pampered.chris
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This was today's Success Factory email. And it is a Great one!! So many posts recently that can benefit from these tips!! I hope everyone can use this to help them!!
Success Factory December 3, 2008
By MICHELLE NICHOLS, BusinessWeek
Remember the music in Jaws, the boom-boom-boom just before the shark's monstrous head emerged from the water? That was the soundtrack of raw terror. I got to thinking about fear, the most dangerous of emotions, after speaking recently to a large group of insurance salespeople in Canada . Several of their top producers said that they still regard fear as a barrier that was stopping many struggling colleagues from achieving their own success. How you handle fear is a key determinant of your success.
The issue is not, "Are you afraid?" We're all afraid of one thing or another, because fear is both a routine emotion and Mother's Nature's hard-wired way of saving us from catastrophe. Fear keeps you on your toes and can even save your life. However, if fear is keeping you from selling, you have only two choices: Overcome it -- or find another line of work.
Dial T for Terror
The most important thing about fear isn't to fight it but to face it. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is acting despite the icy fingers it wraps around your heart. Accept that certain situations make you fearful -- and then sell anyway. The more experience you have with fear and rising above it, the greater your confidence will become -- and over time, the terrors will shrink. For many folks, fear never entirely goes away. Instead, they learn how to handle it, even to recognize it as an opportunity.
In sales, telephones sometimes seem as if they weigh 200 pounds because of the psychological effort and mental limbering up needed to make the calls that we dread. Suppose the prospect hangs up? Or tells you never, under any circumstances, to call again? For salespeople and their professional egos, it is the stuff of nightmares. Think of it as the shark rising from the deep to take a huge bite out of your professional confidence and competence. I know a guy who literally duct-taped the handset to his hand so he had no choice but to "dial and smile," as he put it. Don't laugh, it worked -- despite his inability to shake hands during his sales day!
What follows are some of the major fears that salespeople face and ways to eliminate them -- or at least, manage them:
Fear 1. What if they don't like my offering?
This holds back a lot of salespeople, especially those who are only just starting their careers. Seasoned veterans take that "no" as their cue to shrug off a prospect who didn't work out, move on, and explore more fertile territory. The trick is to make several attempts to close your qualified prospects. After that, if you're still striking out, look elsewhere.
Fear 2. What if they don't like me?
We humans are gregarious creatures by nature, so this is one of the deepest-rooted of human fears, one we all face at various times of our lives. This challenge is especially strong if you are selling your own services. When I was new as a speaker, I would nervously pitch, "She's really great. She's really funny. You'll love her!" and then add, "Oh yeah -- it's me I'm talking about." The same situation applies to accountants, lawyers, dentists, doctors, even painters and performers.
Fear can undo all your hard work. When some salespeople walk into a sales call, they act like they have a sign around their necks that reads, "Please don't kick me." Customers can smell that anxiety, and they wonder if the person doing the presentation is afraid because the product or service really isn't as great as the sales literature claims. Just as you check your image in the mirror before walking into a sales call, be sure to check that your confidence is strong.
If you sell your own services, learn to see them as a product separate from yourself. When prospects turn up their noses at what you are offering, it means they don't like your wares, not you. Just because they don't buy from you doesn't mean you're not a great person. Go back and reread Fear #1.
Fear 3. What if I look stupid?
What if I get so scared I barf, burp, or die on the spot? The key to doing your best is preparation. Research your prospects and find out all you can about their challenges, opportunities, and corporate culture. Role play with more experienced sales reps and learn from their surprises and successes.
You're only human, so give yourself permission to feel nervous. No one ever spontaneously burst into flames, and there isn't much chance you will be the first to leave nothing but a pile of ashes on the conference room rug. Bear in mind the interviews we have all read with certain famous actors, the ones who admit to throwing up when performance anxiety gets the better of them. If they can keep going, so can you.
Fear 4. What if I try my best and still don't sell anything?
Selling isn't just about the results you achieve today -- but it most definitely is about today's activity. Focus on doing the right things in the right way. Is your business expanding? Is it becoming more profitable? Are you having more fun? If so, you're on the right track. Just keep going, don't lose faith with your potential, and watch your sales charts take a turn toward the sky.
Fear 5. What if I lack solid sales prospects?
I once had a client who had this problem so badly she was afraid to delete the low-grade, nonproductive, and unprofitable leads from her list of prospects. She was afflicted by a fear of failure. I encouraged her to delete all but the truly qualified prospects. Then, since Mother Nature and sales both abhor a vacuum, her internal radar became more acute and she began spotting opportunities she might otherwise have missed. As a strategy, it worked out fine. Once she had stripped the dead wood, her sales doubled over the next few months.
No matter what you fear, accept it -- even expect it -- and when it shows up, manage it. Then get back to selling. One last bit of advice: Don't ever let fear shrink your dreams. If fear stops you pursuing goals, you're not only poorer in terms of financial returns, you are impoverishing yourself as a person. Happy selling!
