The Mental Muscle: What Did You Eat This Morning?

I imagine that many of you reading this blog started your workday pulling numbers. By 9:00 AM, you knew where you were with your budget, how many units were open across your portfolio, if your traffic was up or down, and exactly how many sales were needed to hit occupancy goals.

But what else was on your mind when you woke up this morning? Were you focused on what you wanted or what you did not want? Were you energized and on fire - or feeling a sense of dread and uncertainty?

I find that people tend to focus on what they DON’T want: I don’t want occupancy to slip further, we can’t move those one bedroom apartments, everyone is cutting deals, we can’t hit sales goals in this market, people can’t sell their homes, and so forth.

It’s been proven that the brain loves to have a job. So give it the job you need it to perform. That means focusing on what you DO WANT: I want our buildings 100% occupied with a strong, active, wait list; the one bedrooms are our hottest sellers, people want what we have as is, no incentives needed, we will break occupancy records in this market as our competitors have their guard down, we only need 5 more people who can sell their homes to hit 100%!

See the difference? If you are giving your brain a task, make it work FOR YOU, not AGAINST YOU! Believe it or not, it’s a matter of science – the science of Neurolinguistic Programming, the study of how the words you speak affect your brain – and in turn, your ACTIONS.

Now, more than ever, we need to pay close attention to what’s on our mind. As a sales expert and performance coach, I have found this to be one of my greatest assets when coaching companies to full occupancy: Teaching people how to transform their thoughts from what they don’t want to what they do want - what I call, “working the Mental Muscle.”

I’ve personally worked with a Marketing Director who swore she could not fill the last open units because they were small studios “that no one wanted.” Well, it wasn’t that no one wanted the studios; it was that the Marketing Director convinced herself that no one wanted them. That, in turn, was reflected in her actions and, unfortunately, in her results. After my coaching, those apartments filled within the month and the revenue gap was closed.

To fully utilize the power of this mindset methodology, we are launching The Mental Muscle™, an official program that’s going to be an integral part of our training & coaching programs. Whether you’re a CEO, National Sales Director, Regional or ED, NOW, more than ever you must be training people to use mind over matter.

We are selling in one of the most difficult markets EVER. Negativity is prevalent wherever we go – and that is impacting everyone’s sales. I have noticed over the last six months, more than at any other time during my 20 years as a motivational speaker, that people are STARVING for mental stimulation, encouragement, and positive reinforcement. As leaders, we must give it to them.

Invest in books for your Marketing teams, audio CD’s they can listen to on their commutes and hold daily 10 minute POWER calls to pump people up! Whatever you do, do not neglect the “Mental Muscle.” If we do not build it, performance will suffer.

Wait a minute. Let’s practice what we preach and turn that around - if we DO build it, performance will soar!

Here’s an exercise for you to try as your first Mental Muscle workout: for 7 days straight, starting today, pay close attention to your thoughts. If you are panicked, feeling thoughts of scarcity, or are worried about your financial security; take notice and reverse course! Immediately do a 180 and flip the words around.

Example: “Oh no, we just dropped another 2% in occupancy; our investors are going to be furious.” FLIP IT! “We are 94% occupied company –wide, 6% to go & we are full!”

The brain will think, “6% to go…” and, in turn, bring you creative ideas and ways to “Get full!” Again, the brain wants a job! I know it sounds strange – but the great news is WE DON’T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND IT, WE JUST HAVE TO DO IT!

The power of positive thinking is something you’re all familiar with – but the stress of today’s markets has made many of us stop believing in it. Mark my words - If you believe you can fill your buildings in these times, YOU WILL! If you think you can’t; YOU WON’T! It’s that simple.

Mindset is one of your greatest potential assets. It’s time to step up, get out of your comfort zone and get your company going in the direction you want it to go - both physically and MENTALLY. So begin your daily workout for the greatest muscle to inhabit your body: your mind! It may not literally be a muscle – but we’re going to work it like one!