5 Ways to Master Sales Learn to overcome the five biggest fears in sales and become a master salesperson.
By Debbie Allen
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The following excerpt is from Debbie Allen's book Success Is Easy. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | IndieBound or click here to buy it directly from us and SAVE 60% on this book when you use code LEAD2021 through 4/10/21.
Learning to master both sales and marketing is critical for your ongoing success. After mastering marketing, I became a student of sales. I learned innovative ways of selling that felt comfortable, real and authentic to me. I learned how to sell with an open heart and always from a place of service.
I found a way to make selling fun, too. It felt good to influence others and then sell my services with ease. I found that people started thanking me for making an offer in such a genuine and thoughtful way. It no longer felt like selling, and I began loving sales. In fact, I learned how to sell so effectively this way that I now love teaching it to others. Selling this way is an art form when it becomes effortless and natural. Selling in such a way that it's truly authentic to your way of doing business and easy for people to say "yes."
Sales fears are common, but getting over those fears is necessary to succeed in business because you'll always have to sell something to survive. Here are the five most common fears in selling and how to avoid each:
Related: How Becoming a Lifelong Learner Is a Must If You Want to Achieve and Maintain Success
1. Fear of rejection.
Although this is a powerful fear, you need to learn how to get over it, fast. After all, getting rejected by a prospect hasn't killed anyone yet! In sales, the best way to get over the fear of rejection is to understand that it's just part of the process. Sales is simply an offer or an opportunity. It's only a challenge when it's done ineffectively, such as when someone is rude, pushy or intrusive. But this doesn't happen when you approach sales from a place of service.
2. Fear of hearing objections.
Many business owners don't have a dedicated sales team, so they need to take on the role themselves. The key is to understand what's stopping a potential client from making the decision to buy and then not take it personally. Once you know why the potential client is hesitating, you can reply to that specific objection. When you practice addressing objections in advance, you'll know how to respond to almost anything that comes your way. For example, a client may say, "Your services cost too much." To overcome this objection, justify the cost by breaking down the total investment into smaller pieces so the prospect can see the value and why the price is justified.
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3. Fear of change.
When the market changes, so do sales. Today's buyer is more educated and doesn't want to be "sold to." But the buyer does want to invest in a trusted advisor or a great service. The best way for you to overcome the fear of how sales have changed is to think about a profound impact change has made in another area of your life. This will help you become less fearful of trying something new and help you gain the confidence you need to switch things up.
4. Fear of talking on the telephone.
Some people are intimidated by the idea of having to pick up the phone and reach out to prospects. This fear comes from the feeling that you're pestering someone. To get past this, avoid cold calling and try to schedule a call time with the prospect first. This de-ices the calling process and allows you to prepare for the call in advance. Asking the prospect the right questions before the call prepares you to get to the point, support your prospect's needs and make a sale with ease on the phone.
5. Fear of asking.
Why do some salespeople keep talking about the product or service instead of asking for the sale? This fear puts you in a position where the prospect has to do the work of making a decision. When this happens, there's no offer, and without a closing offer, there's no sale. If you've overcome all of a prospect's, objections and presented a solution in terms that make sense to your prospect, you've achieved your goal and completely earned their right to ask for the sale with confidence.
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