Julie Steelman: Selling Mentor and Bankability Guru

I remember when I first started selling, I was petrified to talk to people and ask them for money.  I thought I was acting in a way that would have them not like me and I was walking head-on into rejection.  Yuck!

One day I was on the phone with the VP of Chrysler and I completely flubbed the conversation with him.  I froze up when he asked a question I didn’t know how to answer.  I instantly judged myself and then I felt awkward and vulnerable.  That kicked me into a downward spiral.

I decided I hated selling and truly sucked at it.  I worst part was I took this experience personally and thought I was the problem.

After a few days of sulking, hiding, and crying, I got back up and dusted myself off.  I decided I wasn’t going to ever get caught off guard again in any selling situation.  Like a champion athlete, if I fell down, I was going to get back up and keep the conversation going.

The truth was, I hadn’t been prepared enough and I didn’t believe in myself enough or I wouldn’t have given up.

Obviously I didn’t want to repeat that situation ever again so I asked myself how I could prevent it and be fearless and falter-free. Here are a few tips from my big lesson.

Tip #1: People can sense and intuitively feel the truth or the purity of your energy.  If you don’t fully believe in what you are offering, the customer senses it and their interest wanes.  Why?  Because first, they want to know they can trust you.  

People trust those who are unwavering in their belief about their product.

Tip #2: Ask Yourself what value your product or service provides.  List the results or changes people get when they use your product or service.  Then ask yourself if you feel deeply called to share that solution or result with people enough that you are willing to educate them about it.  

Tip #3: Put yourself in the customer’s shoes.  Think about what you would want to know about you or your product or service.  Answer those questions for yourself.  Being prepared and able to anticipate what someone might ask you immediately reduces fear.

These are just a few of many tips that alleviate fear and allow you to be falter-free in any selling situation.  If you liked these, then you might like to join my free call on Fearless and Falter-Free Selling.  It is all part of my upcoming “Make More Money Than You’ll Ever Need:  How To Sell With Ease, Serve Generously, and Be Falter-Free tele-class.

You can sign up at www.Falterfree.com and tweet about it too.