Conviction impacts success. And self-​confidence in sales, in particular, can mean the difference between being mediocre or a top seller. “Buyers will pick up on your attitude,” explains Sales Hacker’s Rhonda Petit. ”The stronger your conviction, your belief and expectancy in yourself, the client, and your solution, the easier it is for your client to walk across and say yes.”

How Do You Build Self-​Confidence in sSales?

Petit reports that more than half of top sellers know that they are top performers. They have confidence in themselves, and their energy contributes to their success. But what about the rest? Sellers do understand the importance of being confident in their industry. SalesFuel’s Voice of the Sales Rep study found that approximately 52% of sellers say having confidence is a top trait needed for success. The issue is that not everyone possesses it.

Thankfully, with a bit of work and a shift in mindset, sellers can work on boosting conviction which, in turn, can positively impact their performance. 

Persistence 

Petit suggests focusing on persistence to become more self-​confident. “Persistence is one of the most important qualities a sales professional can possess,” she notes. “Can you guess how many sales are closed at the first meeting? A staggering 2%.” 

Unfortunately, many sellers easily feel defeated if a sale doesn’t happen right away. Instead, focus on being persistent. Put effort into following up, brainstorming ways to show value, engaging with the prospect, and other tactics to nurture their interest and your relationship. 

You’ll find that this persistence will increase the chances of a close and build your self-​confidence along the way. And the more you understand that success can be a process in which you must invest, the stronger your conviction will be.

Appreciate rather than expect

The inability to handle uncertainty can deal a major blow to any seller's confidence. While sellers don’t ever want to be surprised or let down, the most successful ones understand that it can happen. 

While sellers shouldn’t embrace pessimism, they do need to be ready for change and know they can handle it. As Petit advises, “trade your expectations for appreciation.” By adjusting your mindset to find opportunity with the unexpected, rather than feel defeated, solutions will come to light easier.

Plus, that resilient attitude will nurture self-​confidence, and your prospects will take notice. If you know that you can roll with the unexpected, they will have that confidence in you as well–no matter what comes their way. 

Know your stuff (and theirs)

It's hard to sell with conviction if you don’t have faith in your offering and the value it can bring to the prospect. Confidence in sales comes from being confident in what you’re selling. It’s vital that you know everything about your offering and how it helps others. 

“Selling from conviction means understanding your customer's problems better than anyone else and then using this unique insight as a source of value for your product or service offering rather than trying to convince them why they need what you're selling,” writes Leila Colgan for LinkedIn. 

Knowing the prospect’s business and how your solutions specifically can help is vital to building self-​confidence. Otherwise, you’ll go into calls unprepared, which weakens your confidence in your abilities.

You’ll lack the conviction to demonstrate the value you bring to the table. You must believe in what you are doing. If you do, so will your prospects. By investing time and effort into pre-​call research, you are setting yourself up to not only demonstrate value, but also feel confident while doing it. 

Selling with conviction can’t be done without self-​confidence in your abilities and your offering. Only when you believe in yourself will that energy extend to buyers. So, make it a practice to invest and nurture your confidence to bring about success.

Photo by Vanessa Garcia