“When you start to realize that your personal and business lives meld into each other, in regard to your thought process and behaviors, you will build more confidence and live with more ease and joy.” – Melinda Van Fleet in today’s Tip 687
How will you start to apply this tool?
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today’s tip comes from Melinda Van Fleet. Melinda is a multi-passionate success coach, speaker, writer, and business consultant who helps individuals, as well as teams, develop the confidence to believe in themselves, take action and get results. Here she is:
Melinda Van Fleet: Bucket tool sales tips. Years ago when I was a senior buyer in the corporate world, I found my mind naturally categorizing, AKA bucketing, challenges I was having. The challenges could be in regard to team members, business ideas, strategies, or prioritizing how I was going to get through my day. I found that when I stopped and recognized what was going on versus operating on autopilot and then took a few minutes to think about it and think about how I felt I could release the extra energy and move forward. Deciding what to do and how to handle the situation took the pressure off. Most people react to situations and then often regret their reactions. I was definitely that person and decided to make some changes. As I moved from being a corporate buyer into sales, I found that I was using my bucket tool and thought process more and more. It has also become natural and I found myself talking about it. The word buckets became part of my natural speak. So what does this look like? And how can I start to apply this tool?
First of all, visualize three buckets. Bucket number one is virtually no change. Bucket number two is moderate change. Bucket number three is severe change. You can use this tool for business or personal in virtually any situation that appears challenging, stressful, or need some extra consideration. Once you practice like anything, it becomes second nature in your mindset will easily shift to this productive way to resolve an issue. You will start to build more confidence in your ability to handle anything with ease. The key is to keep in mind how you are feeling by stopping and recognizing the situation.
I’m going to give you an example, which can be used for business or even personal. And when you start to realize that your personal and business lives meld into each other, in regard to your thought process and behaviors, you will build more confidence and live with more ease and joy, and who doesn’t want that. So here’s my example.
You receive an email that triggers you. I used to receive emails from a sales manager that were very condescending in tone, and that was a huge trigger for me. I often had to pause, take some deep breaths, and even walk away from my computer. So here’s how I would apply the bucket tool in regard to those emails.
First of all, I would just take some deep breaths and think about this. Bucket number one, just move forward. It’s not as bad as it seems replied to the email and move on. Bucket number two, this is where I needed to get some help in this step. In particular, focused on the email is in regard to communication. In this instance, it was sometimes helpful to talk to a trusted fellow sales rep and bounce it off of her. I would ask her, “Was I overreacting? Is this something I said or something that I need to address?”
Step two is about communication and aiming to make things better. If you can have an open and honest conversation with the person directly related to the email, that’s fantastic, but not always possible. Another strategy that you can use for bucket number two is to write out the response in a word doc and review it several times over a few days, making sure all the energies out and it’s only facts. I had to do this many times and I would ask my husband to provide honest feedback about what I wrote. And that was really helpful.
Bucket number three, is it possible to ignore the email altogether? Often silence sends a good message, but it may not always be possible. Bucket number three, again is the most severe bucket and consideration really needs to be made and how you can move forward. In this case, in regards to an email, without responding, consider letting go of the situation or even the person, if this is about a person, it might be your best choice if something can’t be changed.
And this is just one example, there are many instances where this tool can be applied. My husband, Ryan and I have opened discussions using the bucket tool in regard to clients and our small business. It has come in handy on many occasions and we have never regretted the bucket outcome we choose. Keep in mind as with any new tip, tool, or habit, you must practice and remember to practice. That’s where most people fail. They may listen to a tip like this and nod and go, “Oh, that’s easy.” And then do it once or never do it at all. And of course, there are many aspects that vary by situation and not always black and white, but there is some aspect that can be applied to help you move forward. So here’s the positive change, positive results as well as more confidence and joy in your life.
Scott Ingram: For lots more about Melinda including a link to download her free Believe & Take Action Guide to Help You Feel Good, which will also get you subscribed to her Monday Mojo Newsletter, just click over to DailySales.Tips/687 and we’ll have everything for you there.
Once you’ve done that. Be sure to come back tomorrow for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!