Sales Training - Self-Confidence is What Top Salespeople Build and Maintain

If you suffer from low or no confidence, or whatever your self-confidence indicator may be, this can translate to something minor or major which leads to low sales. Just as cars have become more sophisticated with warning lights, a salesperson who is in tune with their own kind of indicator systems will know when their confidence is low. Low or no self-confidence can be disguised as procrastination, negative self-talk, or the three sister words in conversations: would have, could have, and should have.

Procrastination may be an indicator of confidence in particular if you know what to do, how long it takes and can probably teach someone else! Like a brake light indicator being a warning that brakes aren’t working properly, procrastination is also a warning. Why do you procrastinate? Is it because you are new in sales and don’t yet understand how to break the sales process down? Or do you know what to do, but have a more serious system indicator light, like fear, that may be deep routed in a limiting belief? To start to get over procrastination, first determine if it is a warning (you are still learning the process) or a system malfunction light (you have a limiting belief).

Your self-talk can be a warning indicator light that your confidence is about to steer you off course. Like a seat belt warning, this kind of indicator light usually points to one thing and is usually temporary. After a long annoying chime, the seat belt indicator turns off if you fasten your seatbelt or wait long enough for the noise to cease. Because we have so much negative self-talk inside us we may be immune to the sound, not hear it or just move on autopilot not thinking anything of it. The key to get back on track with your self-confidence to sell is to stop, listen and redirect your self-talk. Replace the negative with positive at every chance. If you find it difficult to zero in on your self-talk, then pay attention to your feelings. Law of Attraction teachers say our feelings let us know when we are off course.

Our language patterns and how much we use “would have,” “could have,” and “should have” in our conversations in and out of self-talk can be a serious malfunction indicator. Negative language patterns like this are indicators usually more encompassing and serious like a car’s engine light. Who knows where the problem is until you take your car in for service? Our language patterns and how much we use “would have,” “could have,” and “should have” in our conversations outside of self-talk can mean our belief system is limiting our ability to maintain our confidence. If you have found you have tried many repairs to your self-confidence, but it still shows up in a whiny “would have,” “could have,” and “should have,” consider a coach. Coaches can usually more easily diagnose your situation and have longer lasting tools available to correct your problems.

These first three self-confidence indicators: procrastination, negative self-talk, and the three sister words, can keep your sales at a standstill or worse, subtly sabotage increased results for salespeople. Try all mental, emotional and behavioral strategies until you find your personal effective formula for shutting them off. In my next article you’ll learn where other times self-confidence shows up in lack of follow up, feeling like an imposter or somehow fearful in giving presentations, networking, or even asking for an order.