“You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take” – Wayne Gretzky, ex National Hockey League Super Star.

My sales spin is,

“If you don’t ask, there is no chance that you will get the answer you want”.

Confidence in the sales profession is paramount to success, but does not happen over night. If you are not in sales, please keep reading. This post has merit for whatever you may be “selling” in your personal or professional life. We have all been selling and negotiating from the moment that we could speak as toddlers!

Confidence allows people opportunities in life that they may not experience if they are tentative and uncertain. When people feel good about themselves, are not afraid to ask questions and involve themselves in potentially challenging situations, they will generally like the outcomes.

Do not mistake confidence for arrogance though. I have seen both, and one is very appealing in business and personal interactions. The other… well not so much!

When you combine confidence with most (or all) of the characteristics below in sales and/or life, very cool things can happen!

• Driven to succeed
• Persistent
• Diligent
• Independent worker and thinker

How did I know if somebody would make it in sales?

I have seen a lot of outside sales reps (retail reps too) come and go during my career. It took me a few years to really get a sense of what the signs were if they would succeed. I was quite certain most of the time, after our first couple of meetings.

What typically tipped me off?

• How they carried themselves (do they have a bounce in their step?)
• Dressed neatly (not necessarily the most expensive clothes) and cared about how they looked
• Solid handshake
• Maintained good eye contact
• Engaged well in conversation
• Wanted to learn / Inquisitive
• Enthusiastic / Excitable
• Personable / Outgoing

If you take a moment to digest that list, many of those attributes can be directly related to being confident. Imagine how different that list would be if you did not feel good about yourself and your abilities?

I urge you to start networking with people who are working towards similar goals if you are not already. It has become common knowledge that you start to portray similar characteristics to the 5 people who you are the closest with. Work on feeling more confident in areas of your personal and professional life that you don’t feel as comfortable in as soon as possible.

For me, getting up in front of crowds to speak was frightening for many years due to my stutter, and now there is nothing I would rather do. It was a long road, but I am glad that I am getting closer to where I need to be thanks to a strong support group of family, friends and Toastmasters.

Confidence does not happen over night, and you cannot push a “magic button” to change how you feel about yourself and your abilities. If you don’t try, you will never know what the outcome could have been. Once you “flip the switch” to knowing you will succeed, and not being afraid to fail, you will see positive changes in your life.