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!