How to Thrive Under Pressure
While Presenting an Estimate
By
Eric M. Twiggs
“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” Aristotle
During a recent television interview, Michael Jordan
was asked what his secret was that allowed him to consistently thrive under
pressure and lead his teams to “come from behind” victories.
He responded by telling the story of his rookie year practice
sessions when his coach, Kevin Loughery, would divide the Chicago Bulls into
teams that would scrimmage against each other.
Whenever Jordan’s squad jumped out to a big lead, Loughery
immediately stopped the session and switched him to the losing team, leaving
Jordan with the uphill challenge of leading his new squad to a come from behind
victory, with the game on the line.
When the Bulls were losing during the real games, Jordan was
prepared because of all the practice sessions. Practice
was his secret to thriving under pressure.
While presenting the estimate, most service writers are
feeling the pressure, because their only practice is in front of the prospect. Are you
feeling the pressure? The following scenarios will help you to
decide:
When you must
come from behind to overcome an objection, you don’t
know what to say.
When the customer becomes irate and the sale
is on the line, you don’t know what to do.
When
the recommended maintenance is declined, you call
a time out,
because
you don’t know what to prioritize.
When
you’re prepared, you know what to say, what to do, and what to prioritize,
so you will feel less pressure. I know what you’re thinking: “But
Eric, I’ve been writing service for 15 years!”
According
to a recent study conducted by the Twiggs research institute, (J) if you only practice on your
prospects, 15 years of writing service is the equivalent to 1 year of
experience repeated 15 times!
Keep
reading and you will learn one idea that will help you thrive under pressure
while presenting an estimate.
Practice Like A
Champion
In
his book, How Champions Think, Dr. Bob Rotella
attributes the following quote to golfing legend Phil Mickelson: “The
Birdies are in the woods.” Scoring a birdie means the golfer scored under par
and won on that hole, so getting a birdie is a good thing.
Hitting
the ball
into the woods, is a bad thing! So,
what does he mean when he says, “the birdies are in the woods?”
After
hitting his ball into the rough, Mickelson, unlike most golfers, responds by
hitting an amazing recovery shot to get his ball back on the fairway. He
is known on tour for being confident and optimistic, when his ball lands in the
woods during high pressure situations.
The
reason he thrives under pressure, is because of his practice habits. While the
average golfer is practicing their putting, Mickelson works
on hitting his ball out of the
woods!
He
places hundreds of balls in the wooded areas and swings for the green
fairway. He can perform with confidence in public, because
of how he practices in private. So, for him, the birdies are in the woods.
What’s In It For
You
When
you hear an objection to your estimate presentation, it feels like your ball
has landed in the woods. The objection is just an opportunity for you
to clarify your message. The key is to practice your recovery
shot by role playing your response to the most common objections.
For
example, during your role play, have the customer respond with “I don’t have
the money,” so you can practice offering her your “six months same as cash,
financing program.”
When
the customer says, ”I’m getting rid of the car,” You can practice showing her
the Edmunds.com true cost to own site, that spells
out all of the costs relating to the purchase a new vehicle, in
comparison to maintaining what she has.
When
the customer says, “I don’t have time”, you can practice reminding her that she
can use your loaner car while she’s waiting for the service to be completed.
By practicing your response to the most common objections, your
response in a real presentation will come across as confident and optimistic.
Summary
So,
there you have it. Both Michael Jordan and Phil Mickelson are champions
in their sports. If you know how champions think, you can practice like a champion. If you
practice like a champion, you can thrive
under pressure while presenting an estimate.
Eric
M. Twiggs
The
Accountability Coach
PS. Email etwiggs@autotraining.net to
receive some role play examples on video to help you practice like a champion!
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