The Mindset of High Achievers: How to Win Customers
What kind of mindset do high achievers have? And what kind of mindset does it take to win customers? To answer these questions, we’ll look at the psychology behind success and achievement and the high-achieving individuals who enjoy high levels of customer satisfaction.
10 Keys to Success in Business
To be successful in business, you need a certain mindset—the right mindset. Successful entrepreneurs have mastered a specific set of mental tools. We know them well, and we’ve distilled them into 10 keys that can help propel you through whatever challenges come your way. These are tools you can use not only as an entrepreneur but also as a manager or any time you need extra motivation and inspiration. And if you’re an entrepreneur who is just starting out, it may sound daunting to tackle all these skills at once. But remember: If someone had told Mozart he needed to master music theory before he could compose his first symphony, he would never have composed anything! He might even have given up on music altogether. You don’t need all these skills at once either; they will develop over time as you grow your business.
Have a Process
The mindset of high achievers begins with a customer journey map that outlines your vision for how you want your customers to view and experience your business. Have a process—and a plan—to help them get there, and don’t be afraid to push for behavioral change. The entire business will thank you for it!
Be Ready for Opportunities
Customers come and go all day, every day. Customers are looking for you, but if you’re not ready for them, they’ll leave and look for someone else. Be ready for customers by having your mindset be in a state of constant listening mode. In fact, being ready means that you should focus on your customers first before focusing on yourself or anything else. The mindset of high achievers is about service before self-service; offering quality products before worrying about profits; etc.
Build Relationships
Building relationships is crucial when it comes to customer success. To make customers successful, they have to feel at ease and trust you as their service provider. It takes time and effort, but these efforts will pay off in spades down the road when you do right by your customers and they stick around for years. Most businesses are founded with an idea that’s designed to solve a problem or meet a need of some kind.
Give and Take
Ultimately, what matters is how much you give. As Isaac Newton once said, If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon ye sholders of Giants. It's easy to criticize and point out faults in others; however, be mindful that your journey as a high achiever will be defined by how much you contribute rather than by what you take away from those around you.
Breakdown Tough Projects into Manageable Pieces
Break down tough projects into manageable pieces by assessing your key resources, identifying and clarifying exactly what you’re trying to accomplish, and then developing a plan that prioritizes your steps. It’s easy to get discouraged when you take on a project—especially one that seems impossible in its entirety. To make sure you stay focused on your ultimate goal without being overwhelmed by your project’s sheer size, break it up into steps that you can manage more easily and remember why doing so is important.
Develop an Appetite for Learning
It’s no secret that successful businesspeople are learners. In fact, if you look at some of today’s most prominent entrepreneurs, you’ll find that they have a hunger for learning—they constantly read books and study industry trends (and anything else that can help them succeed in their respective fields). When you develop an appetite for learning, opportunities will begin to materialize; however, without a desire to continuously grow and improve, your business may never reach its full potential.
Don’t Shy Away from Competition
No one likes feeling like they’re playing against stacked odds. And chances are, if you’re a startup with a really innovative idea, you’re going to be confronted with competition. But what do successful startups do when they come up against big names? They don’t shy away from competing—they embrace it.
Think Ahead, but Move Forward
So often, we get caught up in looking at how far ahead our competition is that we forget to focus on what’s right in front of us. Just as a map can keep you from getting lost, so too can your customer journey map. It will keep you focused on what matters now—your customer—as well as help prevent you from losing sight of future opportunities. The best businesses don’t just win over new customers; they also manage their existing relationships better than anyone else does.
Learn from Mistakes
Own your mistakes and learn from them. Making mistakes is a natural part of business, but you can learn from them by reflecting on what went wrong and deciding how to avoid similar situations in future. When you make a mistake, admit it immediately, own up to it and think about what you can do differently next time. Sometimes customers don’t notice mistakes when using your products—and even if they do, they won’t blame you for making an honest mistake.