We recently held a webinar on “10 Things to Do When You Feel Like You Suck at Sales” and the first sales tip is to get your mind in the right place. This is critical because selling is can be very difficult on someone from a mental and emotional standpoint and if that is not dealt with properly, it can lead to a negative impact on sales results. In other words, when someone gets down on their selling activities and results, this can lead to them making bad decisions or not making as much of an effort as they would if they felt better about how things were going.

You might hear that and think there is not much you can do to improve how you feel, especially if you are not selling much and getting beat up (shot down) by prospects. But there are some small things you can do in terms of what you think and how you perceive things that can help you to have a better frame of mind.

Selling is Tough for Everyone
When you are getting shot down by prospects, it is important to realize that selling is difficult for everyone – it is not just you. Even the best salespeople lose deals, get shut down by gatekeepers, get hung up on, etc.

So don’t end up in this place where you feel like you aren’t doing a good job and don’t have what it takes. That is not to say that you don’t need to try to learn about how you can be better, but stay positive and don’t end up in this negative place with a bad mindset.

Not Every Prospect is a Good Fit
Another example of something that you can keep in mind to change how you feel is to realize and not forget that the majority of prospects that you reach out to will not need what you have.

That in itself might sound like a negative mindset but the reality is that if you take 10 target prospects, odds are that some don’t need what you sell at all, some need it but already purchased from your competitor, some need it but not right now, and then a few need what you sell and need it right now. It is that small set that you are looking for and you are going to run into the other groups along the way and most likely those interactions might be negative in the form of rejection and possibly someone even being rude.

If you don’t realize this dynamic that the majority of people that you reach out to aren’t a fit and that you are trying to find a small group that does, you can get down thinking you are a bad salesperson. But that is not the case and realizing this can help you to have a stronger frame of mind.

Also, Read Cold Calling Examples