You gotta admire anyone who goes into business for him- or herself.
It takes a lot of guts to be a salesperson, because you really have to
put yourself out there to the world and be vulnerable.
I think
most people go through life believing there's something wrong with
them. This is especially true of people in sales (which we all are in
the business of sales and marketing, regardless of our industry).
What if they find out I'm not who they think I am? What if they find out I'm a fraud?
There
are many keys to success, but a foundational piece of the puzzle is
having a high level of belief in yourself and in your expertise. It
boils down to self-image.
And whether and to what extent you
have a healthy self-image smacks you right in the face when you work
for yourself......especially when you have to get out there and sell
yourself.
Our minds try to sabotage us with nonsense like "I'm
not good enough" or "I don't have enough experience." Have any of
these thoughts crossed your mind?
For a salesperson, these thoughts left unchecked will stop you in your tracks.
The
truth is even if you just started your business today and until this
very moment you've never sold anything before, you are more than
qualified and have plenty of experience. There is no other you. In
fact, there are people out there to whom -- if only you boldly marketed
yourself so that they could find you -- you are the answer to their
prayers.
These people -- to whom you are magnetically attracted
and they likewise to you -- are your ideal clients, because they reveal
to you how wonderful you really are, and that all you already are is
all you need.
Why wait until you meet your ideal clients?
You've
probably heard the advice to "act as if." (I used to wonder why they
never complete the sentence! Act as if what? Of course, now I
understand that it means to act as if you already possess whatever it
is you desire)
In this case, whether or not you possess a high
level of healthy self-esteem to boldly put yourself out there despite
the risk of rejection, act as if you already do. The result is that
you will find in your ideal clients confirmation of your greatness.
How does that feeeeeeel?
This reminds me of the story of Rapunzel, as interpreted by Andrew Mathews, author of Being Happy!: A Handbook to Greater Confidence & Security.
He offers (on page 22) that the story is about self-image.
Rapunzel
is a young lady who lives locked up in a castle, imprisoned by an old
witch who continually tells her how ugly she is. One day, a handsome
prince passes by the tower and tells Rapunzel of her loveliness. She
lets down her golden locks (apparently of some considerable length), so
he may climb her hair to rescue her.
It is neither the castle nor
the witch that has kept her a prisoner, but the belief in her own
ugliness. When she recognizes her beauty, reflected in the face of her
prince charming, she sees that she can be set free.
Who's telling you you're ugly?
If
you're not the salesperson you want to be, it's really you (or, more
accurately, your mind) doing all the talking about how unworthy you are.
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