.