Thermometer or Thermostat? | Act or Be Acted Upon

I love me a good metaphor. And this one is quite lovely. If you aren’t using metaphors already in your coaching conversations, consider it vigorously.

Tip: Use metaphors that your clients relate most to.

Are they a sailor? Talk about the direction of the wind and the shape of the sails.

Do they produce films? You have a wealth of gems to draw upon – the hero, the journey, more.

When all else fails, everyday things like food, families, love and the human body can do the trick wonderfully. hese are the things of great coaching sessions, in my book.

So read on and enjoy this one, which was new to my repertoire, with thanks to Tessa Stowe of SalesConversations.com.

The article itself is targetted towards anyone who has to sell something to someone – whether that be in a business or personal context. (Borrowing money from the bank to buy a house is an exercise in personal sales, and don’t let anyone tell you different!) But the metaphor can be applied to most anyone.

Take a look for yourself.

—-begin article—-

Are you a thermometer or a thermostat?

Do you react to what happens or do you control what happens? The answer to this question will, to a large ‘degree’ (pardon the pun), determine your success at selling.

Do you react to what happens around you?

And does this dictate how you feel and what you do? Do you act like a victim with your mood and feelings dependant on others and their mood and feelings? Do you feel you have no control over your destiny?

You may think this has no impact on selling as, in a sales conversation, you’ll make sure you say all the right things.

No one will ever know how you feel except you.

Wrong.

You may say all the right things, but you will be radiating your feelings whether you’re aware of it or not.
Your potential client will feel where you are at. They will feel that you are a thermometer. It is impossible for you to hide it.

If you are a thermometer and you react to everything around you, how does it make you feel? Not confident? Out of control? Frustrated?

If you’re like this, what does it convey to a potential client? That you’re not in control? That you are not confident?

If a potential client picks up that you’re not in control or confident, they will start to doubt you can deliver the results you say you can. They will also perceive you as high risk. They will feel that you will always have a “reason why” you couldn’t do this or that for them as things are “out of your control.”

On the other hand, suppose you are a thermostat and you control what happens. You take 100% responsibility for how you feel and how you respond to what happens around you.

If you’re like a thermostat, how does it make you feel? Confident? In control?

If you’re like this, what does it convey to a potential client? That you’re in control? That you are confident?

If a potential client picks up that you are confident and you take responsibility and can control outcomes, they will start to feel confident that you can produce the results you say you can. They will start to see you as lower risk.

So how do you move from being a thermometer to a thermostat? I have two tips for you.

Tip # 1
Decide now and declare now that you are the master of your own destiny and that you write the script for the play of your life.

Declare it, know it, feel it. For 30 days in a row, say an affirmation like “I am 100% responsible for how I choose to feel and how I choose to respond to events.” The magic ingredient for making affirmations work is to say them with LOTS of feeling.

Tip #2
Set an objective, a clear intention, for each sales conversation and structure the conversation accordingly.

You can even declare your objective/intention to your potential client at the beginning of the conversation. At the end of the conversation, debrief with yourself to see if you achieved your objective, and if not, why not. Get into the habit of doing this with every sales conversation.

If you follow these tips and move yourself from being a thermometer to a thermostat, not only will your sales increase but your whole world will change for you in many ways. Try it and see.

Tessa Stowe teaches small business owners and recovering salespeople 10 simple steps to turn conversations into clients without being sales-y or pushy. Her FREE monthly Sales Conversation newsletter is full of tips on how to sell your services by just being yourself. Sign up now at www.salesconversation.com.

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