Low Self-Esteem: 100% Fatal for Salespeople

Q: What's the one thing a salesperson must avoid if they are to be successful? A: I study salespeople for a living. The majority of them don't lose because of product inferiority, pricing excesses or poor sales technique. They lose because of low self-esteem! We all start out with perfect self-esteem. Ever met any three-year-olds with self-esteem problems? Didn't think so. We do, however, meet a lot of salespeople with a crippling success disease caused by "low self-esteem." This disease is 100% fatal in destroying a salesperson's potential and performance. Signs salespeople exhibit when they suffer from low self-esteem are: Lots of excuses Quick to become defensive Enjoys seeing others struggle Nervous and bails out quickly in tough negotiations Call reluctance (phone handset weighs 60 pounds) Avoids taking risks for fear of failure Solutions for low self esteem: Get them proper training Give unconditional strokes Eliminate critical coaching Facilitate stretch goals Don't just manage results, manage behavior and technique Spend 50% of the coaching on self-esteem, the other 50% on technique and product knowledge When all else fails, avoid hiring these people. An organization whose salespeople have strong self-esteem consistently outperforms others by 40-50%. Illustration by Rob Gree