The Secret Fears of Salespeople: Understanding the hidden challenges they will never tell you

When we think about the qualities of Salespeople, we would often stereotype them as:

• Confident
• Persuasive
• Having the gift of the gab
• Results focused
• Loving the thrill of the chase and closing big deals
• Thick skinned and resilient

While most salespeople can relate to these qualities as being necessary for their success, the truth is there is another very natural side that can lay beneath the confident exterior that gets shown to the world.

As human beings we are driven by two primal emotions - fear and love.

Fear is deeply rooted in our survival instincts that have evolved over time to protect us from danger. While there is not a physical danger in working in sales, our sympathetic nervous system will still scan for emotional threats that can then trigger the fight, flight, fog or freeze response from the perceived danger.

When fear takes hold, what seems rational can become irrational as this is a subconscious response and people may not understand it to be able to explain it to you. Instead, you will see the fear manifest in their behaviour which could include:

• Avoidance
• Pushback
• Self-sabotage
• Cynicism / sarcasm
• Procrastination
• Stress
• Overwhelm

Let's explore some of the secret fears or hidden challenges that can impact our performance, engagement, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

1. Fear of rejection

One of the deepest human fears is rejection - this is a primal reaction which is linked to our evolutionary survival needs. Historically, being part of a group was crucial for our protection, resources and social connection. While a prospect saying no to a meeting is not exactly life or death, this can trigger an unconscious feeling of social rejection or not being safe.

By talking about rejection, the conversation process and understanding what else may be going on for the prospect we can remove the personal stigma from rejection to build confidence and capability.

2. Fear of failure or not achieving targets

Fear of failure is a normal human emotion and is a natural part of striving for success. It is also linked to our primal survival needs, as we see success in our roles as necessary for us to thrive financially, socially, emotionally and physically. Sales targets are often aggressive and can create immense pressure, which can lead to burnout. stress and anxiety. This is compounded by the competitive nature of sales teams where everyone's achievements are public. The need to win the business can be a motivating driver, but also debilitative in reverse if they don't feel confident of success.

By chunking down high value activities and doing regular coaching or check-ins on progress, we can help our people feel confident that they are on the right path to success.

3. Fear of not knowing enough or not being good enough (Imposter syndrome)

When salespeople do not have the benefit of years of experience in their industry, it can create anxiety around unpredictable situations - which includes a customer conversation. They do not want to appear unprofessional or incompetent so will often procrastinate, avoid or over-prepare before speaking to a prospect as they don't want to appear incompetent.

By ensuring we create a robust training system (ideally a sales playbook with common questions and answers included) with supportive mentors we help our people feel more prepared will help them prepare for most common scenarios as well as being ready to respond to new challenges.

4. Fear of Change or Uncertainty

Salespeople will generally be happiest when they are out talking to customers as this comes naturally to them. Their business relationships are often the strongest motivator. The sales landscape is constantly evolving with new technologies emerging regularly. When these are introduced, it can feel clunky, daunting and at times overwhelming as it is not their natural strength - which can also trigger a primal response of push back or avoidance.

By simplifying the internal processes and supporting them to do what they do best with the tools, resources and coaching they need most we can bring out their best.

5. Fear of being "Salesy" or Pushy

People love to be helped but hate being sold to and salespeople are very aware of this. They hate being told to do something that doesn't feel congruent or aligned for them. Most salespeople inherently want to be liked, and they perceive that being pushy will make someone not like them, which is another form of rejection.

By ensuring that your sales process is a natural conversation based on understanding the customer's needs and providing valued solutions with expert advice, we can reframe the whole sales approach in a way that is co-creative and beneficial to both parties.

6. Fear of upsetting or losing clients

Building and maintaining client relationships is crucial in sales. In today's business world, customer surveys are an everyday experience and part of the KPIs for success. Salespeople will sometimes say what they think the client wants to hear rather than having the difficult conversation to deliver bad news. This links back to the need to be liked and the need to succeed with their KPIs.

By providing coaching, support and training around how to have difficult conversations and manage service excellence with regular checkpoints, we can address any potential issues in the early stages and avoid problems.

7. Fear of Public Speaking

Despite their confident exterior, many salespeople have a fear of public speaking. Presenting to large groups can be intimidating and can amplify anxiety, especially when it is an important pitch. In extreme cases, fear can lead to a loss of control or inability to think logically and result in a freeze response.

By practicing the presentation in advance (in house) as well as providing supportive resources such as handouts or guides and confidence building coaching around personal presence, we are able to overcome this.

In summary, Sales Managers or Leaders should have an awareness of how subconscious fears show up in the workplace, anticipate it and prepare for this in advance. It's also important to have a real conversation without the stigma of fears, anxiety or overwhelm - providing support for people to manage their own stress and well being without judgement or shame.

Well-structured training, onboarding and coaching will build self confidence that will flow through to performance.

When we get this right everything else becomes much easier.

The better it gets the better it gets!

At Shine Executive, we love supporting organisations to create a high-performance culture by bringing out the best in their people.

We are here to help with speaking, consulting, training, conferences, coaching or offsite events and specialise in the following areas:

High Performing Teams | Leadership | Sales Training | EQ & Neuroscience | Financial Services Sales & Service | DISC Personality Profiles | Five Behaviours of Cohesive Teams | Positive Psychology | GROWTH Coaching

Our bespoke people and performance solutions are created to meet your unique business needs, time available and working environment - so if you have something that's important to you why not Book your free 30 minute call now to discuss. We'd love to hear from you.

Or contact us at [email protected] or +61 423 936090.

Naomi Oyston has more than twenty years leadership experience within the Corporate, Financial and SME Business sectors.? She has had extensive executive level success, with direct responsibility for leading the implementation and performance assessment of Customer Service Excellence, Sales Performance, Performance Coaching, Organisational Culture, Productivity and Leadership training within multiple major corporations.

Passionate, engaging and insightful, Naomi specialises in helping business leaders to create High Performing teams through a combination of mindset, toolkits and skillsets that are street proven to deliver results that matter.