Selling from Your Own Wallet: How to Stop Undervaluing Your Sales Team’s Potential

As a sales manager or business owner leading new or early-stage salespeople, you’ve probably seen it: hesitation at the close, price objections they can’t handle, or even an outright apology when presenting a high-value offer. These behaviors often stem from one common mistake: selling from their own wallet.

Let’s be real—this mindset doesn’t just hurt your team’s confidence; it’s costing you sales and leaving revenue on the table. But don’t worry. By recognizing and addressing this tendency, you can coach your rookies to approach sales with the right mindset and turn them into top performers.

What Does "Selling from Your Own Wallet" Mean?

It’s when salespeople unconsciously project their personal financial situation onto the customer. Instead of presenting the value of the solution, they focus on price—often downplaying or avoiding higher-value options because they assume the buyer can’t afford it.

The Cost of This Mindset: According to a study by CSO Insights, sales reps with low confidence in selling value-based solutions are 50% less likely to hit quota. That’s a major revenue gap you can’t afford to ignore.

Why New Salespeople Struggle

1. Inexperience with Value-Based Selling: Many rookies haven’t yet learned how to confidently communicate the benefits of a product or service over its price tag.
2. Fear of Rejection: They worry a higher price will scare off the customer, so they aim low to avoid conflict.
3. Personal Financial Bias: If they wouldn’t spend that amount themselves, they assume others wouldn’t either.

How to Shift Their Mindset

Your job as a leader isn’t just to teach skills; it’s to shape beliefs. Here’s how you can help your team stop selling from their own wallets and start selling based on value:

1. Redefine Their Perspective on Price

Remind your team: price is what you pay, but value is what you get. A solution that solves a critical problem or delivers measurable ROI is always worth the investment.

• Example: “A $10,000 solution that saves a client $100,000 in losses isn’t expensive—it’s a bargain.”

2. Teach Value-Based Selling

Provide structured training on how to identify pain points, tailor presentations to client needs, and emphasize outcomes over costs.

• Quick Stat: Sales teams with structured training improve their performance by 53%, according to the Sales Management Association.

3. Role-Play Common Scenarios

Use role-playing exercises to build confidence in handling objections and selling premium solutions.

• Pro Tip: Have them practice presenting a high-value offer until they can do it without hesitating.

4. Share Real Success Stories

Highlight examples of customers who invested in premium solutions and reaped big rewards. This reinforces belief in the product and shifts the focus from cost to outcome.

5. Lead by Example

Demonstrate the power of value-based selling in your own interactions. Whether you’re coaching, closing deals, or motivating your team, embody the confidence you want them to mirror.

Your Next Move

Want to take your team from struggling rookies to confident closers? It starts with mindset.

Here’s a quick action plan for this week:

1. Schedule a team meeting to discuss the concept of selling from their own wallet.
2. Run a role-playing session where reps present high-value offers.
3. Reinforce the benefits of your solutions in every training and team discussion.

And if you’re looking for even more ways to build confidence and drive results, check out my M3 Sales System—a proven training program designed to turn your salespeople into high performers who deliver consistently, even under pressure.

Where Success Starts

Sales leaders who invest in training and coaching for their teams see an average revenue increase of 17% (HubSpot Research). You could be one of them. Let’s stop leaving money on the table and start closing deals with confidence.

?? Ready to take the first step? Book a free Sales Expansion Discovery Call with me today at www.geoffreyfullerton.com/book-discovery-call.

Your team’s success starts with you. Let’s make it happen.