Honk your horn three times – how to create a positive mindset and sell more with MEDDICC

MEDDICC sell more, faster by Jens P Edgren

Honk your horn three times – right now and sell more!

With that simple instruction, a sales manager helped a salesperson break a downward spiral of negative thoughts.

In this newsletter, I want to share a few tips and tricks on how to stay positive – no matter how tough it feels. And why MEDDICC will help you stay out of trouble

Why do you sell less with a negative state of mind?

When you have a positive outlook on the future, your brain becomes more creative because it doesn’t waste energy handling stress and negativity. And when you are in a negative state - you will act more defensive & with less courage!

In the book “Who Moved My Cheese?”, two mice are faced with a life-threatening problem: they’ve been used to finding cheese at Cheese Station A for a very long time. But this morning – all the cheese is gone. No food! So now what? Should they complain, blame someone, or feel sorry for themselves? Or go on a cheese hunt – it has to be somewhere, right?

I won’t spoil the ending – but whether you’ve read it or not: read it again! Through a simple metaphor, the author shares the value of having a curious, courageous, and positive mindset.

In sales, our mindset is tested with every call. A success sends us flying high, but a failure – or even the fear of failure – can trigger serious self-doubt that may ruin our entire weekend (you know what I mean if you’ve ever spent a whole Sunday worrying about a deal going south).

Here’s the real issue: most of the drama only happens in our own heads. The outside world often hasn’t changed at all.

Our minds are wired to detect life-threatening danger – like tigers, lions, or snakes – things that could kill us. So when we face a potentially lost sale, the brain reacts as if our very life is at stake. We go into fight, flight, or freeze mode. If it’s bad enough, we freeze – we go passive.

Crazy, right?

It’s just business – you win some, you loose some.

So how do you break out of a negative state?

Here are three simple techniques you can try safely – no training needed:

1. Honk your horn three times

Do something unusual, right now. Snap yourself out of the current thought pattern. Then return to the problem with a fresh perspective.

2. Step into the drama

Look the “tiger” in the eye. Ask yourself: what’s the absolute worst-case scenario? Then make it even worse. Exaggerate it until it becomes so absurd you can’t help but laugh. Then restart your problem-solving process by coming up with three possible scenarios and action plans.

3. Reframe the situation

What if the client just gave you valuable, honest feedback – and you could actually act on it? What would you do differently? Try one last move with that mindset.

One of my clients took a major hit in sales due to sudden changes in global trade. Their entire sales and order process had been built around a “normal” that no longer existed. Now they had to start cutting corners to sell more and faster. “Reducing the friction,” as John – one of their senior salespeople – elegantly put it. John clearly used strategy #3: Reframe the situation.

However you choose to handle it when your thoughts turn negative, give one of these three strategies a shot.

And hey – if you see me out on the road, honk three times and wave!

Another way to stay out of sales trouble is to apply MEDDICC / MEDDPICC consistently to all your deals.

Take our kick-ass, straight-to-the-point MEDDICC training – Sell More, Faster , or book a free consultation with me to design a custom training program for your team.

See you soon –

And don’t miss our bi-weekly webinars!

Jens & Friends