How to Beat a Personal Sales Slump

A reader writes:

In the past 2 months I have not been able to close any deal and have lost all my self confidence. I am now scared to go to the office and am not able to enjoy myself as I did earlier. This is having a bad influence on my family, and on my girlfriend whom I am going to marry in 3 weeks. What should I do?

Step 1. Don't Panic. Your work-related problems feel overwhelming not because of work, per se, but because of your personal life. You're getting married, which is a huge, life-altering change. When you're making a big life change in one area of your life, it's easy for other parts of your life to take on an exaggerated importance. That's what's happened here.

Step 2. Get Some Perspective. Try to remember that as a sales pro, you'll probably have a dozen or more jobs in your life. This is just one of them. Chances are you'll come out of the slump, probably after you get back from the honeymoon. Worst case, you'll find another job, but that's no big deal. You how to sell so, by definition, you're more hireable than 99% of the people in business today.

Step 3. Give yourself some credit. Even though you've got all this emotion bouncing around in your brain, you've still managed to drag yourself to work and do whatever you could in order to make your quota. That kind of courage is nothing to sneeze at. A lesser man might have given up in the face of a two month slump. You didn't, and that means that you've got what it takes to survive.

Step 4. Reframe the Situation. The slump seems like a big problem, but is actually a big opportunity. Once you handle this situation, you'll know that you've been "tested in the fire." Conquer this slump, and you'll know that you have what it takes to keep control of your emotions and nothing will ever stop you again. An opportunity like this comes along but seldom. Use it to your advantage.

Step 5. Create a New Pattern. When you've got some alone time, sit quietly, close your eyes, and remember the times that you've made some big sales. Imagine, as strongly as you can, how you felt, what you were saying to yourself, what you did to celebrate. Make the memory as vivid as possible. Right when you're feeling at the top of your game, say something the reaffirms your confidence while doing a dramatic physical gesture that locks the feeling into your body. (Example: clench both fists and say "I DID IT!!")

Step 6. Break your Old Pattern. The reason that you're in a slump is that your panicky feeling has become habitual. Here's where we break the habit. Whenever you start feeling that feeling of dread, stand up (immediately), shake yourself, and then run the new pattern that you created in Step 5. (Clenched fists! "I DID IT!!"). Constantly interrupting your habitual fear scrambles your brain so that it won't be able to get into the old pattern as easily. It also makes the beginning of the panic trigger a positive emotion, rather than a continuation of the panic.

Step 7. Work your Sales Cycle. Now comes the easy part. Focus on the mechanics of selling. Make the cold calls. Do the follow-ups. Make the customer calls. Don't think about the outcome, or your quota, or anything else other than the sales cycle. Work the numbers. Do your job. Every time you feel that fear coming back, break the pattern and re-establish your confidence. You'll be surprised at how quickly your sales performance will improve.

The above is based upon training that I took a long time ago from Tony Robbins. It's a method that's worked consistently for me over the years and I've taught the technique to my wife and several of my friends, with similar positive results.

Please email me and let me know how it all turns out.

And one last thing: Congratulations!