We want to get to the point where we’re effective in our persuasion, we feel really good about the work we’re doing, and we’re making a great living doing it.
This is meant to be a highly interactive exercise, so I urge you to get a pen and paper so you can write as you go through it.
Whatever brought you into sales, or whatever function you’re performing that requires selling, our emotions have an impact on it.
This process is designed to help you identify the situations that trigger negative emotions, and to help you work through them.
I’ve learned this process over the course of my 20 + years in professional sales and it’s helped me get over many tough situations.
Here’s the process we’re going to go through:
Let’s get started.
What situation are you having a hard time with?
There are many important stages of the sales process.
We prospect for new clients, conduct needs assessments, present solutions, close and ask for referrals.
Early in my career, I struggled with almost every aspect of the process. I was nervous about phoning, terrified to tell people how I was compensated and felt undeserving of referrals.
Wherever you’re at, know that many others have been in the same place. More importantly, that you’ll be able to overcome the negative feelings you’re struggling with.
As you think about your sales process, what situations are you having a hard time with? Write them down now.
How do you feel when you’re in that situation?
I would be filled with almost overwhelming anxiety when I would sit down to make phone calls. I would be filled with nerves when I was getting ready to ask for referrals.
When you find yourself in that situation you’re having a hard time with, how do you feel?
Are you nervous? Scared? Anxious?
Whatever you’re feeling, write it down.
What are you thinking when you have those feelings?
When I would be sitting down to make calls, and I’d look at my list of prospects, all I could think about was “nobody wants to talk to me. I’m going to be interrupting them.”
When you’re in that situation and feeling the way you do, what goes through your head?
What limiting beliefs do you have?
Whatever you’re thinking, write it down.
How do you act as a result?
A lot of the time, it would take me a long time to get started calling. Sometimes, I would completely talk myself out of it and I’d engage in some type of avoidance behavior.
What does your feeling and thinking cause you to do in that situation?
Whatever you do, write it down.
How would you like to feel?
I wanted to feel like I was calling someone who wanted and would appreciate my call.
If you could feel differently, how would you like to feel?
Write it down.
What positive thinking would help you feel better about the situation?
I started thinking the opposite of what automatically came into my head. I would go through a mantra and tell myself, “people want to hear from you, they will talk to you, they will agree to meet with you.”
What’s the opposite of what you currently think in the situation you’re struggling with?
Write it down.
What beliefs would give you more confidence?
I shifted my thinking and got over my limiting beliefs. It took a while, but I finally recognized that I was doing something for people, not to people.
I stopped caring about the result, and started focusing on what I was doing; bringing a great solution to people who had a problem.
What beliefs can you embrace and adopt that will bring you more confidence?
Write them down.
As a result of your positive thinking and beliefs, what will you do?
Making the shift empowered me to reach out to anyone confidently. I knew that I was doing good and valuable work. And because of that, the response I got (good or bad), mattered a lot less.
What will your shift in thinking cause you to do?
Write it down.
Conclusion
Obviously I want people to buy from me, and you want people to buy from you.
When we dig into the negative emotions which we all feel, and peel back the layers to get to the bottom of our limiting beliefs, we can overcome most any negative feelings.
If you’d like to dig deeper into this, I invite you to connect with one of our Certified Sales Coaches for a no-cost conversation.
Success in sales is available to you. So is feeling great about the work you do and the impact you have.
We’ve got three free courses as well: Our Goals Course, Values Course, and our Get Out of Debt course.
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