Success Factory December 3, 2008
By MICHELLE NICHOLS, BusinessWeek
Remember the music in Jaws, the boom-boom-boom just before the shark's monstrous head emerged from the water? That was the soundtrack of raw terror. I got to thinking about fear, the most dangerous of emotions, after speaking recently to a large group of insurance salespeople in Canada . Several of their top producers said that they still regard fear as a barrier that was stopping many struggling colleagues from achieving their own success. How you handle fear is a key determinant of your success.
The issue is not, "Are you afraid?" We're all afraid of one thing or another, because fear is both a routine emotion and Mother's Nature's hard-wired way of saving us from catastrophe. Fear keeps you on your toes and can even save your life. However, if fear is keeping you from selling, you have only two choices: Overcome it -- or find another line of work.
Dial T for Terror
The most important thing about fear isn't to fight it but to face it. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is acting despite the icy fingers it wraps around your heart. Accept that certain situations make you fearful -- and then sell anyway. The more experience you have with fear and rising above it, the greater your confidence will become -- and over time, the terrors will shrink. For many folks, fear never entirely goes away. Instead, they learn how to handle it, even to recognize it as an opportunity.
In sales, telephones sometimes seem as if they weigh 200 pounds because of the psychological effort and mental limbering up needed to make the calls that we dread. Suppose the prospect hangs up? Or tells you never, under any circumstances, to call again? For salespeople and their professional egos, it is the stuff of nightmares. Think of it as the shark rising from the deep to take a huge bite out of your professional confidence and competence. I know a guy who literally duct-taped the handset to his hand so he had no choice but to "dial and smile," as he put it. Don't laugh, it worked -- despite his inability to shake hands during his sales day!
What follows are some of the major fears that salespeople face and ways to eliminate them -- or at least, manage them:
Fear 1. What if they don't like my offering?
This holds back a lot of salespeople, especially those who are only just starting their careers. Seasoned veterans take that "no" as their cue to shrug off a prospect who didn't work out, move on, and explore more fertile territory. The trick is to make several attempts to close your qualified prospects. After that, if you're still striking out, look elsewhere.
Fear 2. What if they don't like me?
We humans are gregarious creatures by nature, so this is one of the deepest-rooted of human fears, one we all face at various times of our lives. This challenge is especially strong if you are selling your own services. When I was new as a speaker, I would nervously pitch, "She's really great. She's really funny. You'll love her!" and then add, "Oh yeah -- it's me I'm talking about." The same situation applies to accountants, lawyers, dentists, doctors, even painters and performers.
Fear can undo all your hard work. When some salespeople walk into a sales call, they act like they have a sign around their necks that reads, "Please don't kick me." Customers can smell that anxiety, and they wonder if the person doing the presentation is afraid because the product or service really isn't as great as the sales literature claims. Just as you check your image in the mirror before walking into a sales call, be sure to check that your confidence is strong.
If you sell your own services, learn to see them as a product separate from yourself. When prospects turn up their noses at what you are offering, it means they don't like your wares, not you. Just because they don't buy from you doesn't mean you're not a great person. Go back and reread Fear #1.
Fear 3. What if I look stupid?
What if I get so scared I barf, burp, or die on the spot? The key to doing your best is preparation. Research your prospects and find out all you can about their challenges, opportunities, and corporate culture. Role play with more experienced sales reps and learn from their surprises and successes.
You're only human, so give yourself permission to feel nervous. No one ever spontaneously burst into flames, and there isn't much chance you will be the first to leave nothing but a pile of ashes on the conference room rug. Bear in mind the interviews we have all read with certain famous actors, the ones who admit to throwing up when performance anxiety gets the better of them. If they can keep going, so can you.
Fear 4. What if I try my best and still don't sell anything?
Selling isn't just about the results you achieve today -- but it most definitely is about today's activity. Focus on doing the right things in the right way. Is your business expanding? Is it becoming more profitable? Are you having more fun? If so, you're on the right track. Just keep going, don't lose faith with your potential, and watch your sales charts take a turn toward the sky.
Fear 5. What if I lack solid sales prospects?
I once had a client who had this problem so badly she was afraid to delete the low-grade, nonproductive, and unprofitable leads from her list of prospects. She was afflicted by a fear of failure. I encouraged her to delete all but the truly qualified prospects. Then, since Mother Nature and sales both abhor a vacuum, her internal radar became more acute and she began spotting opportunities she might otherwise have missed. As a strategy, it worked out fine. Once she had stripped the dead wood, her sales doubled over the next few months.
No matter what you fear, accept it -- even expect it -- and when it shows up, manage it. Then get back to selling. One last bit of advice: Don't ever let fear shrink your dreams. If fear stops you pursuing goals, you're not only poorer in terms of financial returns, you are impoverishing yourself as a person. Happy selling!
