ARE YOU AN OVER-PREPARER ???

I definitely stirred up a few people with my mention of "your Oppositional Reflex" last week. I received quite a few comments and sold several books and seven evaluations. Thanks to all who gave me feedback - positive and negative. Yes, there were a couple of negative comments - imagine that !

So, I going to borrow again from my mentors, Dudley & Goodson, and speak of your degree of over - preparedness. What does that mean you say ? It means, in real simple terms, that you say you are going to do something different or unique ( to you or to others ) and you never do it because you always have an excuse. Excuses like "as soon as this happens, or as soon as I get this done, or as soon as someone else does something, etc. etc., etc.

Realistically what is happening is that you have some hang-up (fear) about what it is that you have been asked to do, decided to do, thought about doing, and / or recognize that you should do. And instead of doing it; you keep putting it off. And after a sufficient length of time - it just goes away.

And the unfortunate part of this trait ( for lack of better words ) is that it inhibits your growth and more than likely your success level. Make no mistake, most of us suffer from at least a little bit of this and some of us suffer a lot. I watch people in training sessions ( they always set in the back and you can tell that it wasn't their idea to be in this session ) who are virtually uncoachable. They have been doing this for a long time and they have most of the answers ( if not all ). Oh , they will listen and even show some interest but they are not going to change what they do. They fear change. It makes them uncomfortable. Why do something that you have never done before when you know it's not going to work ?

So, where are you in this discussion. Are you open to doing things differently ( even if it makes you uncomfortable for awhile ) ?

HOW'S YOUR "OPPOSITIONAL REFLEX" ???

We are discussing this week your "oppositional reflex". What does that mean and how does it possibly affect my success ? Here's the longer explanation to start - it's your need to assert your individuality. You have certain basic needs as an individual and you will oppose certain ideas, people, discussions, behaviors, and directions to fill those needs. It can be both helpful and detrimental but you need to recognize and understand it in yourself and others. No one is without it but some of us have higher degrees than others. A real simple explanation is How Coachable Are You ?

In athletic endeavors this can be a real issue for many coaches - especially when you are dealing with professionals who have attained varying degrees of proficiency. And obviously the same for Sales Professionals who have attained varying degrees of success. My favorite way of putting it is being "A Legend In Your Own Mind". The real issue is how open are you to doing something different than you have always done regarding the various selling skills ?

How many of us have attended some form of sales training and heard something from a specific trainer or peer that sounded like a good idea but you have never tried it since or if you did - it was for only a short time and then you fell back into your normal / comfortable style. I have people tell me all the time when we are doing role playing - Oh that's a great thing to say or do or ask but when I have the occasion to ask - so have you said that or asked that since - well No I haven't ! Why ?

So how did I become aware of this issue. From my mentors at Behavioral Sciences Research Press in Dallas, George Dudley and Shannon Goodson. They are coauthors of The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance ( subtitled Earning What Your Worth In Sales ). I sell the book on my website, I provide the inciteful evaluation for an individual, and the interpretation plus follow-up.