During the many years of sales management and the past 14 as a consultant to hundreds of firms the hardest element I see executives and sales managers struggle with is inspiring sales confidence.
What do I mean by this? Obviously “A” players have the knowledge, ego and mental toughness to make sales happen, unfortunately, most organizations never have enough of these kinds of salespeople. Therefore sales leadership must certainly coach salespeople and build systems to assist “B” and “C” salespeople to achieve results, but many times this is not enough to elevate performance to the desired levels. Inspiring sales confidence is the extra piece that also needs to be worked on.
Sales confidence is that “inner voice” that tells a person that: they are good, they are winners, and they can succeed! This kind of confidence increases that first call impression that leads to building the trust and confidence the prospect MUST have in the salesperson to transact a business opportunity. It also gives the salesperson the swagger to think clearly, communicate exactly and close effectively.
Sales management must in every possible conversation learn to stroke the positives that are occurring. Let the salesperson know you are counting on them to make it happen and when they offer recommendations as to strategy during a sales opportunity you must tell them that it was the right idea/tactic and you appreciate their creativity, energy, persistence, etc… Building into your daily conversations and email correspondence even the little reinforcements can go a long way in working with your team on creating a culture of high performance.
Focus during the next two months on increasing your positive stroking for each person on your team and you will be amazed at the body language and attitude of each person on your team.
What are your tips on inspiring sales confidence?
