Silly question I know. However after reading this I will ask that again. In sales there are stages of competence, heck these can be applied to every day life. The difference maker is making yourself aware of these stages and reminding yourself to implement along the way.
Four Stages of Competence.
- Unconscious incompetence. This is where the newbie sales guy flourishes and excels. He/She doesn’t know what they don’t know. This is also where the “new & fresh” feeling can help change things up. The best example is the newbie sales role, where they are excited, not worried about what objections they will face, and bring energy and enthusiasm to the table and close the sale. They just don’t know what they don’t know yet.
- Conscious incompetence. This is the stage where you are aware of what do not know. Sometimes another great stage to pretend your in if your not. For example, you know you don’t know as much as you need to approaching your well informed client, and you pull in a manager to help you with the call. You consciously know you have a weak area and help yourself to be prepared.
- Conscious Competence. This is where a lot of sales folk get stuck in this stage. They have the competence and the confidence but they have to think about their answer(s) and pitch toward that client. Many times this is the area where sales people talk to much and sell themselves out of a deal. Pride can come in the way here, and that sales person doesn’t ask for help as they “think” they can do it all. Instead of taking a roll to pull in a manager on their strength for example. In this stage sales people “try to hard” when they should be KISS (keeping it short simple)
- Unconscious Competence. This is the final stage of competence and a high level brain training for repetition. The best example is a stick shift or manual transmission in a vehicle. Those that drive a stick know, unconsciously when to shift their vehicle and how to use the combination of both gas/brake clutch to shift (up or down). The same principle can be applied to answer objections. Unconsciously assume ownership, paint pictures that show value, and create emotion, all the while full filling a need or want. I heard once that Tiger Woods takes 100 practice shots a day. The idea that he “trains” his mind to hold the club a certain way, point his face open or closed and swings with a fluid motion, helps him perfect his swing.
How unconsciously competent are you in selling mortgages? Or selling title? Or selling Real Estate? When was the last time you practiced your art? Not just selling but perfected the small things in between. Like the application, or the listing. Detail makes the unconscious competence grow. It’s ok to be consciously competent, just know when to ask questions yourself and or ask for help. Fake it till you make it, only gets you so far. Then you will need to master your craft. In my illustrations that’s all about handling the objections, whereas this can be a lot of things in life. Take a second and ask yourself how competent are you? And push yourself to take the practice swings too, so you “do your role” better than any one else. It’s a difference maker in the top performers and middle group in sales. The top performers “see their goals, and track them”, whereas the majority reach for the starts but don’t increase their competence to get there. I challenge you this week to increase your competence. Practice an objection, learn a function of your craft you don’t know so well, or perhaps just practice the art of your craft, taking the 1003. (filling out the listing). To completely finish an application in mortgages the Loan Officer should be unconsciously putting each supporting document they get into a category (income assets etc) to prove the competence of the 1003 they filled out. 99% of all issues with loans go back to the 1003 some way. From asking the right questions upfront, to after filling the 1003 out, confirming what supporting documents you have against the information you placed on the 1003. Do something this week to “level up” your competence.
Sell Well – JUICEMAN
The JUICEman! 