THE FEAR OF SELLING

The fear of selling, also known as sales anxiety, is a common challenge that many people face. It's a psychological barrier that can hinder you from effectively promoting your products and services. Here are seven reasons behind the fear of selling.

1.??????Fear of Rejection.

2.??????Fear of Being Pushy or Salesy

3.??????Lack of Confidence.

4.??????Negative Beliefs About Sales.

5.??????Lack of Communication Skills.

6.??????Setting Unrealistic Expectations.

7.??????Fear of Failure.

As a simple exercise, please number your top three fears from the list above.

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1.??????Fear of Rejection

As in many walks of life we don’t always get what we want and it is the same with selling. Not everyone will want what we have to offer. It is a normal part of sales. Try not to take it personally, view it as an opportunity to learn and improve. We learn from our mistakes not from our successes. So focus on the positive aspects and remember that every rejection brings you one step closer to a successful sale.

2.??????Fear of Being Pushy or Salesy

You will only be pushy or appear salesy if you are trying to sell something that the other party does not want. That is not selling; that is being a con artist, a confidence trickster. Selling is about helping the customer to achieve. Shift your mindset from being pushy or salesy to being helpful. Effective selling is about identifying the needs of your customers and offering solutions that genuinely benefit them. When you approach sales with the intention of helping others, it becomes less about pushing a product and more about providing value.

?3.??????Lack of Confidence:

Confidence is built by doing based upon sound knowledge. You learnt how to ride a bicycle, drive a vehicle or tie a knot by doing. Someone may have been there to show you but you had to do it. At first you were hesitant because you lacked confidence but over time that confidence grew the more you practised.

Continually build your product, sales, market and customer knowledge and practise your sales skills. If appropriate, hire a sales trainer or coach. Obtain feedback at every opportunity. The more confident you are in what you're selling, the more natural and convincing you'll be. Additionally, focus on your strengths and past successes, and remind yourself of them when your confidence wavers.

?4.??????Negative Beliefs About Sales:

So often in the movies and TV, from “Tin Men” to “The Wolf of Wall Street” to “Seinfeld” one gets the impression that all salespeople are con artists telling you anything and manipulating you to get your money or doing shady deals. ?It’s important to realise that these are characters.

Challenge and reframe negative beliefs about sales. Instead of seeing it as a manipulative process, view it as a way to connect with others, understand their needs, and provide solutions. Think how you can add value to a sales transaction by helping the customer to achieve.

?5.??????Lack of Communication Skills:

The most powerful skills a salesperson can possess are communication competencies which you will take a lifetime to achieve. Work on improving your communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal. Practise, active listening, develop your questioning skills of closed and open-ended questions and learn to read body language. The better you can communicate, understand and be understood the more comfortable and effective you'll be in sales conversations.

?6.??????Setting Unrealistic Expectations:

Understand that not every sales interaction will result in a sale. Set realistic expectations for yourself, and recognise that building relationships and trust takes time. Celebrate small victories, even if they don't immediately lead to a sale. Resist the urge to place pressure on yourself by comparing with how others seem to make sales effortlessly. Sell the way that is comfortable for you and your communication style. No two people sell the same way. But they will have a sales process as a foundation and so avoid unrealistic expectations.

?7.??????Fear of Failure:

Talk to any successful individual in any profession and they will tell you about the mistakes they have made and the failures they’ve had. If you had not made a mistake, you have not made anything. Embrace the possibility of failure as a learning experience. Failure is not a permanent state but an opportunity to grow and improve. Analyse what you did that was good about that particular interaction and what you could do differently next time. Stop beating up on yourself about mistakes and failures; they are in the past. Best to live in the present and the future. Adjust your approach, and move forward with new found knowledge.

Remember that selling is a skill that can be developed with practise and a positive mindset. Seek feedback, continuously improve, and focus on the value you can bring to your customers. Overcoming the fear of selling takes time and effort, but with persistence, you can build the confidence needed to excel in sales.

Happy and successful selling! Yeah!!

Gerald Richards

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My mission is to make you successful by providing cost neutral customised and flexible state of the art sales training and coaching with guaranteed results.

I’m an international speaker, trainer and coach on sales and action centred leadership.

Please contact me about my unique approach to sales training and coaching with Social Skills Selling for successful growth and outcomes.

E: [email protected] Web: https://3x5x7.com

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