Why did I choose to write about confidence and sales and the other attitudes that go along with it. Lke having fun and being enthusiastic ?
In fact, I struggled to come up with a topic for this issue.
Not that I couldn’t think of anything to write but because I wasn’t ready to broach some topics yet. Perhaps even more than that the topics I thought about just didn’t feel right.
Then it hit me.
All the persuasion techniques in the world and all the best intentions / goals won’t get you anywhere if you are not confident, looking after yourself and having fun.
As Dale Carnegie said
"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."
Your sense of self and your personal happiness come first.
If you do not have a good relationship with yourself and your work, no amount of skills training will compensate.
When you are happy and enthusiastic your confidenec and sales will soar.
Steven Covey in his best seller “ The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People “ writes about the habits of successful people. The first three habits must precede the others. The first three are habits of Independence.
In other words, you must be able to stand-alone before you can fly with eagles.
A sales career is not an easy one.
Your results are there in black and white.
For many salespeople their income depends on their results.
This is true for all salespeople but for some the time lag is shorter.
A salesperson has to:
deal with rejection,
be able to think on their feet and
be organised.
Obviously, confidence and sales are linked.
Success in sales depends, in no small way, on your confidence and your enthusiasm.
Nothing succeeds like success.
When I used to land a big sale I’d immediately make contact with any other sales deal I was close to closing.
Often, I’d get an order.
What I was doing was tapping into the confidence I had gained from the big breakthrough and using it to generate enthusiasm to make more sales.
As they say, “ Nothing succeeds like success “
How does one maintain their confidence when the deals are not happening ?
I find it helps to harbour a belief like
“ There is no such thing as failure, it’s only feedback”
Treat each "no sale" as a learning experience to refine and improve your sales abilities.
Furthermore, how does one maintain enthusiasm over a long period of time ?
Enthusiasm comes from having a mission.
A long-term objective that’s larger than life and compelling.
A mission also helps define who we are.
And when we know who we are, what we want and why, we become Congruent.
What is congruence ?
Congruence is that state of alignment when you believe in what you are doing and your body and mind are working towards your goal. It is that state in which you are confident, enthusiastic and purposeful.
"Your sense of self and congruence are more important than all the presentation skills you could learn, useful as these are. Congruence and a sense of self are products of knowing your values and your purpose..."(“Successful Selling … The way forward in the new Bazaar”, O'Connor and Prior, p. 107)
If you need help boosting your confidence and improving your congruence maybe you need some sales coaching
Yet that is only part of the equation.
Us humans are multifaceted.
There are many parts of us and if we neglect any part of our being there will be a price to pay.
Like the farmer, we sow what we reap.
So if you neglect your health sooner or later you’ll pay the price.
It’s the same with relationships.
I think it was Ghandi who said,
“ You cannot do wrong in one area of your life without it affecting the others, life is one indivisible whole “
Sharpen the Saw
Follow the advice of Steven Covey ( 7 habits ) and “Sharpen the Saw “.
Take time for your physical, social / emotional, intellectual and spiritual self.
Take time for family and friends.
Take time to prepare healthy meals and to exercise.
Take time to read.
Take time to worship or commune with nature or have a really good laugh.
O.K. As sales people we must be aware that business is such that most companies value our results above ourselves.
“ Your only as good as last month’s figures “, is a common saying in business circles.
However, by drawing boundaries around what we are prepared to pay for what we receive we are not shortchanging the company that pays us.
We are simply establishing a balance that will allow us to perform to an effective and efficient level over a long period of time without losing our health and happiness in the process.
Hey, it may not be easy.
It may be hard to make time for these things when the company is putting pressure on you to do more.
It might even be harder for you to stop driving yourself to do more but like the lyrics in the Bon Jovi song
“ It’s my life, it’s now or never… I’m gunna live while I’m alive”.
So, be confident, go out and have some fun and look after yourself so you can be enthusiastic and congruent when you make lots of sales.