I was at a meeting this morning, and one of the members of the group was going on a third interview for a job. He made the statement, “This gives me another chance to screw up!” A few of the other people at the meeting immediately started to correct him and called him negative. I sat there and listened to them and the advice they gave him. One person said to stop thinking negative and replace it with a positive thought. Another told him that having a negative attitude will show to the interviewer and hurt his chances. The advice flowed freely from the people at the meeting.
I sat there and finally after everyone was finished said to him, “You are not negative, you have very low self-confidence.”
What others saw as a negative statement I saw as DOUBT.
Self-doubt comes with lack of knowledge and being unprepared. If you know what you are doing, know your product or service, and know what you can offer to add value to the sale (not just other products but training, support, customer service …) you will be confident, if however you are unprepared the customer will see the doubt every time you make a statement that you are unsure of.
Appearing negative is a terrible thing when making a sale, doubt is the deal breaker.
My advice to the young man was to THINK. I asked him if he knew the company he was going to interview with, did he know their go to market strategy, did he have at least an understanding of the products or service they offer, and did he know the players that he has met with on the first two interviews and the ones that he will be meeting with today? He said he knew it all, and I finished with, then what are you doubting? Your ability to sell? I reminded him that he was a Rainmaker at his last position and has been a top seller his entire career. You could almost see the backbone straighten, he say up tall and had a confidant smile on his face. He said thanks; he had forgotten just how good he really was.
I will offer each of you the same advice. Think of your WINS; remember the highlights of your sales career. You may be a new rep without a lot of great success so far in your career, no problem! Think about your best sale so far or maybe that FIRST sale. Whatever it takes to bring that smile of confidence to your face and make you walk tall.
Don’t give the customer any reason to think that you are not the best in the world.
Especially because YOU ARE!
Lorin
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