the Southwestern Company Sales Blog

Hi.   Lee here.

Just thought I’d throw out an idea to you about “Sales Success!”  (Frankly, having delivered sales training in some form for 30 years, I’m a bit jaded about the whole notion of “Sales Success!”)  I’ve read many of the books on this topic, gone to seminars, attended motivational meetings.

As I digested all kinds of sales tips, and through the process of training young salespeople with the Southwestern Company, I’ve run across some good stuff.  Occasionally, I even had an idea of my own.

Foundational Idea #1
CONFIDENCE.  Often, when I’m standing in front of an audience of sales neophytes at the Southwestern Company, I wish I could inject them with a dose of confidence.  Selling, like anything else, is about confidence.  All of us have different areas of expertise: I enjoy public speaking—I’m also a pretty good swimmer.  If I’m in the water or behind a microphone—great!  I look forward to these are activities because I feel competent and confident.

On the other hand, put me on a snowy mountain with skis or a snowboard…not so much.  My exposure to skiing has been limited, my training has been minimal and my experience has been, well, embarrassing (ask my kids).  So mentally, I’ve concluded that skiing is not my thing.  In other words, I don’t have confidence when it comes to snow skiing (I have other areas of incompetence too).  Consequently, I don’t typically book vacations in ski locations.  You may be a good skier.  You’re thinking: “Wow, skiing is easy—I just do it!  I can’t believe you think it’s hard.”  We all have different proclivities and confidence levels.

So how do you develop confidence in the area of selling?  First, I’d determine what my attitude toward selling is like.  Do I look forward to the opportunity, or do I dread it?  It’s important to get really curious about this.  If you knew that you were definitely going to sell the next customer, absolutely—if you were supremely confident, you would not have any fear of calling on them.

So, your mind set makes all the difference. Second, I’d get some good basic training in sales (hey, here’s a brazen plug—we do that at The Southwestern Company).  Knowledge breeds confidence.  The more knowledge you have about what you want to learn, the more confident you are.

Third, try it.  Go sell your product or service.  But notice what you’re telling yourself about the experience.  How you “label” your selling experience—your self-talk—will determine if you are creating confidence or eroding it.  I always tell our college salespeople to record their thoughts for the day, and to separate Useful Thoughts from Useless Thoughts.

What thoughts help you feel more confident, enthusiastic, and resourceful in your sales ability?  Focus on those.  Conversely, what thoughts put pressure on you and reduce your confidence level?  Trash those.  More on the power of thoughts in future blogs…

Finally, ask yourself, “What am I good at?  What are some skill areas where I feel confident?”  Then the critical questions: “How did I do that?  How exactly did I gain confidence in this area?”  Think hard. Your answer will give you strategies to use in building your sales confidence.

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