How to Gain Sales Confidence When You’re Not Closing

“How do you gain sales confidence when you aren’t closing business? I’m starting to doubt that sales is for me.”

OK, first things first… Take a deep breath and realize that all great salespeople have been so frustrated, fearful, and discouraged at one time or another, even to the point of wondering if a career in sales was for them.

Now, how does this fact help you?

It allows you to realize that there is a way out. They all found a way. And so can you. There is light at the end of the tunnel. But you’re going to have to be willing to adapt, change and hold yourself accountable if you want to succeed.

If what you are doing now isn’t working, some adjustments need to take place.

The first place I would start is to understand your job description clearly.

A salesperson’s job/duty is to:

Close as many QUALIFIED prospects as fast as possible.

The keyword is QUALIFIED. They aren’t qualified if they don’t have a problem you can solve, can’t make or at least be part of the decision-making process, or can’t afford your solution no matter how badly they want it.

It’s important to understand that sales are NOT created. They are located. Too often, salespeople who are losing confidence with each passing sales call are trying to get water from a stone.

In other words, they are determined to get a square peg to fit in a round hole, with the hopes of making a sale rather than moving on to find a better prospect.

You are more focused on what YOUR NEEDS are (getting a sale in order to pay bills) and not the prospects. And that will almost always end in failure.

Calling a prospect with the intention of discovering if you can help them will go a long way in making sure you have a successful career in sales.

No “Captain Wing Its”

With that said, you need a rock-solid game plan with a successful track record.

Simply calling your prospects and saying “whatever feels right” at the moment is a FAILED strategy. Not knowing exactly what to say if you get VOICEMAIL is a failed strategy. Not knowing what to do when the Gatekeeper answers the phone is a FAILED strategy.

To boost your confidence, create a game plan for each sales cycle stage (openers, qualifying, presenting, objection handling, etc.) and then ROLE-PLAY with your sales manager. Ask him or her to give you constructive critiques on what you say and how you are saying it. And be willing to come in early to do this.

Once you take control of the problem and commit to making it go away, your confidence will rise, and the sales will start to flow.

– Michael Pedone – Founder of SalesBuzz.com

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