Here’s how you can sell ice to an Eskimo

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Some people can even trade ice to an Eskimo. It’s often said that such people are born to be a salesperson. So, do others need to give up on the idea of becoming a salesperson? Not really! With confidence and enthusiasm, everyone can try their fate as a salesperson. The biggest hurdle to successful selling is the fear of getting a negative response when pitching a product or service to prospective customers.

Stress and fear are the part of every salesperson’s work. The sooner they learn to overcome these hurdles, the farther they can go along the career path. Here’re some common fear about selling, which can be conquered if approached with the right attitude.

Fear #1: You May End Up Making a Negative Impression

The fear of messing up everything as soon as you utter the introduction line can overpower you as soon as you make the attempt to selling. Owing to this fear, you may end up missing out on ideal prospects.

How to overcome this fear: Do a background check about the prospects you are going to call. If your prospects are millennial, keep the tone conversational. But, to pitch your product or service to business professionals, try to sound formal. And, if you are into outside sales, you should dress to impress, depending upon your target customers. Also, focus on your non-verbal cues, such as facial expression, eye contact and posture.

Fear #2: You May Get Rejected

Experienced salespersons know it well that they cannot be successful every time. But, newcomers may consider a ‘No’ as the end of career. Every salesperson despises to hear the word ‘No’ from prospective customers, but by getting upset every time, they only end up degrading their performance.

How to overcome this fear: Experienced salespersons are not just ready for rejections, but also know how to learn from their failures. It’s important to analyze every rejection from prospective customers and try to fix mistakes. Maybe you are taking too long to introduce the product and customers are losing the interest, or maybe you are just uttering the lines without much confidence and leaving customers unconvinced. So, record your pitch and try to work on the loopholes.

Also read: 5 reasons to learn sales, even if it is not part of your job description

Fear #3: You May Sound Pushy

We all have come across those salespersons who keep pushing and pressuring till the time we hang up the phone. Salespersons often develop the attitude of being overtly assertive during sales calls and meetings to get desired results out of every attempt. If you also fear to sound desperate for sales after few unproductive calls or meetings in a day, then then you are likely to fall into the ’Do Not Disturb’ list of customers.

How to overcome this fear: Being assertive in your sales pitch is a positive attitude, but coming across as forceful is not advisable. You should rather indulge in a conversation with someone, and don’t just simply sell. Try to pitch your product or service to prospective customers in a way that they find it of real value. Address their needs and provide them the best solution in the form of your offerings.

Fear #4: You May Fail to Deliver

This fear of not coming up to the expectations of customers is commonly termed as ‘Atelophobia’ in Psychology. Even if a customer says ‘Yes’ for your product or service, you may have the fear of not being able to fulfil his/her expectations. It happens when you start doubting the real value of your own deliverables.

How to overcome this fear: To overcome this fear, you need to first know the in and out of your deliverables. This way, you will be able to assert confidently the optimal value of what you are offering. Also, you need to gather customer feedback regularly and look for ways to improve the quality of your deliverables. When you continuously strive to improve your product or service, you can be more confident about your abilities to meet expectations.

Final Thoughts

Remember to keep your tactics right and offer customers what they need. Overcome your fear of selling by regularly attending training programs and making yourself equipped with new technologies like CRM software. Also, remember to challenge yourself out of the comfort zone to achieve even bigger success and larger goals!

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