5 Ways to Overcome Stress in Sales and Business

All of us experience stress to one degree or another.

We've all heard where some stress can be good for you, because it keeps you focused.

But at the same time, we all know what can happen when we're too stressed.

Here are 5 Things you can do to help minimize stress and allow you to be more successful in sales and life:

1. Accept the fact stress is all self-inflicted.

It's not what happens to us that is the problem. It's how we react to what happens to us.  The sales call might not be going right or you might have lost the one deal you needed, but through it all we can't forget the world is not ending.

When I was a sales manager,  I used to share with my salespeople who were experiencing stress to relax and remember that the sun is going to rise and fall and rise again regardless of whether that one person decides to buy or not buy.

2. Quit allowing your mind to paint negative pictures.

We've all had the moment in the car driving up to the account or waiting for the phone to ring where our mind begins throwing out everything that can go wrong. Before going into any sales call, take a moment to picture success and how you're going to take the success and leverage it on your next call.

3. View yourself as one of the successful people.

It doesn't matter who it is, whether it be other people with whom you work or an athlete or a friend, but picture yourself with other successful people.  Don't do this to become envious, but do it to help you emulate and see yourself as being a successful person too.

FURTHER READING: Are You One Step Closer to Success?

4. Skip the garbage, wherever it may be.

The garbage might be the negative people in the office, the drivers next to you in traffic or what you're listening to on your device.  An old expression from the early days of computers still applies -- garbage in, garbage out.  What we allow ourselves to be exposed to quickly becomes who we are.

5. Never view life in the short term.

Take a long-term view to how we approach things. Realize things do take time, and just as we overestimate what we can get done in a short timeframe, we underestimate what we can get done in the long term.

We don't suffer from a lack of time. We suffer from a priority management problem. Never forget that good things do take time.

Mark Hunter "The Sales Hunter" author of High-Profit Selling, recognized globally for his insights on sales.  He travels more than 200 days per year speaking to organizations on selling in today's market.  www.TheSalesHunter.com.