FEAR and Sales - but not in Las Vegas

FEAR and Sales

Judge Dredd dealing with Judge FEAR… I have a better way to deal with Fear

Salespeople, well, successful salespeople, are amongst the highest paid people working (in normal jobs, anyway). There are two main reasons for this. The first is that a successful salesperson brings increased profits to a business through more customers and increased revenue through profitable sales of goods or services. The second is that sales roles are often deemed to be difficult to do well, hence the value of a sales trainer, coach and guide. It’s thought of as difficult because of FEAR. Sales is seen by many as something quite scary; all that rejection/ I wouldn’t be able to just call people up, etc.

However, fear is really a powerful tool in the salesperson’s arsenal. FEAR is not the mind killer if you can transform it into a tool to drive you forward.

Acknowledge the Fear

Recognise the fear you're feeling, whether it's fear of rejection, fear of failure, or fear of not meeting your goals. Acknowledgment is the first step to taking control of it. Let it in, don’t suppress it. It can then flow through you and out the other side. Confront it!

Set Clear Goals

Fear often comes from a place of uncertainty. By setting clear, achievable goals, you can focus on actionable steps rather than the 'what ifs'.

Prepare and Plan

One common fear in sales is being caught off guard by a question or objection you can't handle. Mitigate this by preparing thoroughly for every possible scenario. The more prepared you are, the less you have to fear. My book, The Anti-Sales Manifesto specifically looks at how to overcome fear, using questions and the assertive sales model.  

Use Fear to Stay Driven

Let the fear of not reaching your potential or not meeting your targets be the catalyst for consistent effort. Allow it to drive your persistence and willingness to go the extra mile. It’s rocket fuel if channelled!

Channel Fear into Adrenaline

Much like athletes use the nervous energy before a game to heighten their performance, you can use fear-induced adrenaline to sharpen your focus during sales presentations or negotiations.

Embrace Rejection

The fear of rejection can be particularly intense in sales. However, by embracing rejection as a natural part of the sales process, you can desensitize yourself to it and learn from each 'no' to improve your approach. I always say, if you have to get 100 definite ‘no’s’ in a row, someone will always stop that run with a ‘yes’.

Reflect on Past Successes

When fear takes over, remind yourself of your past successes and the obstacles you've already overcome. This can bolster your confidence and reduce the fear of future endeavours. Also, it really isn’t the end of the world. Some will, some won’t, next!

Build a Support Network

Having a mentor, coach, or colleague to discuss your fears with can provide a different perspective and offer strategies to cope with and overcome them. Engaging a sales trainer and coach is a powerful way to support your team.

Positive Visualization

Visualise success rather than failure. Envisioning positive outcomes can help counteract the fear and create a more optimistic mindset. However, a word of caution. Expecting success from every sales call will lead to disastrous results, one always gets more no’s than yes’s so expecting success on every call can’t work. However, visualising positive activity, achieve your activity goals and positively visualising in delivering good, engaging sales questions and having good conversations, will work wonders.

Continuous Learning

The fear of not knowing enough can be addressed through constant learning and skill improvement. Stay updated with industry trends, sales techniques, and product knowledge to boost confidence. Reading my books will help too.

Stay Grounded

Keep fear in check by grounding yourself in reality. Assess the likelihood of your fears truly materialising, and have contingency plans in place. Plan, prepare, practice, perform, profit!

Turn Fear into Action

Instead of letting fear freeze you, let it prompt you to action. Break down tasks into smaller, manageable actions that you can take immediately to counteract the inertia that fear can create.

Remember, it's not about being fearless but about how you manage and channel your fear. Use it to become more resilient, proactive, and ultimately, a more successful salesperson.

True success is ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again, you are never gonna keep me down (when we’re winning)’

Exposure to Fear reduces it

If you face it, confront it and do that regularly, eventually Fear withers away and you see it for what it is, an illogical emotional response.

Once you realise that sales rejection is not rejection of you, you’ll be so much stronger for it!