Sales Motivation: The (Must-Have) Mindset of a CLOSER

Let’s face it. Selling can be hard! And sometimes we just need that kick in the ass to motivate us to do what we need to close more sales.

Often, what separates top sales performers from the rest of the pack is simply the right sales motivation to get those key sales activities done—consistently.

Without strong sales motivation, taking one step after another (after another…) can feel just too daunting for salespeople.

If you’re one of those salespeople who’s waiting around for inspiration to strike, I have news for you: There’s no “ah-ha!” moment in sales.

You must adjust your own mindset to find the sales motivation you need, and leverage it to get to the next level.

Top sales performers are great at this. That’s why they’re so good at just getting it done.

In this video, I’m going to show you how to achieve one key sales motivation mindset that works incredibly well: the must-have mindset of a CLOSER. Check it out:

Sales Motivation Video Summary:

Sales Motivation Closer Mindset #1: Motivation isn’t about being excited

This is so important. Most people associate the idea of motivation with extreme excitement and exuberance. But in reality, having the mindset of a closer has absolutely nothing to do with being excited.

Just think about any motivational posters you might have seen around the office: photos of people with their arms thrown high into the air, standing on top of a cliff, grinning with utter joy as adrenaline pumps through their veins.

When you see pictures like that, you probably think, “Ah! That would be awesome! Why don’t I feel that way?” But the truth is that sales motivation is not about feeling great, and it’s not about being excited. It’s just about getting up off your ass and doing it.

Closers don’t need to feel excited. They get up and do it, no matter how they feel.

Think about going to the gym. I go to the gym five or six times a week. I’m often really not excited to go to the gym. But what do I do? I get up every single morning and I just go, and then once I’m there, I eventually get into it. It’s the same exact thing with sales.

You just have to get up and go, whether you feel like it or not. And then before you know it, it doesn’t hurt as much anymore. That’s what motivation is really about: consistency and perseverance.

Sales Motivation Closer Mindset #2: Stop waiting for the feeling.

This builds off the idea above. Don’t wait around for inspiration or a feeling of sales motivation to strike. Just take your first step right now, and only focus on that. One step at a time.

If you’ve been putting off something that you know you need to be doing, as soon as you finish reading this, just do it! Don’t wait for the feeling to strike. Just do it.

There are a couple of key things we must do every day to be successful in sales and, quite frankly, they’re often not that fun. But if you get in there and take action, and just get it done, those dreaded tasks will be over before you know it.

Sales Motivation Closer Mindset #3: Small, consistent steps every single day.

Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? I often find that average salespeople tend to be the hare as opposed to the tortoise. Meanwhile, top performers are much more like the tortoise than the hare.

The hare is a salesperson that gets a burst of “sales motivation” and bangs out 50 calls today. But tomorrow, they do nothing.

The tortoise is a salesperson that makes a consistent set of dials every day, no matter what. Every single day. This salesperson has the mindset of a closer.

Small, consistent steps every single day are so much more sustainable, and therefore much more effective in sales. Be the tortoise, not the hare.

In my own life, I find that reading every day is one of those small, consistent steps that’s integral to my personal development and general mental health. I don’t read 100 pages in a day. But every single night, I read 5 to 10 pages before I drift off to sleep. This might seem slow, but I end up consistently reading more than one book every single month, without fail. Small, consistent steps every single day.

Sales Motivation Closer Mindset #4: They can’t hurt you.

Salespeople get so nervous about rejection. They’re terrified of doing something wrong. But the reality is that prospects can’t hurt you physically. They can’t punch you through the phone, they can’t hit you via email—they can’t do any of that.

All they can do is possibly say something mean (which they’re probably not even going to do). If you want to increase your sales motivation by building the mindset of a closer, you need to realize that prospects can’t hurt you.

And once you determine that prospects can’t hurt you, you know what? There’s really not much risk. We’re not risking our lives in sales. It’s not that scary.

Whether you’re scared of making that call or setting that appointment or sending that email, don’t be afraid of what someone’s going to do in response. Just get out there and do those things that you should be doing.

