Mental Sales: Spreading the Doubter’s Virus

The majority of salespeople flunk out. They don’t make it. Quit, fired, explode like a Spinal Tap drummer … whatever. The failure rate is something like 50% within 12 months and 80% within 24 months. Naturally, there are many reasons including skill and effort and knowledge and economy. But there is another culprit which no one talks about: the “mental” aspect.

Imagine if someone sat beside you and said negative things while you did your job:

• “You are not qualified”
• “No one will buy from you.”
• “You are going to get fired at any moment.”

That would be a difficult scenario for any Sales Rep, but especially for one just starting out. It's something we all faced at one point or another. Success pushed The Doubter down but did not kill him/her entirely.

The coronavirus has fostered The Doubter’s return.

The Doubter now sits on your shoulder, whispering into your ear and making you believe you are on the edge of a cliff. Given the fact your clients can hear every emotion you're having, you are spreading your negative message throughout your sales and prospecting efforts like, well, a virus.

As I have said many times before, everything that happens to you in sales will happen again and again and again. This unfortunate situation is another example. Regardless of your level of experience, you must work to bring a positive mental attitude to your selling efforts. Kelly Mallozzi and I recently recorded a podcast on this exact subject, but here is a quick bullet point for you to chew on …

Your goal is to end each selling day with an affirmative answer to the question, “Did I do my job today?” The best way to achieve that is to focus on sales activities, not results. Perform the right sales activities and sales will grow. That's the formula that has worked for you in the past and it will work again. You must believe that.

Keep it simple: Start the day with a plan. Execute the plan. Prepare for tomorrow.

For more on this subject, check out the podcast at BillFarquharson.com.

I coach sales reps weekly on how to grow their sales. Go to BillFarquharson.com and click on the “Training” link in the header for more information or to contact me and discuss your sales challenges.