The confident salesperson is naturally more efficient and more effective than the salesperson who’s not. Lack of confidence is one of the things that I’ve identified in surveys I’ve done for thousands of salespeople as to why they don’t prospect.
How do you overcome a lack of confidence?
Here are six ways expert sellers stay self-assured and crowd out the doubt.
1. Create a success list.
Take a piece of paper and write down all the successes you’ve had in sales. I don’t care if it has something to do with prospecting or not. Write it down, and look at it and give yourself a big hug or pat on the back and think, I’m actually very good. I do a great job. I do a great job…negotiating deals….getting contracts signed… etc.
2. Surround yourself with positive people.
You can’t afford to spend time with Negative Nelly. Or a Pity Pete. We become the sum of the five people we associate with the most. That came from Jim Rohn, one of the master motivators. So I want you to surround yourself with positive people. Monitor your influences. You need to be very careful of what news you watch or what social media you consume, too. Pay attention.
3. Set achievable goals.
You may have this unbelievable number that you need to attain by the end of the year. Instead, set a goal that you can achieve. The goal you can achieve might be just making five phone calls today. It might be closing one sale. It might be getting X percent of business. That’s okay.
And you know what happens when you achieve a goal? You actually become more motivated, and motivation creates momentum. Momentum creates confidence. When I’m working with salespeople who are struggling, I say, “Just make two phone calls.” That’s your achievable goal. Then tomorrow, make three or four, just slowly increase it.
4. Believe in yourself.
Every one of these pieces up to this point has been about helping you to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, why would your prospects believe in you?
Have you ever been around people who just have an ability to attract other people to themselves? It’s because they have a level of confidence. I’m not talking about arrogance. No, arrogance has no place. I’m referring to a kind of confidence in which they know they can help people, know what their objectives are, what their goals are, and have a plan to do it.
5. Be consistent.
One of the best ways to become confident is by being absolutely consistent in your activities. I like to exercise, and when I’m getting ready, I have to be very consistent in my habits. Otherwise, I’m not going to believe in or be confident in myself. But when I’ve been able to get out and achieve the mileage and the repetition I need, I come into that race very confident, and I’m able to complete that run.
It’s amazing how being consistent in your activities goes a long way to creating confidence.
6. Celebrate your wins.
Regardless of how big or small, every day celebrate your win(s). Your win today may be having one phone call returned or one really great email. Celebrate it.
Too many times people only celebrate big wins. Then they feel, Well, somebody else got a bigger win… Well, I can’t sell. Celebrate your wins, and watch your success grow.
Happy Selling,
David
