Scared of Selling? Get Over It!

When I say “get over being scared of selling,” that doesn’t mean that you have to engage in methods of contact that you’re really, truly uncomfortable with, right? That means finding a path, finding a path that works for you, finding a path that works for your people. Finding a path that works for your prospects and clients, right?

And there’s always a path. There is always a path to get there.

David: Hi and welcome back. Are you scared of selling? If so, get over it. Today, co host Jay McFarland and I will be discussing that very topic. Welcome back, Jay.

Jay: Hey, it’s a great Halloween topic, right? Being scared. My kids are watching scary movies all of this month and I participate in a scary movie all day long when I have to pick up the phone and I have to talk to people who I don’t know and convince them why my services are what they need. Please write me a check.

That is a scary prospect when you think about it.

David: Yeah, entrepreneurs basically are facing Halloween every day. In a lot of cases, a lot of ways, whether it’s making phone calls or making payroll or making decisions, making rules, it’s always about making something.

And the whole idea of being scared of selling, I hear this from so many people that I thought we needed to address it. And when I say get over it, that sounds very insensitive, and perhaps it is, but it’s also very necessary.

Jay: Yeah, I mean, it’s the reality. If you’re in a business model where you have to sell, then you have to get over it. It’s just that simple, and if you don’t, then you’re going to constantly be struggling.

And it’s not something that you’re going to do from day one, but it is something that you have to be determined to do.

David: Yes. And when I say this, I don’t mean to put anybody down, right? There are a lot of really good people who have really good reasons for being scared of selling.

Certainly in their minds, they’ve got really good reasons for it. And I’m not taking any of that away. It’s a fact. The fact that there’s a term called “call reluctance” indicates that there is a level of fear based here to the point where they had to create a term for it.

So, what I find is helpful — particularly if I’m interacting with salespeople who are running into this situation — and a lot of times they won’t even say they’re scared of selling, but ultimately that’s what comes out. One of the things that we have to look at first is why are they scared?

Why are they scared of selling? Is it fear of success? Is it fear of failure? And a lot of times we hear blanket terms like that and they’re like, “Oh no, it’s not that.” But sometimes it is.

Sometimes it’s variations of that. I’m afraid that if I call and they say no, it’s going to hurt my self esteem. That’s fear of failure. I’m afraid if I do too well, people are going to resent me and think ill of me, right? Some people think that way. So any of those preconceived notions that we have about what our sales success will do to us, for good or for bad, are going to impact our actions.

And that’s why I say we need to get over those things, right? We have to get past those things and once again, deal with reality. I’ve been on a sort of truth quest lately in terms of let’s not look at what we think about. Let’s not look at what we fear. Let’s look at what’s true. Let’s look at what’s real in the market right now.

If there is somebody in the market right now who is afraid to interact with prospects or clients, it’s going to impact their performance because it’s going to impact what they actually do.

If you’re scared to pick up the phone, you won’t pick up the phone. If you’re scared to send an email, you won’t send the email. Or if you do, it’ll