The situations sales professionals face on a day-to-day basis can take a tremendous toll on your emotional and mental wellbeing. You deal with rejections, frustration, disappointment, and possibly disrespect on a daily basis. You probably experience more emotional ups and downs than most other professionals. And, no matter how successful you are, your income is less predictable than that of salaried employees. As a salesperson, your level of mental and emotional toughness affects you every day, both on and off the job.
Being mentally and emotionally tough is less about what you say and do than it is about how you feel about what you say and do. For example: if your feelings about asking a prospect to make a decision keep you from asking, then you start a downward spiral to nowhere. First, you’re uncomfortable asking, so you don’t ask and end up wasting time with a non-qualified prospect. You get angry with yourself and/or the prospect for wasting time. All these negative feelings and actions only serve to tear down your emotional and mental wellbeing.
Here’s a Sandler rule: “Never become emotionally involved in a sales call, especially a cold call.” Being emotionally tough doesn’t mean that you have no emotions or that you are a cold person. It means that you have learned how to control your emotions so they don’t keep you from doing what you have to do
How often do you have to be tough in sales?
Only for five minutes at a time. There is no need to put undue pressure on yourself to be tough all the time. What’s really important is to be tough during those times when you need to be. It only takes five minutes to be tough enough and bolster your courage to do the things and ask the questions that we find personally difficult.
Most salespeople have reluctance to pick up that 900 lb. phone and make that first cold call. It only takes five minutes. Salespeople are also uncomfortable asking about the money. There are comfortable ways to do this. Learn them and then get tough with yourself for five minutes to ask the question that will get you the answer. Another issue is asking for the business. We all have trouble with this but boosting your toughness for five minutes will improve your chances of obtaining a new business relationship.
Can you spare five minutes?
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