May 9, 2016 by Joe Marr, President, Sandler Training Ann Arbor in Professional Development
When Your Biggest Fear Becomes Your Biggest Ally (On a Sales Call)
Heights are terrifying, at least for me. When I was eight years old my father took my cousin and me to Cedar Point and we spent the day riding everything from the Blue Streak to the Magnum. It was one of the most thrilling days of my life; the rush of adrenaline, the pure joy of free fall, the fantastic mullets (I had one, too). A couple weeks after the trip I learned that sometimes the safety harness doesn’t work and you can be seriously hurt, maybe even die, thanks to the local news’ coverage of a roller coaster mishap. The odds were against disaster, of course, but the damage was done to my psyche. An acrophobic was born.
I’ve spent the last 24 years re-programming my irrational fear of heights to the point where I can ride a coaster again… The first 30 seconds of the ascent are as frightening as ever; you should see this grown man bury his head into the shoulder of the poor, unsuspecting person next to him with eyes wide shut and pleading for forgiveness from sin for all eternity. But eventually the hill is crested and the real ride begins; and I’m back to being eight years old and screaming the lyrics to “Enter Sandman”.
What does this have to do with sales? Only everything. One of the biggest problems we face when meeting with prospects is the irrational fear of the monster under your bed- i.e. “I’m not smart enough”, “They’ll never pay this much”, “I don’t know my products well enough”, “I’m afraid of heights”, etc. The monster under your bed is the irrational fear that you don’t like to acknowledge but won’t go away. I’ve got news for you: there is no monster under your bed. The monster is in your head. Enter Sandman and let it be no more.
One of the best techniques that you can use to overcome your fear at the beginning of a meeting with a new prospect is to “Feel it, Say it.” In other words, verbalize the irrational fear that you are most worried about and let the prospect assure you it won’t be an issue. Example:
Salesperson: “Amy, look, I’ve got an issue. I believe deeply in the service that we provide and I know it works incredibly well in the right situation. My problem is I really dread the budget conversation. Could you help me out and make sure we have it sooner than later? I don’t want to get to the end of the meeting only to find neither of us knows what’s realistic before I leave.”
The truth is, most prospects dread the money conversation as well. By showing vulnerability and transparency the salesperson has owned their fear. They’ve also enlisted the prospect’s help in overcoming it and making sure the budget conversation happens up front, so both parties recognize where they stand.
There are countless monsters in countless heads when it comes to salespeople. I know, because I’ve got plenty. They don’t have to rule your sales career and you don’t have to give in to them. Utilize the power of vulnerability and transparency (“Feel it, Say it”) and you’ll not only conquer your sales fears but you’ll enlist your prospects to actually help you do it.
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