Thoughtful Thursdays – It is time again to address sales fears
A proven strategy for successful sales teams is training. Having said that, regularly scheduled training sessions are often dreaded by the sales team. While the value is not always realized at the time, the professional sales person will take advantage of every opportunity to stay sharp and at the top of their game. This post topic comes around every two to three years because it has remained relevant.
If a sales person’s call volume is not meeting expectations, it will not be long before their sales will be affected. A common reason for this a fear of some sort.
The more experience one has, the easier it becomes to overcome sales fears, but we are all subject to it some level, and they can come and go.
The key to managing these annoying stresses and promoters of procrastination is acknowledging they exist, identifying the root causes and putting plans in place to address them.
Consider some of the most common sales fears and ways to address them:
- Fear of rejection
- No one I know looks forward to rejection. One way to address this fear is to understand that not everyone is going to be your customer. As a matter of fact you will likely hear “no” many more times than “yes”. I realize that it is easy to say, but truly you must not take it personally, it is business.
- Fear of not being liked
- Put yourself in the shoes of your prospect. How do you expect to be treated? Treat your prospect in the same manner you would expect to be treated.
- Fear of losing an order
- This is going to happen from time to time, and for reasons often not in your control or that you can change. Use the fear to engage your enthusiasm for making the sale. Reinforce the value in doing business with your company. Focus on the positive rather than being brought down by the negative.
- Fear of not being able to answer a question
- What question(s) do you fear the most? Take the time to brainstorm the questions and develop responses as part of your routine sales call preparation. Be the subject matter expert (SME).
- Fear of success
- Yes, this is real as well. Don’t over commit or be anyone other than who you are. Take the order and deliver on your commitments that fulfill your customer’s needs. Don’t feel that you necessarily have to do it all yourself. Do what you do best and have others do what they do best to insure success.
One more thing, addressing and overcoming sales fears leads to a shorter sales cycle.
Good selling,
Richard
Have a question about sales? Contact Sakanashi and Associates Inc. and I will respond.
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