My first job out of university was with a car rental company. One of the key statistics that we were “graded” on was what percentage of customers purchased the $0 deductible coverage on each rental.

When I started to sell it, I was unsure of my pitch, hesitated often, and I didn’t believe in the value of the service.

One super-star in the office sold a higher percentage of the coverage then the rest of us . I started to watch him sell as often as I could, but it was difficult to get a read on his secrets to success.

I discovered a great way to find out what his “secrets” were. I asked him 🙂

His answer was powerful, yet simple.

“I expected to sell it to every customer. I had the mindset that there was no reasons that they should not buy it. What better time to have worry-free driving then when their car was in the shop or they were going on holidays. I was confident in my sales pitch, and acted surprised if they declined initially. Those objections still typically converted in to sales”.

When I shifted my mindset from “I hope to sell it” to “I expect to sell it” – it was a game changer for me. I still had to practice my pitch, learn to handle objections and be ready for all scenarios; but that expectation of success steadily improved my results.

• Can you reflect upon a time in your career when you felt confident selling something vs. being a little unsure of yourself?
• Describe what the difference in results were when you expected success?
• If you are not as confident as you should be now with what you are selling, what changes can you make to gain positive momentum?