Sales Skills: Self-Confidence

For the next several months my blog will focus on the attitudes, behaviors and knowledge that makes a great salesperson. I believe that these are fundamental qualities of a great salesperson. Self-confidence or ego strength is an important attitude for being a successful salesperson. Being self-confident in your dealing with prospects and customers gains respect. And we all know people buy from those they like and respect.

Ego Strength Builds Self-Confidence

Ego strength helps great salespeople deal with the stresses of selling. And don’t we know dealing with prospects and customers is stressful! Being confident salespeople allows us to make the best decisions for the prospect and create a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship. My mentor Jim Wilson puts it this way:

“We are taught at an early age that it is good to be popular, to be liked. The desire to be liked, when over-used, can become a need for approval, which is deadly in sales. Some salespeople work harder to get the prospect to like them than they do to get the order! If you look for approval, you may not confront difficult situations. Don’t let this happen to you.”

Great salespeople have high ego strength. This allows them to control their emotions in challenging situations to come with good solutions to problems. Have the courage to ask good questions, understand the customer and make good decisions.

Self-Confidence Makes You Courageous

Self-confident salespeople are tenacious in following the plan to achieve their goals. The often reach outside their comfort zone to:

• To meet only with the decision maker
• Ask the tough questions and work hard for the answer
• Be persistent when the going gets tough
• Confront the issue even when it feels uncomfortable
• Use feelings and emotion appropriately to gain buyer agreement
• Ask for the order
• Uncover the real reason behind objections
• When all is going well work on raising your level of performance

It’s also the small actions which build confidence in the eye of the prospect. Have the courage to offer a firm handshake, smile, use humor appropriately, have a strong voice and carry yourself erect and confident. Great salespeople behave in ways that show their confidence and this allows them to control the sales process.

Be Courageous When Discussing Money

One of the potential problems in selling is the salesperson’s attitude about money. Don’t let your attitude about money be a problem. Self-confident salespeople believe in what they are doing. By asking good questions and probing, great salespeople understand the value of the product or service they are selling. They present the solution to the prospect’s problem in a way that demonstrates they truly believe in the value of their proposal. Salespeople with strong egos have positive attitudes about money that boost their sales potential.

Act From Self-Confidence

How you are perceived becomes reality. When you act strong and confident in the interactions with prospects and customers, they will trust and respect you. And when you act strong often enough the act boosts your self-confidence and becomes your reality. Great salespeople rehearse all the interactions they plan to have with prospects and customers. Star athletes practice to get better, heart surgeons practice before major surgery to have the best patient outcome and trial lawyers rehearse their arguments before going into court. So why not salespeople? Practice being decisive. Moving with confidence through the sales process leading the prospect to the best decision. Rehearsal improves the outcome of each sales activity.

What You Can Do Right Now To Boost Self-Confidence

• Believe in yourself
• Have courage to step outside your comfort zone
• Act with self-confidence
• Control your emotions in stressful situations
• Practice each sales activity

To learn more sales secrets see Chapter Six, Characteristics Of Successful Salespeople, in Secrets of the Softer Side of Selling. For even more sales encouragement, join our FREE Sales Club! “See” you next week.

Good selling!
Don Crawford