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Your Selling Comfort Zone

Written by: Paul Lanigan

Article Overview: You're probably in one now. You might not realise it and you're very unlikely to admit it, but the reality is you're very likely to be in your very own Comfort Zone. How can I say this? Especially when I don't know anything about you - your profession, interests or background. The answer is simple. Nobody stays outside their comfort zone for very long - we leave it for long enough to achieve what we need to achieve then we scuttle back for cover. So, what is a Comfort Zone?

Your Selling Comfort Zone

You're probably in one now.

You might not realise it and you're very unlikely to admit it, but the reality is you're verylikely to be in your very own Comfort Zone.

How can I say this? Especially when I don't know anything about you - your profession,interests or background. The answer is simple. Nobody stays outside their comfort zonefor very long - we leave it for long enough to achieve what we need to achieve then we

scuttle back for cover.

So, what is a Comfort Zone?

A comfort zone is a set of practices, behaviours and limitations in which we feelcomfortable. Beyond the boundaries of that set, we begin to experience negativeemotions. Like a fish in an aquarium that never notices the presence of water until it isremoved from the water, what we really experience is a ‘discomfort’ zone.

Put simplistically: for a person who experiences vertigo, their comfort zone might meanavoiding high places. What we're talking about here, however, are anxieties we may noteven be aware of: avoidance of confrontation, nervousness around money, an inability totake criticism or fear of failure. And all of these stresses are inhibit our confidence andability to conduct the essentials of our work, be it: cold calling, public speaking,correcting team members, making tough decisions and many other aspects of salesmanagement.

To address the question of our Comfort Zones, we need to ask:

1) What causes these negative emotions?

2) Why do they exist?

3) What can we do about them?

Comfort zones only exist inside our minds. If, for example, you are uncomfortablespeaking in public, it’s not the public nature of the presentation that’s at fault, nor is theaudience to blame. The problem is how we represent the event inside our head. And,while it may be in our minds, it's not psychology, it's biology. Let’s have a look at whathappens inside the brain:

The neurons of the brain receive signals from each other through a whole lot of'dendrites' but they transmit information from just oneaxon.

In order to transmit signals, theseaxons reach out todendrites on other neurons butthey don't actually touch them. To get information from the transmittingaxon to thereceivingdendrite the signal has to cross a microscopic gap called thesynapse.

In terms of comfort and discomfort, the synapse is where all the action is. How you reactto a situation depends on whichneurotransmitter theaxon decides to use to carry thesignal across thesynapses, from cell to cell to carry the brain's response.Over 50 different different neurotransmitters have been identified but the one we aremost interested in here is called dopamine, which is responsible for the feelings of

comfort and discomfort.

And, it comes as no surprise that we are programmed to seek comfort and avoiddiscomfort. The wordseek is important here. We learn about the world by makingforecasts about what will happen and then we use a pain/pleasure feedback mechanismto signal the level of error in our prediction.

For example, when you go to the fridge to take out a carton of milk, you make aprediction or forecast of what precisely you need to do to accomplish this task. The sub-conscious predicts how much force you have to apply to grip the carton. Not too much oryou’ll crush it, not too little or it will slip and spill. It predicts how much musclecontraction is necessary to lift the carton. Get the prediction wrong and lift up the cartonyou thought was full but is actually empty, and you'll experience an unpleasant ‘jolt’.

Now, apply that biological reality to your time in sales and you'll see what happens. Ifyou have had negative experiences that are linked to, say, cold calling, the very idea oflifting the phone begins to bring on the negative emotions. Those axons call out thedopamine and instruct you to go and make a cup of coffee instead. Perhaps it's publicspeaking. You know the feeling, sweaty palms, the stammer that came from nowhere

and the onset of temporary amnesia. Instead of stepping up to the plate and giving voiceto that sales pitch you truly believe, dopamine hops, skips and jumps through yoursystem and tells you to mumble so that few in the presentation can hear you and evenfewer are convinced. In fact, the only person that is convinced by the situation is you,who are now even more convinced that you are a bad public speaker and mumblingbecomes your comfort zone. All down to dopamine.

This works the other way around too, as Ivan Pavlov discovered with his now famousdogs. Every time he rang a bell, he rewarded his dogs with food and soon the dogsassociated the bell (prediction) with the reward and began to salivate when they heardit. Interestingly, the dopamine is released in the dogs at the sound of the bell, not whenthe food is delivered - proof, if it were needed, that thinking and emotions are biological

processes.

