Having the right mindset is crucial in all aspects of our life, including sales…and tennis.
Case in point: Wednesday night, Sept. 6, at the U.S. Open in New York, Roger Federer was striving to win the tournament at the age of 36. He had already won the Australian and Wimbledon Grand Slam tournaments earlier in the year,
Federer faced Argentinian Juan del Potro in the quarter finals. Del Potro is a tremendous competitor in his own right, having overcome two wrist surgeries to get his shot back to the top.
As the match began, it was clear this was going to be a battle. Del Potro was serving well, and Federer looked a bit unsettled. After the match, Federer described himself as “edgy,” adding “a little magic was missing.”
“It was one of those matches where, if I ran into a good guy, I was going to lose,” he said. “I don’t want to say I was in a negative mindset, but I knew I was not in a safe place.”
He was right. He was not in a safe place, and he lost the match 6-4.
“Rightfully so,” he said. “I’m out of the tournament because I wasn’t good enough, in my mind, in my body and in my game. If you’re missing all three, it’s going to be tough.”
WOW!!! What a quote from a very honest guy who may go down as the greatest tennis player ever.
Roger Federer was in a negative mindset. He wasn’t as confident as he had been in previous matches, and he lost.
As salespeople, we MUST NOT predetermine how our calls are going to go, or entertain negative thoughts about situations that may occur. Federer said, “If I ran into a good guy I was going to lose.” Well, guess what? He ran into a good guy, and he lost.
Your mind is a powerful tool to success. If you view a call as negative, it will most likely go down in that fashion. We’re all human beings and we make mistakes, but FIGHT THE URGE to be negative or predetermine a situation in a negative way.
If you do this consistently, you will be at the top of your game and win more times than you lose.
Bob Miller
Vice President
Gericare Medical Supply
Monroeville, Alabama
GREAT lesson from an awesome competitor.
If we are honest with ourselves, like Roger, 99.9% of the time we are the only ones limiting our success.
MIND, BODY, GAME!!!
Thanks for sharing Bob!
Bob – great lesson and reminder for us all! Thanks for catching this and for sharing!