Ditch Cheems Mindset for an Improving Mentality

This concept was coined Jan 21. Its name itself deriving from a meme trove surrounding photoshopping a cute dog. Often spelt 'doge', pronounced 'dodge'.

Urban Dictionary helpfully lists its definitions. Including those unprintable here.

Suffice to say, its 'can't do attitude', 'what's the point fretting', and in the words of the originator himself, "pathetic, weak, smallminded, embarrassing ... a drag on our ability to make things better" framing strikes a chord with many.

This default setting ("reflexive reaction") of "automatically dismissing an idea on the basis that it cannot be done, or would be hard to do" is an ever-present barrier to the solution sell.

But how to bring new light to those buyers whom 'unless vanquishing their cheems mindset, will never be as successful as they otherwise could be'?

The author cites a Dr Anton Howes with 'the improving mentality' as required. Set out as;

Instead of reverting automatically to thinking “why can this idea not be done”, we need to cultivate a positive political culture of “how can this idea be implemented”.

This builds on standard solution tropes. Such as those in the Anger-Denial-Resistance phases of 'change'.

As well as touching on the trad pair (of four) Buying Modes of Miller-Heiman 'Strategic Selling'; even-keel & overconfident.

I'm also reminded of when your entry point is someone without true authority. Facing you with that tricky path of coaching them in how their boss will likely respond to any initial internal overture with a Pavlovian 'no'.

I'm tempted to suggest that the positioning of the 'idea' itself is crucial. Too often it's done in terms of the 'what'. When it's better done by dint of the 'why' you seek remedy. [á la Simon Sinek's Golden Circle.]

An example from my dailies right now, would be that if I were to generically pitch 'sales video call training', I'd get nowhere. Classic gatekeeper shutters activated. We no longer in 2020.And what salesteam doesn't have their own jack-of-all-trades pet 'trainer' anyway.

Whereas prod with 'would you like to add to your sales video call repertoire to be more distinctive than competition' and a dialogue can begin.

Again, I've experienced the habitual HR response that if there's money to be spent, much better to spend on areas they deem attractive. Rather than those that might actually help, y'know, pay their wages through higher sales.

There I suspect, it is less about arguing why the idea is a non-starter, and more about recalibration around '45mins and just a couple-hundred quid to fix a blockage for good'. Although with an HR audience, I lament that the door is seldom ajar in this regard.

One key point from this though, is in the option to introduce this concept to a buyer personality you've rapport with.

Imagine asking them how their corporate culture or colleague's mentality leans.

Is there a natural tendency to dismissively fallback on why something can't be done? Or is there instead willingness to consider how something might look when either given a go, or at least looked into?