When I owned my home Improvement Company there was a picture frame on the wall. Sticking out of the frame was a faucet. On the picture it asked the question, “Have you taken your mental shower today?”
It served as a reminder to all our canvassers and show and event people that they had to clear their mind of all the junk they were dealing with. We all have a life outside of the job and it can affect our performance on the job. On top of that we deal with a lot of stuff on the job, some of it we have control over and much of it we don’t.
There are really only 3 things you have control over in canvassing, your mindset, your skillset and getting off your assets. Today I’m going to work on your mindset; the secret sauce to your success.
Even if this is a part time job you have to take it seriously. If you were an athlete you don’t show up to the game and take the field. You have to prepare, get focused and know what you’re doing before you go out into the canvassing field.
Where I see people creating problems for themselves on the job is when they focus on things they can’t control. Something I do with every person I train is developing a list of the things you can and cannot control. It may seem simple, but it works.
Let’s go through the exercise.
Ask yourself, when you go out to ‘do the job’ (canvassing, shows or events), what don’t you have control of?
Successful canvassers tend to be type ‘A’ personalities and one of their traits is being in control. So for a canvasser whose comfort zone is being in control; fear, doubt, worry and uncertainty can severely mess with your head and affect your marketing results.
What doesn’t the canvasser have control over?
- In neighborhoods you don’t know how many people are going to be home.
- It’s amazing how many people worry about how many people will be home. The reality is you don’t have control over that. It is what it is and it changes daily.
- How many people you meet will be qualified?
- An example is a home improvement company only works with homeowners not renters.
- How many people will you meet that have absolutely no need or want for your product or service?
- For a home improvement company offering replacement products (windows, doors, siding, gutters, etc.) it can be frustrating to finally greet someone who’s home only to find out they’ve already had all the work you can offer them done and they’re not a prospect. It’s frustrating, yes, but you can’t control that… move on.
- How many leads or appointments are you going to get today?
- I’m amazed when I hear in morning canvassing meetings the discussions over canvassers asking how many leads they’re going to get today. You don’t know how many you’re going to get before you start and this kind of conversation creates uncertainty. I never start the day thinking about how many leads I’m going to get.
- Weather – what’s it going to be like today?
- If the conditions are too extreme, it’ll take care of itself. Don’t create negative beliefs to justify why you can’t canvass.
- I hope people are nice today!
- You have no idea what the response or attitude will be from people you meet. A bigger issue is canvassing in neighborhoods you’ve been in before and met with negative response from people and anticipating you’re going to be met by the same response for people. It’s just ‘head-trash’ that gets in your way.
These are just a few things I’ve found myself and others being affected by. You can’t avoid them, they’re going to happen, but you can’t control them so there’s no justifiable reason to let these affect your performance and results. Great canvassers have short-term memories; the ‘stuff’ rolls off their backs. If you’re a canvasser, I encourage you to expand this list, add others you can come up with that you don’t have control over.
What doesn’t the show and event marketer have control over?
- How many attendees or shoppers will come by?
- Where will our booth or table be located at the show?
- You want to be smart about booth or table placement, but you can’t always dictate location.
- How many people at this show or event have a need for my products or services?
- It’s not uncommon to be at a show or event that’s not directly related to what you offer. For example, you may be a home improvement company and you set up a booth at a wine & cheese show. Your job as a marketer is to identify need and want, to generate interest; that’s why you’re there. Some of the best leads are captured at events ‘out of category’ from what you offer. This is an advantage because often you’re marketing in a vacuum, with no competitors attending. It’s all in how you prepare your mind for it.
Again, come up with your own complete lists. Make yourself aware of what you can’t control.
Now, here’s what I do to get my mind focused and prepared.
Success Mindset #1:
Going back to one of many canvassers’ concerns regarding how many leads or appointments will I get? When I’m in the field I know what my numbers are as far as how many doors I will approach and knock on. For example, if I’m going to be doing it part time (2-2 ½ hours) I can expect to get to 50 doors on that shift. My clear focus and goal is going to be that I will approach and knock on 50 doors. I can control that. At this point my job is to knock on 50 doors. No pressure, all I have to do is approach 50 doors. I’m not concerned if they’re going to be home, if they’ll be a buyer or if they’re qualified. I only need 50 doors and when I do meet someone home I’m prepared to talk to them. It’s that simple, how many doors will I knock on? That’s for the canvasser. For the show and event people I teach they can’t predict how many people will attend so I teach an approach script and their job is to use the springboard opening line to every person walking by with that script.
I had a gentleman I worked with whose entire approach was to talk to every person that walked by him and by the end of the show he had more leads and appointments than any other canvasser at that show. He wasn’t any more or less talented, skilled or trained than any other marketer, but the defining difference in his success was that he didn’t prejudge anyone, he approached everyone. Taking that approach, he captured every opportunity that came by.
Success Mindset #2:
Practice, roll play or rehearse your script. You can control the results from the people you meet and present to by focusing on perfecting your scripts. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve delivered it you have to practice it out loud. The best performers are constantly rehearsing. Yul Brynner performed his role as King Moncut in the King and I 4625 times and he was known to rehearse his lines before every performance, multiple times. Professional athletes rehearse their drills continually; and the best ones do it outside of formal practices. Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice was notorious for having a more rigorous training schedule during the off-season than one during the season. Why do these professionals rehearse so much when they’re able to do it in their sleep without thinking? Because they want to be at the top of their game every day and they don’t allow themselves to make a mistake.
The 2 things you have complete control over are practicing your skills and approaching every prospect you can. Do this and you’re ready to go. You have your scripts, you have your strategy, you’re focused in and you’re getting your activity in. When you’re prepared you’re going to capture the maximum number of leads on the opportunities that are available to get your contact numbers in. The leads and appointments and the demos on those leads and appointments will close and the money will come. You don’t have to make goals about leads and appointments, focus on your door approaches and be prepared to make a presentation when the opportunity presents itself. You’ll become a lead-machine. You’ll be more relaxed, comfortable and confident and the prospect will mirror your demeanor. People want to work with people who are comfortable and confident.
When you focus on things you don’t have control over; you let worry, doubt, fear, anxiety and uncertainty creep in it affects the communication you convey to others. 93% of all your communication with others is conveyed through either your body language or the tonality of your voice.
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our Attitudes.” Charles Swindoll
“I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it.” It’s all about your reaction to ideas, situations, and circumstances (real or imagined). Take control of only those things you can. You can change your thought-life and attitude. Another way to look at it is “90% of success is inspiration and10% perspiration”. The job is hard enough without making it harder.
When you do something with purpose and you’re on a mission to help as many people enjoy the benefits of your product or service then you galvanize yourself from the negativity that’s all around you. No matter what your product or service is it solves people’s problems.
Successful marketing and selling is the transference of emotion. If you can’t be excited about what you represent how is anyone you meet ever to get excited about it? You control your approach and attitude to everyday. When I find myself thinking or feeling negative I recognize that I’ve given up control to someone or something else. I also know however that I can take back control of my attitude. No one can ever make you feel negative without your approval. Remember that.
In conclusion, the 2 things under your control, that will have the most significant influence on your success as a marketer is rehearsing and perfecting your skill and meeting and greeting as many people as you can. At its core, that’s what your job is as a marketer for the company.
Your mission is to solve other’s problems and pains.
Go forth and fix people’s problems.
Committed to your canvassing success,
Chris Thompson, The Canvass King