How did you overcome a rough start in Sales?

I love my new job. It is AMAZING. I had a great first month but now these last 2 months have been emberassing!

I sell premium Internet and Telephony systems. We have good stuff.

I know I have it in me to succeed. I know I need practice tuning my ear to be a better listener. I know I need to sharpen up to respond quicker with relevant info and solutions. I've been reading The Sales Bible and Gitomer.com and Justsell.com and all sorts of stuff.

What's killing me is my self-confidence. I can't fake like I feel great anymore here because like I said I'm bombing.

Share we me a story about you or a colleague who got off to a rough start in Sales and how that period was overcome.

I knew a guy who was so broke he couldn't pay attention. His self-confidence was in the toilet. He was walking out the door of his office never to return (he was giving up) when he bumped into the president of the company who was coming in. To make a long story short the two had a brief exchange of words where the president expressed his high expectations for this salesperson. This brief encounter was all it took to get that salesperson on track. He didn't want to let the president down and used the president's expectations as both fuel and a shield against the elements. It worked. Within no time the salesperson was lighting up the boards.

Inspiring story Liberty. I've heard similar stories with similar results. Thanks for sharing.

Used to belong to that 80% club where few sales were made.

Stick-to-it ness with serendipidity and careful study are what did it for me.

create an environment that is conducive to your success.

One of my first sales jobs was a telemarketing gig when I was 16. Hear 100 no's before you hear 1 yes. When you get over the fear of rejection you can go anywhere. You will also learn very quickly to not get mad at "no", or you will be a very mad person.

If you want motivational quotations and stories, the best I have seen is Bob Proctor's "Insight of the Day."

It is good that you are reading up on how to sell.
It would be far better if you learned an effective, linear sales process that does not require memorization, which you could customize to your company's products and services.

A sales process is like a set of carpenter's tools. An unmatched set with many missing tools may enable you to get the job done, but very slowly and not very well.

A good quality matched set, in all sizes, enables you to select the right tools for each job and it does not take long to learn how to use them effecively.

Back in the sixties when I first entered the sales field I went through what you're going through.

A couple of things I remember stuck. The first was a saying that I read, but I can't remember who, is that: "Go as far as you can see, then see how far as you go."

The second thing I did was to take the Dale Carnegie Sales Course. Had to make payments on that for a year but it gave me a foundation. Took it again a couple of years ago.

Chuck

If it hadn't been for the fact that I needed the money, I would have quit my first professional sales job at least a hundred times. I literally couldn't afford to quit. 9 years later I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

My guess is that your primary reason for self-doubt is because you're worried about your standing with the bosses and of course your spot on the sales board. My advice is to consistently show your desire to succeed and optimism for the job. The management has seen 100's of sales people come and go. A good attitude and committment to your job will buy you plenty of time. That's not to say that being a good employee will keep the heat off of you forever, but I'm sure you'll get some more wins under your belt.

Show your value in other ways, it will be noticed and you will feel better. You'll get better and better and have better months.

If I were in your shoes, knowing what I know now, I would have an honest conversation with my boss. Let them know I was still very excited about the opportunity but was concerned over my win rate and ask for ideas. My bet is they'll tell you that it happens to everyone, and will appreciate your interest in fixing it.

Sorry for the long-winded response but I hope this helps!

Justyn

I don't have a story to share, but I'd highly recommend reading Michael Boylan's "Accelerants" and Chet Holmes' "Ultimate Sales Machine." Both are excellent resources to get you fired up again along with offering up some solid methodologies to improve performance.

How did you overcome a rough start in Sales?

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