I have been thinking for a long time about what title to put for this post. I recognize that “fear” could be a bit of an exaggerated word for what I really want to explain. Perhaps the most appropriate term would be “insecurity”.
Naturally, if at any point you decided to take up sales as a professional career, you surely felt that feeling within you, that doubt about whether you will be able to do what the star sales manager was capable of. For example: reach your monthly quota, get that new client that you are looking for so much, grow your project portfolio, etc.
The best way to describe the sales profession is by using an analogy with a roller coaster. Some days you feel like you’re going uphill, unstoppable; you feel the best. These are moments in which dopamine and serotonin run through every blood vessel in the body, and it’s as if nothing could stop you. You can close sales one after another; every client answers the phone, and meetings are a success. In sales jargon, you’re on a hot streak.
On the other hand, there are days when it goes downhill; everything seems to go wrong, clients don’t buy, projects are delayed, no one answers the phone, meetings are fruitless, etc. These are the days when you feel like the worst salesperson, and you want to be alone, close your computer and go home, hoping that everything will be better the next day. On those days, cortisol takes over our bodies and makes us anxious, upset, nervous and insecure.
An experienced salesperson can handle this roller coaster of emotions, as it is mastered over time (experience). The most experienced sellers become addicted to the adrenaline generated before closing a sale. Of course, we enjoy the happiness hormones generated when everything goes uphill.
Getting to the point where you can enjoy these cycles (and therefore start having fun in your profession) takes time. A salesperson must go through a learning curve. We all go through such a curve when beginning a job, but unlike other careers, a salesperson is measured by his sales and hardly anything else. This is why not selling for a long period can be pretty demotivating.
We can all become great sellers and enjoy the above, but we must overcome the first few months. My recommendation to employers who want their new (especially young) salespeople to become stars is to let them start with a portfolio of clients. You have to assign them a solid and consolidated base to give them the necessary motivation to continue and develop the new sales in which they will work.
Another reason I wanted to write about this topic is the people who don’t want to be professional sellers but must become one since they are starting their own business and therefore need clients.
When I started coaching, I shared moments with colleagues who were also entering this world, most coming from professions where they did not need to look for clients or sell something (product or service). I was surprised to notice that most feared or rejected the idea of selling something, which is understandable. No one likes rejection, but a salesperson must deal with this. It’s part of the profession, but; as I stated above, it takes a while to master.
In future articles, I will share some sales strategies to help those who need to sell something and need more commercial experience. For now, the advice I would give you is don’t be afraid, don’t feel anxious about it. Like everything in life, it is something you can learn, master and even love.
Coaching may be the solution if you need help to improve your sales or want to shorten that learning curve. Please write me an email or contact me via the web to schedule a meeting.
Alexander Martinez
