Sales Fright

There’s nothing more obvious than a professional athlete who has lost their confidence. Happens all the time in all sports. You can see it in the eyes, the stance, the gait of the walk. It needs to get fixed quick or slumps and downtimes continue unabated.

It’s the same with salespeople. It comes in many forms though. Oftentimes is merely fear of the phone or a sense of intimation or collapse of one’s pipeline. Wise managers can see it in the eyes, tone of voice, fuzzy pipeline reviews, faltering numbers. As something we’ve all experienced at some level, in most cases it’s fixable, even at the rep level.

Here are just 3 common causes and fixes of sales fright:

1. Fear #1: Call Paralysis – You’ve been beaten down by a prospect and had your confidence rocked. Get up off the ground and get back on the phone. It’s only one bad apple in the batch. Spit it out and regroup. A helpful key is to reset on your talking points, your sales pitch, and nail down the next call. Great salespeople regroup quickly and overcome calling fear.

2. Fear #2 – Big Deal Loss – You’ve lost a significant deal in the works. It hurts. You may or may not have backup in the pipeline to replace it. Management is putting pressure on you beyond the pressure you’ve put on yourself. Learn from it. While you can’t forget it, get over it. Quickly. Even if it takes you another quarter to build back up, get on it. Great athletes, and salespeople, come back after losing the big game and have great seasons and careers.

3. Fear #3 – Spiraling Pipeline – It’s not just one deal, it’s several dropping like flies. It’s like a string of bad luck, overwhelmingly effective competition, or a loss of personal mojo that has you reeling and your management doubting. Again, winners make must-do adjustments after honest self-assessment. It’s your product, your company, your territory, right? Maybe, but make no excuses. It’s on you to fix it. Step up and pick up the pieces. It’s a comeback story in the making.

There’s no secret formula to overcoming sales fear and failure. The key to recovery is grit, action, tenacity and mental fortitude. And never underestimate your own sales skill and experience. It’s normal to take a hit. Experience takes the blow and sees past it. Yes, sales can produce fear and trepidation in even the best of players. But best players face fear, recover and beat it back.

How goes the sales fear battle?