Create Your Own Inspiration

Have you ever had writer’s block? If you haven’t, congratulations, however I am sure most of you have. I have been suffering from writer’s block for the past two hours, and let me tell you, there is nothing worse than staring at a blank word document for two hours with a blinking cursor mocking you. Each blink of the cursor shouts, “write something!” 

As a salesperson, you may not feel you suffer from writer’s block, as you do not write for a living but think about it this way, have you ever needed to reach out to a customer and not known what to say? Have you opened up a customer contact in your CRM system and been tasked with calling that customer, but you could not even pick up the phone because you did not know what to say when you called. Or even worse, you dialed the phone, the customer did not answer, and you left an absolutely horrific voicemail because you were not prepared with what to say? Maybe you have even been tasked with sending that customer a follow-up email and found yourself staring at the same blank page I was staring at with your own cursor shouting at you. If you have ever experienced one or all of these, you have suffered from writer’s block. And if you have never encountered any of these situations, please reach out to me and tell me your secret.

When I find myself suffering from writer’s block, I search for inspiration. I have an ever-growing word document with articles, pictures, and anything else that inspires me. I am constantly adding to this word document, so when I need something to write about, I can always find the inspiration I need to make things happen.

Your templates and scripts should provide you with this same inspiration. If you have an extensive catalog of templates and scripts for all occasions, you will never find yourself in a situation where you do not know what to say. The problem with this concept is that most salespeople do not have a catalog of templates and scripts, let alone an extensive one.

If you ever find yourself in one of these situations where you are suffering from writer’s block, instead of just winging it, take a moment to map out a plan of attack, put it in writing, and make it a template or script. That way, the next time you find yourself in that same situation, you will have the words needed to inspire you to take action with confidence and purpose, allowing you to achieve your desired results.

Today’s inspiration had nothing to do with anything I have already discussed. However, as you might have figured out already, the act of finding my inspiration to write became my inspiration to write.

Now, this does not mean I did not find true inspiration inside of my word document, because I did. As I read the following phrase from an article I read months ago, inspiration hit, and it hit hard.

Everything ties into ‘I believe, let’s discuss, you decide.’ – Nick Meikle

My first bolt of inspiration was how I used my word document of previously saved inspiration like a template or script to help me know exactly what to write about. And the second bolt of inspiration came from the quote: “Everything ties into ‘I believe, let’s discuss, you decide.’ by Nick Meikle.”

Now, I have no idea who Nick Meikle is, nor do I have any idea who wrote the article I pulled this from; however, I think they are on to one hell of a closing concept.

Let’s break it down:

“I believe.”

If you are operating in your customer’s best interest, you have correctly identified the customer’s problem they are looking to solve, and you are 100% certain your product or service creates the customer’s desired outcome, you will naturally “believe” what you are doing is best for the customer. As the salesperson, you are the first sell. You must be sold (believe) in what you are selling.

“Let’s discuss.”

Once you believe, your passion and enthusiasm will shine through to your customer in your words and your actions. This passion and enthusiasm can not be faked and must be genuine. Use your passion and enthusiasm to share all of the reasons you believe purchasing your product and/or service solves the customer’s problems and provides them with their desired outcome. Doing so will give the customer the same feeling that your product and/or service is best for them and will generate the emotions required for the customer to take action.

“You decide.”

People love the feeling of being in control and able to make the best decisions for themselves. Your customers are no different. The best part about letting the customer decide is that they are confident and happy about their decision because it is truly what is best for them. Additionally, you are confident and happy about letting the customer decide because you know you did everything else right up to this point. Hence, you already know what the customer’s decision will be. This is a win-win.

The moral of today’s story is for you to create your own inspiration. Write it down and recall it when you need it. Whether it is a script or a template you can use to achieve success during your follow-up or a belief concept such as ‘I believe, let’s discuss, you decide.’ Never stop creating your inspiration and use it to achieve the success you desire and deserve!