In sales, fear and hesitation are usually personal stemming from our training
On a sales call/meeting, fear and hesitation are usually personal, and both stem from weak self-discovery during our training/probation period.
Occasionally, reps can overcome gaps created during probation, but as the workload grows⬆️ combined with a disengaged⬇️ audience, the clock starts ticking backwards.
Prospects smell fear & although they might tolerate it, they penalize it by being unreceptive, passive, aggressive, full of objections and worse, rejection.
All of the above are manageable on their own, but not if we’re overrun by FEAR.
What fuels fear and hesitation? Here’s a quick breakdown:
Failure
Without failure we don’t evolve. We should be searching for failure, not be afraid of it.
✔️ Failure lights up our weak spots, it’s a better teacher than the most expensive universities.
❌ Failure should not put us down, or stop us from pushing harder.
Rejection
With real effort, we’re going to get rejections. It comes with the role and it should never get personal.
✔️Rejection can recalibrate us, ground our push & help us learn from our mistakes.
❌ Rejection should not dictate our emotions, or our willingness to continue.
Performance
Sales positions are always accompanied by hovering targets. If targets become the reason we sell, any success is short lived.
✔️Targets can help us prioritize, maximize efforts & maintain the feeling of urgency.
❌Targets should not dictate our approach or our conversations.
Labels
Some sales reps are on top of their game, while others do it for all the wrong reasons. This negative stigma, can stain everyone’s efforts i.e. “sales reps are dishonest, pushy, insincere.”
✔️Labels are there to be proven wrong, and if we do our job well, they can be rewritten in our image.
❌Labels don’t define anyone. Our work defines us and gives back the relevant results.
Training
When soldiers are uncomfortable during operations, they trust their training to get them through.
✔️Proper training takes 80% credit for our success. Contrary to popular belief “if the person has it in them, they will succeed”, numbers speak louder than words.
❌Incorrect training burns time, leads, clients. It discourages, internalizes failures and hinders growth.
Character
There’s an inert discomfort while selling, relative to whom we’re selling to, and also who’s in the room listening in to our work.
✔️Sales are all about spreading the word of the product we already bought into, and how it can solve pains, problems, add value.
❌Sales are not about us, they are not about our prospect, and they’re definitely not about the people listening in while we pitch.
There’s no bypassing fear. The only way around it, is through. It may be as simple as dealing with only one of the points above, or as complicated as all of them and then some.
Self-discovery is about finding our own pains, and working to resolve them.
Only be afraid of being afraid. Everything else will follow.