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by Mark LeBlanc

February 6, 2007—The single key to my success has been in the understanding the mindset of a prospect or another person or entire audience. These mindsets include a thinking mindset, a doing mindset, a struggling mindset and an achieving mindset.

When people are caught up in a particular mindset, I refer to them as thinkers, doers, strugglers and achievers. As I learned to respond in a way the other person wanted and needed, I was in a much better position to build trust, cooperation and rapport. Here’s a breakdown of these four mindsets, what they want and what they need:

One of the most frustrating consumer experiences we face is the purchase of a new car. How come? Well, when we are "thinking" about buying a new car, we are often afraid of walking into a dealership and dread the actual experience. The thought of a dozen salespeople swooping down on us as we walk in is terrifying and unpleasant.

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Everyone has a horror story about a car salesman, new or used, that used a variety of pressure tactics in order to make the sale. If these pressure tactics were gone and the salesperson focused on providing us with the proper information in order to make the right decision, rather than making the sale, we would have a better chance of buying a car and enjoying the experience.

Conversely, how many times have you gathered the information you need to make your decision, then after making the decision, you now enter the dealership with a "doing" mindset. It seems like the dealership has turned into a morgue and everyone has gone on a break. When you want to spend your money and have the specifics of the car you want, it seems as if you have to beg to get the car of your choice.

In this case when you finally get their attention, it seems like they'll try and talk you out of it. If people who sold cars understand this simple concept (or those who sold any product or service) more sales would be made and the buying experience would be more enjoyable. When the buying experience is more enjoyable, we will be more loyal to a particular salesperson and send more referrals his/her way.

In most cases we only have a moment to connect with a prospect. Why not connect in a positive way? It’s a listening exercise above all else. When we listen carefully and respond appropriately, magic happens in our work and personal relationships. It moved my career to a new level of success.

Mark LeBlanc runs Small Business Success in La Jolla, CA and can be reached at (800) 690-0810 or by sending an e-mail to Mark@SmallBusinessSuccess.com. You can order his book, “Growing Your Business!” at www.SmallBusinessSuccess.com or amazon.com.

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