“I’m not a salesperson.” I hear this all the time from people I encourage to begin a prosperous career in sales. I even hear it from business owners, entrepreneurs, and free lancers. I have a hard time wrapping my brain around this one.  If you’ve invested your time, money, and energy into a business, then you must believe your product/service adds value to people. Why would you have a hard time selling it?  It usually for the following reasons:

• There is a misconception about the role of a salesperson
• People don’t want to deal with a four letter- F.E.A.R.

The misconception of a salesperson is a topic I will save for another day. Today, I want to focus on fear.

What is so scary about the word SALES? I’ve thought about this a lot and narrowed it down to three fear factors.

Here are my top 3 FEARS that a salesperson must recognize and learn to overcome.

Get ready to put on some boxing gloves,

and guess who the opponent is?

YOUR THOUGHTS!

Fear of Rejection

This is the big one. You will get more noes and maybes, than yeses. It’s the nature of any business and life in general. Is it uncomfortable? OF COURSE! I’ve been in sales for over 16 years, it’s natural to be disappointed, but just remember that every no is one step closer to a YES! Life has taught me success requires me to exist outside of my comfort zone. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. How do you do that? Do things that make you uncomfortable daily. Another way to get over fear of rejection is to recognize its not personal. That person doesn’t believe the product/service adds value to their lives at that time, it doesn’t mean that don’t value or like you as a person.

Another important point I will save for another blog post, is that a “no “doesn’t mean they will never do business with you. It’s also important to note that a “not right now” or “maybe another time” is not a rejection. This means they want you to help them uncover the value of your product and why they need it.

Did you know that 80% of sales are closed on the 5^th to 12^th contact? That could mean up to 11 noes before they say yes!

Fear of Failing

Have you ever heard people say, “I am a Perfectionist”? Well don’t look too far, I was one of them. Hand raised HIGH.  The reality of this statement is “I am a person who fears failing.” Perfectionism is a way of shielding yourself from failure and pain. That’s unrealistic. I’ve learned I have to make mistakes to learn and grow from them. If I’m not making mistakes, then I’m not reflecting on how I can do things better next time. Making mistakes means I will have to take action knowing I may fail. Everyday I mentally prepare myself for success or a learning experience, it’s never a failure. The most important part is getting back up again and keep grinding! I know I will never be a “perfect” salesperson because there is no such thing, but I am committed to getting better everyday.  I am better today than I was yesterday and I will be better tomorrow. Everyday that helps me overcome my fear to fail.

Fear of What Other Will Think

If you don’t know by now, I am a huge John Maxwell fan, so much that I am certified to teach, coach, and speak on his curriculum. At a recent certification conference, I had a chance to participate in a small intimate teaching with John. Participants could ask him any questions to seek his advice. A team member stood up and asked John how he overcomes the fear of people judging him. John’s response to this questions was epic. He said “Stop taking yourself so seriously! If you figured out how many people really don’t care, you would live such a happier life.” #boom. It’s so true. It’s our own little gremlins (negative thoughts) in our head telling us lies, preventing us from reaching our full potential or taking a risk to dream bigger. How do you get over this fear? You have to get over yourself.  Now when I start thinking someone is judging me, I say to myself, “Get over yourself Valerie, stop taking yourself so seriously, and do your thing.”

Remember… Your biggest opponent is you!

What are you waiting for? Start receiving your dream life!

Keep Blooming!

Val

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