5 fears every salesman must overcome to be successful in sales

Posted on November 7, 2016
FDR, a renowned leader once said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” At the time, he was referring to war and political issues. Regardless of that, the same old saying does so perfectly, apply to sales.When it comes to sales, facing your fears isn’t any easy walk in the park. And I get it. But did you know that nearly all the things you are afraid of will never happen? Fear is simply emotions emanating from peptides present in the brain.Of course as marketers or salesmen, we all feel BS fear at some point but before you flat out and avoid facing it completely; this post is timely and will teach you how to get over this 4 letter word. So keep reading!

Fear is just another 4 letter word that starts with F……

If you’re going to generate any money in sales and become successful, facing your fears is paramount. It boggles me seeing how sales people struggle with fear. And it’s not that you’ll not close the sale, or the prospect will kill you—neh! Yet countless salespersons continue to wallow in fear.To be a solid salesman, you must man up and overcome the 5 fears below. Facing your fears head on is the secret to leaping from a wonderful salesperson to a renowned one. Let’s dig deeper into a few anxiety-filled situations to find out how we can face and fix fear.

1. Fear of Not Making Money

This fear is expected especially if you have no ambition to work hard. When it comes to sales, this is how it works: the more hands you shake, the more the sales and the more money you make. Your main assignment is to get out there and shake the hands of as many people as possible. Connect with more people, talk to them and you’ll make good money. It’s that simple.Truly, many salespersons have become penniless to the extent of having to beg for a job somewhere. It sure happens. But if you can work hard, understand your product and keep being consistent, then you won’t have to worry about making money.

2. Fear of Rejection

If you can’t overcome this fear, you might have to throw in the towel just now. I know without a doubt that the fear of rejection is a real deal for most salespeople. To earn money in sales, you’ve got to get over this fear and get over it real quick.An effective way of getting past the fear of rejection is to step out with confidence, pitch your products and get used to it. The more people reject you (and trust me, it will happen), the more you’ll get used to it. You cannot overcome this fear if you aren’t trying. So go ahead and face all the rejection and get them out of your way and learn to be confident in sales regardless of whether you close or fail to. After all, rejection isn’t entirely about you, it’ about them—now say that again back at yourself!

3. Fear of Annoying People

As a salesperson, you’re definitely going to piss potential customers off. You can’t make everybody happy. Most people, especially the low end buyers, are hard to please. It’s your job to initiate uncomfortable conversations with potential clients. If they get pissed off, it’s their problem, not yours.Always be aggressive and push for the sale especially if you’re dealing with the right prospect. Potential clients often have some kind of BS objection with which they hit you with and the moment you move past it, friction is created. Don’t be afraid of the friction. Just keep your cool and keep closing. Eventually, they will buy from you and will even be excited that you pushed them through to the close. I’ve done these thousands of times.

4. Fear of Looking Stupid

We all do stupid things sometimes. That’s just how humans are wired. From trying to sell the wrong product to uttering the wrong things and at the wrong time, and so looking stupid will at some point happen to you. Thing is, just accept this fact and keep selling anyway.The most effective, tried and tasted method to help you avoid looking stupid is to stay informed about every single aspect about your product. When you educate yourself more, the more you’ll know, and the less you’ll come off as someone ignorant and dumb. So go on and study, practice and just get over it.

5. Fear of Commission-based sales work

Yeah, making the transition from a salary to a commission-only sales job can be scary particularly at first. Hunting and killing down only that which you’ll eat isn’t for the faint hearted. I know the idea having a sales job that is 100 per cent dependent on closing deals to get paid truly freaks many marketers out there.But here’s the thing; don’t be scared of working on commission. In fact, what you SHOULD be afraid of is working 40 hours a week for a sales job that pays you significantly less than you earn in sales. Salaried workers are everywhere. Commission closers are strong-minded people who are aggressive and choose to win no matter what. Instead of being afraid of commission, fear salary.

In conclusion

The most effective way to avoid fear is through education and action. The more you learn, the less fear you’ll have, since you will know better. If you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed with sales fears, do not hesitate to follow me and my work on Google+, Facebook and Twitter and put your fears to rest.