Fear fiactor

quality opportunities to even attempt to close!

Fear of Failure. If the feeling of winning is +10, then the feeling of losing is -100. Ask any player, coach or salesperson. Losing that game-the one you reeeeally wanted but didn't win-burns for years. Embarrassment, frustration and, sometimes, tears are not feelings we want to revisit. We must disassociate our current job (selling) from our past experience of, for example, losing an order' Shooting is not the same as missing.

EAR KILLS snLp,s. Fear messes with our focus' Instead of concentrating on winning, we fear losing. We execute poorly. We choke.

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Fear of Success. Common and real, this fear is insidious and difficult to detect, but usually involves a lot of self-sabotage. We are comfort motivated' Sudden changes down or up-run make us feel uncomfortable. Master sellers do the opposite. They take advantage of every opportunity and maximize them.

^ tf 6aa tapes play in our heads during any activity-especially competitive activities against motivated and focused oppott"ntt-the results will not be positive' If our mind *und".t during a competitive endeavor (sales, for example), the business is lost! tn" great salespeople I have learned from and work with think only abouipositive outcomes-winning-all the time. They are ducks with short memories for minor setbacks (noi failures), which flow off their backs like water'

The biggest difference between a master seller and the rest is how they deal with rejection, both small (a snotty receptionist) and lurge (missing an order)' Many sellers take these rejections far too personally, whereas the master seller has more of the attitude' "Oh well, their loss' Let's go find someone who does need it."

Common Fears of

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nderachieving SalesPeoPle

Being Too Pushy. This is fear number one' This fear impedes every step of the poor seller's sales process, from reception to ilosing. No one likes a pushy person' That's the ;Art Part" of sales. Moving things forward is not the same as being pushy. Assuming is disarming' not alarming' The master seiter ls bold and charming, which is not the same as pushy. Great salespeople are persistent and consistent, not PushY.

Fear of the "No." No one likes to be rejected' Even small no's hurt and irritate. We are born with this' The only way to Yes-ville is through No-ville; there are no detours or tunnels. Our attitude must be, "Let's not call it 'No'' let's call it, 'We'll do business in the future' or 'Thank you for the no, that puts me that much closer to a yes'"'

Fear of Being Annoying. Fear of being too pushy kills us at closing, while fear of being annoying gets us very few

Fear of Being My Father/lVlother. I have worked with many salespeople who grew up in a home with a dominant and sometimeJdomineering parent. They do not want to be that guy, ever. This mixture of feelings is complicated' I am not a'psychologist, but it has been my experience that if you feel-this *iy, you are probably one of the nicest and easiest people in the world to get along with, so let it go and go U" ybut likeable self-but ask for the order, darn it!

Fear of Losing the Account. This is caused by lack of prospecting for new business' period. If we are not bringing in brand-new-never-sold-by-us-before customers, our current customers intuit it and it will be impossible for us to win negotiations-even with our best accounts' ThJopposite is also true. Sellers with this fear produce lower mirgins and have to work much harder to produce less results, than the master seller.

Are You a Natural?

I have known some fearless PeoPle. My twin brother is one of them, so I sot to see it first-hand. Whereas I ivas naturally a bit standoffish and timid, my brother David has alwaYs gone headlong into the fraY while most of us are still wondering if " the water might be too cold.

So if you're naturallY fearless, hallelujah for You. The rest of us must acknowledge, then conquer, these fears to make them a non-factor in our sales.

James Olsen RealitY Sales Training

(503) 544'3s72

james@realitysalestraining.com