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Worry seems to be ubiquitous in contemporary life. We worry about our loved ones, our health, our financial situations, and thousands of other things daily, hoping to stave off disaster and keep things running smoothly (or as smoothly as possible anyway).
Professionally, salespeople have a lot to worry about. A quota constantly looms over us, reminding us of the difficult task ahead, every month and quarter. Our prospects want our best deal, if we’re even able to get them on the phone, that is. And the administrative demands of the job always pull us in hundreds of different directions (Spiro can actually help with this one).
But there are some things salespeople worry about that they really shouldn’t. These are things that might feel important, but on further examination require nothing more than a cursory nod. It’s these things that actually take valuable attention away from the things that do matter.
Here are five things salespeople worry about that aren’t really important:
1. Titles
Sales roles have notoriously varied and nebulous-sounding titles, from Account Executive, to Consultant, to Senior Sales Associate, and everything in between. But getting hung up on your job title is pointless when there are so many other more impactful things that matter, such as your comp plan, base pay, OTE, lead flow, sales support, benefits, and a myriad of other important factors. In fact, you can tell very little about how much a salesperson makes by their job title. A fancy-sounding job might pay peanuts, while a less-prestigious-sounding one might rake in a small fortune.
2. What their coworkers are doing
Sales is competitive, and it’s impossible not to pay at least some attention to what your coworkers are doing, to who’s closing what, and to who is at the top of the board. But aside from understanding the internal landscape of your company and using your successful coworker’s best practices, there’s very little reason to spend time worrying about what your coworkers are up to. Comparison is not only the thief of joy, it also doesn’t do much to get you closer to your goals. Instead of thinking about how Julia made fifty-thousand dollars last month, you should be focused on your pipeline, and making sure you make that much.
3. Being liked by everyone
Everyone wants to be liked, and due to the nature of the profession and the types of personalities it attracts, salespeople might be more prone to this than most. But while being liked can sometimes help you close more deals, it’s certainly not required, as anyone who’s ever worked with a top performer who isn’t Mr. or Ms. Personality can attest to. Shift your mindset away from trying to make everyone adore you and toward solving people’s problems, and you’re likely to realize that trying to please everyone doesn’t get you very far, in sales or in life.
4. Recently lost deals
Losing a deal sucks, there’s no two ways about it. The bigger and more important the deal, the worse it feels. It’s perfectly okay to take a half hour to mourn, get angry, and get it out of your system. But after that half hour is up, you need to move on, and the reason is simple: you can’t do anything to change the past, period. The only thing that can come of ruminating over your failures is a drop in confidence and more pointless second-guessing. Of course, you should try to learn from your failures, but once the “lesson” has sunk in, turn the page, smile, and move on.
5. Being told no
Successful salespeople are almost always fearless, while the ones who hold themselves back are usually afraid of being told “no.” This is why you’ll hear otherwise competent people spend hours making a sales presentation, building excellent rapport, only to let the prospect go without directly asking for their business. It can certainly be nerve-racking to put yourself out there and face the possibility of rejection, but getting over this fear can be one of the most impactful ways to level up in your sales career. Remember: “Some will, some won’t, so what, next!”