| As a sale professional, what would you do
in this situation?
Your new client just signed an agreement putting you way
ahead of the previous year. Not only would it catapult you in your organization and the
industry, your personal income was about to reach new heights. Then, the following week,
the person who signed the contract is replaced and in walks a new decision maker.
His first order of business is to cancel all new contracts
because of a strategic change in the company's direction. There is no real logic to this
cancellation and it can absolutely change the game. On top of that, the new guy brought
all of his old relationships including your largest competitor.
How would you react? How would you handle your
fears?
1. After receiving the news you go home crushed by the days
events. You spend considerable time pondering how it will affect your future. You consider
the ramifications of finishing the quarter at the low end of the sales rankings. Your
concern grows as you review your monthly bills. Alternative strategies aren't even a
consideration. You do nothing but ponder the damage to your career that has just taken
place. You feel hopeless.
2. You go home and after a few minutes alone in the mental
fetal position, you question your entire identity, purpose, and career path. Although
brief, self doubt rules the moment. A short time later you emerge out. You hunker down and
develop your best strategy to win back the client using all of the tools available.
Additionally, you identify where you are going to replace that revenue should you fail.
You explore and create options. You become stronger because you know the fight is just
getting good.
As you can see both options have aspects of fear. But only
one option (choice 2) will help you overcome your fear and help you excel in sales. The
other option (choice 1) will polarize you and your business
How Fear Can Polarize You and Your Business.
- Fear can cause target fixation as we impose our will and try
to force unnatural outcomes.
- Fear can cause us to refuse to develop alternative plans
because we struggle with clouded thinking.
- Fear can cause us to replace logic with unsubstantiated
emotion.
- Fear can make us hostages to our nagging thoughts that
create an escalated feeling of doom and gloom.
- Fear usually keeps us conservative.
As a result our business lives go void of any risk taking.
Even great sales professionals with tremendous track
records have fear. The difference is that the best are fearful of not being the best, or
not winning. They use fear to make them more competitive. The best sales people don't let
fear rule them.
Struggling salespeople are fearful of losing. They are
stuck in a comfort zone. They let fear interfere with their sales careers and their
personal lives.
Now, which type of sales person do you want to be?
3 Simple Steps to Overcoming Your Fears & Excelling
Your Sales Career
1. Name something that you were fearful of that you
absolutely didn't get through. Can't name anything can you? We get through everything.
2. Develop a plan B and take action immediately. Have plan
C ready to go in case you need it.
3. Recognize what your mind and body does when fear pays a
visit. Invite it in, and then invite it to leave.
Excelling in sales is about going where no others will go.
Don't try to tell me there's no fear attached to that. The key is to recognize and use
your fear so that it becomes your friend. Healthy fear tells us we're on the edge of
breakthrough achievement. We're in the right place doing the right thing. That's a little
different than letting fear own us.
Go be great! |
