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How confident are you at selling, really?

Guest post by: Trent Leyshan

Article Overview: As a (willing) potential customer I want to trust you and believe in what you are saying and that you will deliver on your promise. You can make the odd mistake here-and-there, because if I trust you it's not a deal breaker-I know you will be the first person to bring it to my attention. You can sell the best product or service in town, but if your salespeople fail to install belief, build trust and deliver on their promises, the success of your business is limited, if not ultimately removed.

How confident are you at selling, really?

I have talked at length in my blogs about the importance of being confident when selling. This week I thought I would shed some light on how you can not only build confidence in your sales role but also create a way of being that will transform your sales performance. What is confidence? Dictionary.com: full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing. What a great definition and way of being to work and live by. Full trust, belief, trustworthiness and reliability! If you give your customer these things you will have them for life, it's that simple.

As a (willing) potential customer I want to trust you and believe in what you are saying and that you will deliver on your promise. You can make the odd mistake here-and-there, because if I trust you it's not a deal breaker-I know you will be the first person to bring it to my attention. You can sell the best product or service in town, but if your salespeople fail to install belief, build trust and deliver on their promises, the success of your business is limited, if not ultimately removed.

Without confidence a salesperson is left second guessing, concocting strategies on the fly and more often than not reinventing the wheel periodically. I can tell you from experience this is a flawed approach that breeds incompetence, contempt, and underachievement. Give me a confident salesperson willing to learn and committed to never-ending-improvement and I will show you a person with almost unlimited potential-competence breeds confidence.

To be confident in sales you need to believe in what you sell. Too often salespeople sell things or work for companies they dont believe in. As a customer I can smell this type of self-focused salesperson a mile off. So, I dont care what you say-I'm not buying it buddy.

Can you be too confident when selling? The short answer is yes. Overconfidence is a sign of incompetence. It shows a lack of humility and you have ceased the willingness to learn and develop knowledge and skills. Overconfident salespeople cut corners and they avoid details and being accountable when things go wrong. While confidence is key, 'overindulgence,' like most things in life, is ill advised.

Tips to be more confident when selling:

• § Only sell something you truly believe in
• § Develop a passion for learning about your product, service and industry
• § Work for a company you truly believe in
• § Become an expert at delivering valuable outcomes, not excuses
• § Create successful habits around your preparation and time management
• § Exercise the power of saying NO!
• § Only engage clients you are confident you can deliver for, if not exceed expectations
• § Try selling your service or product just under market value, or adding more value than anyone else in your space
• Narrow your focus and work with less but more valuable clients
• Speak with your clients regularly for positive and negative feedback

What has worked for me personally over the years is developing an unrelenting commitment to learning about what I do and becoming the best at it. My philosophy is, if you are going to do something -be the best, and if that's not possible be the best you can be. With this type of commitment-confidence and success is sure to follow.

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  Balance Self-Confidence and Uncertainty

Article Tags: sales coach, sales coaching, sales seminars, sales training



Related Forum Posts
Re: Infographic: 10 Tips On Preparing For The Call - Also, there are certain words you should be prepared not to use: Maybe When you’re cold calling, your best chance of success is to be self assured, confident, and 100% well versed in what you are selling. If you’re using the word ‘maybe’ in your sales scripts, you run the risk of sounding wishy washy. It either is or isn’t. Pick one. Hope When you tell your client you’re ‘hoping’ for something, you’re not sure, are you? If you’re not sure, then why should they be? Never let a prospect hear that you’re not 100% behind your product, your company or your service, or it’s entirely likely you will lose the sale.
Re: Which is the best for beginners? - Hi Apu, I think one good way for Internet beginners to start is to experiment with selling stuff on eBay. In my own case I began by making a website about Japanese mahjong and then tried selling some mahjong goods on it. It worked! Actually, I remember that before I tried selling mahjong goods I experimented with selling other kinds of thing such as Japanese comics on eBay and things like that. I only got into affiliate marketing later on, and used the money I was making selling goods to fund my experiments with affiliate and network marketing.
What to avoid when cold calling? - Cold calling is the nemesis of all sales people. What words to avoid, what not to do when cold calling? I will start first: avoid the word "maybe". When you're cold calling, your best chance of success is to be self assured, confident, and 100% well versed in what you are selling. If you're using the word 'maybe' in your sales scripts, you run the risk of sounding wishy washy. It either is or isn't. Pick one. Another word: "hope" When you tell your client you're 'hoping' for something, you're not sure, are you? If you're not sure, then why should they be? Never let a prospect hear that you're not 100% behind your product, your company or your service, or it's entirely likely you will lose the sale. So, what other words should we avoid?
Re: What makes a good sales rep? - That's so true. If you don't truly believe in your product/s, I believe the average Joe can sense that you don't. If you aren't selling something you believe in, you should quit and find something you do even if it means a loss of income for a while. The overall reward will be greater in the end because you will end up selling more.
franchising - Franchising isn't cheap and easy. I've worked with lots of franchisors and the ones who understand that they are changing jobs from selling their product/service to selling franchises. Jim Adams


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