While at the University of Connecticut in 1976, Bob Rotella, who is now a well known ‘head’ coach to professional golfers, taught me about the S.A.I.D. principle as it applied to the psychology of sport.  I had no idea that in 1993 when we started Anthony Cole Training Group, that this same principle would apply to more consistent and productive sales results.

Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands Principle (From Ask.com)

“Principle stating that if a person is under physical stress of varying intensities and duration, the person attempts to overcome the stress by adapting specifically to the imposed demands.”

Therefore, when it comes to selling and sales effectiveness, there are three habits that all highly successful sales professionals possess:

1.      Seeking and developing relationships

2.      Qualifying these relationship to determine if there is a mutually beneficial reason to do business

3.      Motivating these now qualified relationships to act quickly and timely to eliminate/solve problems they have or problems that they see in their future

These are habits because of the S.A.I.D. principle.  For example, taking just the first habit of seeking or developing relationships aka: prospecting.  My wife Linda and I were talking about this concept recently.  During her career in commercial furniture sales, her responsibility was to break into new accounts.  This meant go sell something!  It didn’t have to be a big sale, maybe just a chair or table or a work unit; but sell something.  This required that she prospect every day, and so she adapted to the imposed demand of regular cold calling, as well as the rejection that came with it. Thus, not only did her self- management adapt so that she prospected daily, but her emotional adaptation to the regular rejection she encountered conditioned her to be “ok” with the rejection.

Significantly, she found if she didn’t prospect daily, she had to redevelop the habit, overcome the call reluctance, and learn to get over the rejection once again. She became a courageous prospector, partly so that she could avoid the pain of having to start the process (the call reluctance and rejection) repeatedly. Of course, the real benefit of the activity was significant over time, culminating in sales that would not have occurred otherwise.

Therein lies the problem for most sales people. The critical activities, skills and behaviors that are required to be successful are not executed – demanded – consistently enough so that they adapt to the imposed demand.  And, because their approach to prospecting, asking tough questions, asking about the incumbent or asking for the order is so inconsistent, they never fully adapt and those activities and behaviors never become habits.

You want better, more consistent sales results?  Impose on yourself more specific opportunities that require you to use those critical skills and you will adapt, and those needed activities and skills will soon become habits.