Don’t Be Afraid: Selling With Confidence
By Allan Pulga
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” is a famous quote from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address on March 4, 1933. Although he referred to the courage necessary for the U.S. to recover from The Great Depression, his words resonate to the core of human existence.
We, as humans, have the ability to reason. Unlike animals – who invariably respond to fear with an innate “fight or flight” reaction – we can rationally overcome the flight reflex and stand our ground. Salespeople, too, must stand their ground. Laura Laaman, sales, management and customer service columnist at Bizjournals.com considers fear the biggest obstacle salespeople face.
“Sales employees’ most typical fear is of prospecting or cold calling because they fear being blasted with rejection,” she says.
“Fear in business can take on many faces. Owners can fear adding staff or even advertising. It’s not the fear of the employee or the fear of seeing your ads in the paper. It’s the fear of the employee or the ad not working out and losing on the investment.”
Laaman says top business performers have developed a multiple-step approach to conquering their fears:
1. Try to identify what you actually fear. “Most of the time in business, it’s either a fear of loss or a fear of embarrassment.”
2. Ask yourself what’s the worst that can happen if you fail. “The prospective customer hangs up on you? So what?”
3. Identify what you could gain if the task or strategy works out well. “This positive vision helps overshadow the negative fear.”
4. Ask yourself what the price is to you or your family if you don’t overcome this fear.
“Top performers use what’s called desensitizing, or more simply stated, positive action,” says Laaman. “They do what they fear. And each time they do it, they fear it less. This positive momentum breaks the immobilizing hold that fear can have on you.”
She suggests role-playing as a way to desensitize yourself. Salespeople can role-play with friends to successfully stay calm and clearly explain their positions. As you become more confident, you can do a better job when you’re on the selling floor and talking to strangers.
“There are two types of people: those who try, stumble and get up and try again, and those who fear stumbling and never even try,” says Laaman. “Guess which type is more successful.”