After more than 15 years in direct sales and canvassing, I’ve learned the biggest limiting factor for anyone is their own mindset. Regardless of how well trained a canvasser is and no matter how strong their self reliance, canvassing like direct sales, can wear a person down. Let’s face facts, there’s going to be a higher level of rejection than there will be successes. It’s the nature of the business and you can’t avoid it. The only way to combat it is putting yourself in the right frame of mind. You have to have a plan in order to do it consistently… effectively.
I’m big into sports. In past articles I’ve used the analogy of a major league batter; the difference between a big league all star and a hitter who makes only the league minimum is a little less than one hit a week. Batting, like canvassing, is a profession where you’ll get more outs then you’ll gets hits. Yet major league ball players are able to step up to the plate and take the swings necessary to get a hit. A canvasser has to knock on the next door even after he or she gets the door slammed in their face.
You have to have a plan; otherwise canvassing is just a job. Everyone wants to make money and create wealth, but the words “Make” and “Create” suggests the amount of money you make is in direct proportion to the amount of effort you exert. A marketing mentor of mine, Dan Kennedy, speaks often about “attracting wealth.” He teaches how you can be magnetic to wealth. Most of it is based on having the right frame of mind along with the skill-set. In the context of this article, “The Art of Canvassing”, the wealth I speak of is a lead or leads. Canvassers are measured by demos, and demos don’t happen without leads.
I see so many managers and owners who think that, “go out and get leads” is a productive plan for motivating canvassers. Sure, even a blind squirrel can find a nut every now and again, but there are a lot of starving squirrels, and it’s not because of a shortage of nuts.
Over the next several months I’m going to discuss the 5 key points of my “Canvasser Mind Mapping.” It’s not about brainwashing, rather getting you mentally prepared to go out and not just knock on doors every day, but take control of how you’re doing it in order to increase your productivity.
Here are the 5 Categories of my mindset program:
- Goals
- Getting Control
- You’re not crazy, the homeowner is
- Perception is the only thing stopping homeowners
- Blowing up the glass ceiling
One is not more important than another, nor is there a hierarchy to their order. Simply a list, each necessary for creating the mental success needed to experience physical, financial and emotional success.
1. Goals
One month ago I ran a 5k. When I began training this past summer, mentally I knew I couldn’t run that distance due to the fact I wasn’t able to work out because of a foot injury. I didn’t have the strength, endurance or technique to be able to accomplish it, but I knew it was an attainable goal because others have reached it. The 5k was my major goal, but in order to reach it I needed a series of mini-goals. Before I could begin training I had to take care of a heel injury. I could have started training for the 5k without addressing my heel injury, but I knew doing that would put my ultimate goal further off. I needed to do the things to heal the injury first; rest, stretching and special shoe soles. After that I was ready to start training for the 5k. Once the heel injury was out of the way, I could focus on the next step of building up to the 5k. First I committed to a weekly workout schedule. Then each workout I had goals to accomplish.
The order of your goals is important. You can climb a flight of stairs by skipping steps, but you risk slipping and falling back down the stairs.
What do you have to do every day to get better? How many doors do you have to knock on to get the number of leads you want (how many no’s do you have to hear)? Refer to my front-end numbers (www.canvassking.com/March_2009.html) to see my matrix for a canvasser’s production; there’s a daily “number” goal you can work with. If you want yours higher, knock on more doors; lower, knock on fewer doors. That’s the beauty of canvassing, it’s controllable and predictable. (Refer to www.canvassking.com/July_2009.html for my canvasser’s street tally worksheet)
Once you have your goal “number” how far off are you and why? When you know the why you can set a goal for solving it. If you’re getting a lot of doors slammed early then you need to work more on your introduction script. If you’re getting a lot of interest, but aren’t converting them to leads then work on that.
You have to have goals to succeed. There’s an old joke, “How do you eat an elephant?” Answer: “One bite at a time.” You can be the most experienced canvasser there is and you’re still going to have “bad” days. You have to pick yourself up and step back in the batter’s box and knock on the next door, but you can’t approach each door thinking about your last strike out. Set goals! How you set them is as important as having them. Here’s a brief guide for effective goal setting. Follow the S.M.A.R.T. model. Your goals must be:
Specific
- WHAT are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop, plan, build etc.
- WHY is this important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish?
- HOW are you going to do it? (By…)
Measurable
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
Attainable
Goals that you set too far outside of your reach will demotivate you. You won’t commit to doing them. You may start them with the best intentions, but the subconscious knowledge that it’s too much for you will limit you.
Realistic
This isn’t a synonym for easy. There has to be some effort involved, but it shouldn’t be a vertical slope you have to climb. The resources are available for you to attain the goal, but you’ll also have to apply the resources… that’s the effort.
Timely
Set a time frame in which you’ll reach the goal. If you don’t set a time then your commitment will be vague and your effort will fall off.
Go back and review my system for a canvasser ascending from new recruit to assistant manager (May through September 2010’s Art of Managing Canvassing articles) you’ll see the entire process follows this S.M.A.R.T. model.
Next month I’ll discuss Getting Control of your progress and how important it is to your success.