How To Control Your Emotions When Selling

One of the weaknesses that plague salespeople is when they become emotionally involved. This isn't when salespeople get too close to their prospects, customers and clients, but it is when they react emotionally.

When  salespeople become emotional, they don't see things as objectively, react when they should respond and don't present themselves as effectively and as professionally as when they are under control. Here are some examples:

Things don't go the way they expected and they get frustrated or angry.

Things don't move as quickly as they hoped and they become impatient or anxious.

A prospect surprises them with an objection and they panic.

They go into a slump and get scared.

Candidates email a prospective employer (damage control) after taking an assessment.

Candidates email me after they fail to get a job (must be my fault).

Candidates email after they self-destruct in an interview.

So if this ever happens to you what can you do to prevent it?

In most cases, hours of practice can help salespeople develop the resiliency needed to maintain control. Practice is the standard tool of preparation for players in the major sports.  They practice the things they're good at and they practice the things they don't do as effectively even more. Practice prepares salespeople with the proper questions, tactics, strategies and responses to the questions, objections and opinions that could otherwise get them derailed.  In sales, practice consists of role-playing the things you don't do well until you can effortlessly handle those things when they come up.  Have a co-worker say, do and ask the things that can catch you off guard until you perfect your responses and preferably, your questions.

The Baseline Selling Field Guide contains exercises to help with this too.