And by the way, if someone does say or do something that kind of stings, take it in stride and move on. Don’t give it a second thought.

Sales Motivation Closer Mindset #5: Sales is a sport.

I can’t tell you how many salespeople, whether in my online forum or after an event, have said something like: “Marc, one of my prospects said they were going to be at a call, and then they didn’t show up. What should I do? And by the way, I’m so pissed at them…”

I always answer, “Sales is a sport. The prospect is playing a game, and so are you. You’re trying to sell as part of that game, while the prospect is trying to get the most advantageous purchase with their time and money.”

Sales is a sport, and the sooner you realize it, the more sales motivation you’ll have every single day. In fact, thinking of sales as a game is central to the mindset of a closer.

If someone doesn’t show up to a call, don’t be mad at the prospect. If someone doesn’t buy when they said they were going to buy, don’t get upset. It’s a sport.

Just like a great athlete shouldn’t get upset when an opponent does something to try to win, the same goes for you. It’s a sport, and the more light-hearted we can be about our profession, the better. If a prospect does something that’s annoying, laugh it off. Move on. Sales is a sport.

Sales Motivation Closer Mindset #6: Focus on activity and pipeline, not sales numbers.

From a sales motivation perspective, this is one of the biggest takeaways you can implement right now.

Stop worrying about your sales numbers. Sales numbers are backward-looking; they only tell you how you did in the past. The sales numbers you see today are the result of the work you’ve been doing for the past several weeks or months, depending on your typical sales cycle.

So don’t worry about today’s sales numbers. Instead, get into the mindset of a closer by focusing on activity and pipeline. That’s focusing on the future.

Focus on your sales activity, how many calls you’re making, how many emails you’re sending, how many appointments you’re setting—all of that. And then pay close attention to how many deals you have in your pipeline, the value of your current pipeline opportunities, and other aspects of pipeline that matter so much more than sales numbers.

Because what your activity and your pipeline look like today will reflect in your sales numbers tomorrow or a couple of months from now, which is so much more important. Let your activity and pipelines drive your sales motivation.

Sales Motivation Closer Mindset #7: Know exactly why you do this.

Sales motivation is not a mystery. Certain sales activities aren’t particularly easy to do, but when you know exactly why you do this, suddenly they become so much easier.

Your personal why is the main driver behind your sales motivation, and the key to having a closer’s mindset in sales. So think about it. Why do you sell?

Don’t say, “I want to meet new people” or “I want some money.” Those are cop-out answers. I’m talking about the real, deep personal reasons behind why you want to close a sale tomorrow. What does that sale mean to you?

Maybe you have a lifestyle goal you want to achieve. Or maybe there’s a car, a house, or a school tuition that would change the trajectory for your family. Maybe it’s about financial security for your kids, or paying for college.

Knowing exactly why you do this is key to sales motivation that will drive you to pick up that phone, set that meeting, and do whatever it takes to crush your sales goals.  

So let me ask you, what is your why? Why do you do this? Write it down. Put it right on your desk. You should know exactly why you’re picking up the phone every single time.

Sales Motivation Closer Mindset #8: Be smart, not hard-working.

Now, this is a little tongue-in-cheek. I’m not suggesting that you should be lazy, but great salespeople are often not the hardest-working and they’re not working the most hours.

But they’re really smart about the opportunities that they go after. They make sure that when they do make a call, it’s to a true decision maker at a large opportunity.

So you want to be really smart about how you’re using your time. This is critical to having the mindset of a closer.

And this is also an important distinction from a sales motivation perspective, because if we’re just banging our head against the wall every single day, we’re working super hard and we’re not getting much in terms of results, ultimately we’re going to quit.

Be smarter about how you spend your time. Get in front of prospects that are truly the people you want to be in front of. Make sure it’s the kind of sale that you really want. This will help you achieve your sales goals so much more easily, without all of that hard work.

Now you know the keys to increasing your sales motivation with the must-have mindset of a closer. Which of these ideas did you find most useful? I’d love to hear from you. Please share below in the comments and join the discussion.