It would be hard to think of a better day to discuss Equanimity than Cinco de Mayo!
A big thank you goes out to Troy Frye for introducing me to this word – Equanimity. But how does it relate to Sales, let alone Cinco de Mayo?
First off, Equanimity has nothing to do with Cinco de Mayo. Just wanted to remind you about this quasi-holiday that celebrates the Mexican and American Cultures. Feliz 5 de Mayo! Have a margarita and call an Uber.
Equanimity has everything to do with Sales.
Definition: a state of psychological stability, composure, and even-mindedness, particularly under stress or in difficult situations. It involves maintaining balance, avoiding extreme emotional reactions to life’s ups and downs, and observing experiences without attachment or aversion.
That is deep. Let us just say the Equanimity is staying calm, cool and collected at all times. No emotional highs (that could crush your spirit if things go wrong) and no emotional lows (that could strip the motivation from you when things are not going well).
We are in the Detroit area so this example will be well known to the local subscribers: Barry Sanders is the poster child for Equanimity. Watch a highlight reel or 20 from Barry Sanders. He will likely score a touchdown. What do most football players do when they score a touchdown? Some spike the ball. Some throw it into the stands. Some pull a Sharpee out of their shoe & sign the ball. This last season saw a new fad that started when the TD celebration involved running & jumping onto the padded goal post support pole and holding on for dear life! Result: Unsportsmanlike conduct penalty!
Unsportsmanlike and Barry Sanders were never mentioned in the same sentence and never will be. Sanders carried himself with as much class on the field as he did off the field. When he scored a touchdown he walked over to the referee and handed him the ball. If there were microphones nearby you would probably have heard Sanders say, “Thank you for allowing me to play, and you are reffing a good game.” Total class. Sanders acted like he had been there. Because he had been.
I will never forget my mentor in this business. He likely did not know the word, but he sure was an enormous believer in Equanimity. This person, we will call him Gary, is a fantastic salesperson, sales trainer and sales coach. I think of him daily! Here goes the Equanimity explanation:
Gary had ZERO TOLERANCE for my getting excited when I scheduled an appointment with a prospect. If anyone is wondering why I would get excited at the though of scheduling an appointment with a prospect, I will tell you why. I was young. I was naive. I was eager. I was clueless to Equanimity.
Gary knew what he was doing.
Deep down he may have been excited for me, as well. But he never showed it. He scheduled his own appointments constantly and never showed excitement. Gary made lots of sales . . . and never showed his excitement. That didn’t mean he did not enjoy his success. It meant he had been there, and he had done that.
For those of you wondering, How boring was Gary? Or how much fun did Gary ever have? He was not boring. He had a lot of fun. He just did not let his emotions get in the way. He knew that when the emotions take over the train could come off the track.
What Gary was doing was protecting me, like a good mentor should.
There are many, many events in Sales that could cause us to get excited (emotions too high) or bummed out (emotions too low). Review these 10 and do a self-assessment:
Scale: 1 = I NEVER get excited 3 = I sometimes get excited 5 = I ALWAYS get excited
- Prospect replies to my email 1 2 3 4 5
- Prospect returns my voicemail message 1 2 3 4 5
- Prospect accepted my LinkedIn connection 1 2 3 4 5
- Prospect “Liked” my post on social media 1 2 3 4 5
- Prospect agrees to meet (Sales appt.) 1 2 3 4 5
- Prospect gives me a referral/introduction 1 2 3 4 5
- Prospect finally agreed to buy 1 2 3 4 5
- Prospect/Customer sends me an RFP/RFQ 1 2 3 4 5
- Prospect “Approves” us as a supplier 1 2 3 4 5
- Prospect said they would “look into” a price increase 1 2 3 4 5
Ten things that happen every day of the year. They may not all happen to you every single day – but when they do, act like you have been there. Remember the silicone bracelets? WWGD? or WWBD?
