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Being confident is something we have all heard, time and time again. There are scores of books written on the topics, lists of seminars around the nation, and quotes aplenty.
One of my favorites is from Joe Namath:
“When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”
On the surface, it’s simple. Be confident and you will do amazing things. But what if you’re not? How do you get from point A to point B? It is not a hot topic just because it is so valuable, but because it is so hard.
Luckily, there are little things you can do every single day to boost your confidence inside the sales arena and out. Get started with these 11:
Haggle with the drugstore clerk; see if you can make her laugh.
Compliment your wait staff at the next restaurant you visit. Making it a habit to engage with those you do your day-to-day commerce with will help boost confident speech and attitude.
I love tangerines; my wife and I farm them. Anytime I have the opportunity to speak about them, I do. And it boosts confidence. Everyone has something special they want to share, now it's time to let it shine!
We just had a baby girl. Her name is Brooklyn and she's adorable.
That in itself is enough to give you confidence—but here's what else I do. When I change her diaper, I count it as an internal win. When I rock her to sleep, it counts as a win. You can do this with anything.
When you drink water instead of soda, or use the stairs instead of the elevator, it’s a win in the healthy living department. Compiling “mini-wins” in your head is one of the best ways to earn confidence.
In the summer of 2012 while part of TechStars, I had to give a presentation to 400 investors introducing our startup to the world.
Do you think I had confidence up on that stage? You bet I did! But only because I had rehearsed it at least 75 times with a friend.
Building confidence is the very first thing every sales development rep should do. It comes down to the fact that the person with the most authentic confidence has the most influence. It can’t be faked.
The number one fear of all humans? Public Speaking.
The funny thing is, you're either deathly scared of speaking to rows of people or very comfortable with it—it's black and white. Overcome this fear easily by joining more than 292,000 members at 14,350 Toastmasters clubs in 122 countries around the world.
Toastmasters meetings involve members presenting to other members and critiquing each other, as well as seminars on topics related to presenting, like time-keeping and grammar.
This one is a no-brainer. The dude has helped Oprah, Bill Clinton, Lance Armstrong, and Andre Agassi at some of their lowest career moments. I promise you he can help you.
If you're unfamiliar, Tony Robbins is a life coach, self-help author and motivational speaker. His best-sellers, "Unlimited Power" and "Awaken the Giant Within" are classics that absolutely everyone should read.
Confidence comes from understanding, and you gain understanding by asking straightforward questions. “How so?” and “why?” are the best questions you can ask in sales.
Any sale, or negotiation for that matter, is just a series of “yeses” strung together, so start with an easy one.
One of my favorites is to ask the question: “Do you mind if I ask you a question?" I'd be willing to bet that 99.9 percent of everyone who's ever been asked that questions has agreed. Be an invested listener by exhibiting curiosity and asking open-ended questions.
There's no better way to build your own confidence than lifting up those around you, and many times, learning to see the good in others help you see the good in yourself. Think about it in conversations and be honest when sharing compliments, because your authenticity will quickly show. Stronger personal relationships will make you more confident in yourself.
Kyle Porter is the CEO of SalesLoft, a B2B sales information company in Atlanta, GA. Their business creates content and applications that help sales professionals close more deals. Follow Kyle on Twitter: @kyleporter
To learn more about five stpes to better sales performance, visit salesforce.com, or download the free e-book.