The pain and pleasure effects caused by the presence or absence of the dopamineneurotransmitter are essential to our evolution and our survival because they let us learnabout the world without a teacher. The trouble is that, while comfort may enable us tosurvive in the short term, it can have negative effects in the long run. Bingeing on ourfood stores might makes us feel comfortable in September but it could mean starvation

later on in winter.

Our discomfort zones come about for one or more reasons. These can be;Our own experiences: childhood, social or professional.

Repeated teachings or messages: learning bad practices.Social Pressure: family, friends, status, religious convinction.

The key to escaping our discomfort zones is in the same mechanisms that created them

- it simply means getting the dopamine to work for you instead of against you. Pavlov'sdogs learned to associate a ringing bell with the comfort of food. Further experimentsshow that even a slightly negative trigger that leads to a reward causes the same effectof positive anticipation.

If cold calls, public speaking, networking, negotiation or any other factor of sales iscausing you to retreat to your comfort zone, the key is to find or create a tangible,positive reward that will help to incentivise and reward you. Essentially, this meanscreating a new comfort zone and it's not as easy as it sounds, you may need a coach tohelp you.We can also complement this process with a series of repeated messages that focus onour new comfort zone. An A/B journal where you repeatedly record positive messagessuch as“I am the best thing to happen to my prospect today, he just doesn’t know ityet” or “I only have to make cold calls, I don’t have to like them” or “every cold callearns me money and personal freedom regardless of the outcome”. Do this often enoughand frequently enough and you’ll develop a different attitude to any activity that is

uncomfortable for you - good bye 'Discomfort Zone', welcome to thereal Comfort Zone.

Finally, are there negative influences in your life that help keep the negative associationsyou have alive? Do you have a family member who derides your success? Do you have afriend whose success intimidates you? Do you play golf, even though you're bad at it,just because you feel you should? All of these things can be changed. Politely tell thefamily member how unhelpful their comments are and if they won't listen, avoid them.

Look at your friend's success as an incentive not an inhibitor. Give up golf and findsomething you actually enjoy. It’s that simple. Find new activities and influences thatsupport and encourage your goals, rather than ones that undermine them. Gradually,you'll find yourself capable of much more than you ever imagined and comfortable withmuch more than you have ever dreamed.

Related Articles
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  Are You Stuck in Your Comfort Zone
  New Recipes for Management Success
  Conquer Fears and Start Living Life On Your Terms
  Why You Are Who You Are

Article Tags: comfort zone, profession
Referred by: http://www.wall.sandler.com



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Non-medical homecare franchise business model - Can anyone provide insight and information regarding the non-medical homecare franchise business model? How saturated is the current market? Also, please provide any specific insight or experience with Comfort Keepers, Synergy Homecare or Home Instead. Thanks for any information that you can provide.
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Re: your personality type? - Hi Michelle! If you are the present-moment focused, this is your result. If it doesn't seem spot on, I'll give you the big-picture focused result. The Enjoyer of Life. You enthusiastically enjoy experiencing the five senses, creative pursuits and social harmony in the here-and-now. You are independent, socially upbeat, and enjoy creating a positive and happy atmosphere. Despite your outgoing “persona,” you are a private person and few people truly know you well). #1 Strength: Comfort Creator #2 Strength: Expressing Social Feeling 1) Comfort Creator -- Creating a comfortable physical environment. Feels the ?ve senses vividly. Adept at using objects, or ?nding or building objects, to make a physical space the most soothing to all ?ve senses. Also organizing so objects are easily found in a convenient way. Both the physical comfort of self, and others, is important. Often feel a need to ensure those close to them are warm enough, fed, rested, etc. Will easily offer help to others in these areas, lending a jacket, or offering a snack. 2) Expressing Social Feeling Setting an emotional tone, vibrant, energetic, or serious, etc. Concerned with the emotional environment as it?s happening -- the vibe of people at a party, the tone of a situation, other people?s responses. Setting the tone -- dramatic and serious, or lighthearted and a celebration. Emotional displays are important for knowing how others are feeling, whether bad or good. Someone talking in a monotone about feelings seems insincere. Feels should be shown, so they can be read by others. Your best type would be: The Conceptualizer. You are an inventive creator of logical systems of possibilities that you use to create processes, products or strategies. Socially, you are sometimes quiet, but also find yourself acting as the life of the party, especially when you get caught up in a debate or entertaining topic of conversation. #1 Strength: Generating Future Possibilities #2 Strength: Systematic/Rule Logic


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