Eight Ways to Boost Your Confidence

Study after study has found that the #1 buying factor is confidence. More than anything else, people choose the brand, the product, and the salesperson they have the most confidence in.

Which is why it’s so critical for you to be confident when interacting with prospects: Because confidence is contagious. The more confident you are, the more confident they will be.

Want to boost your confidence? Here are eight ways.

1. Study your products
Know them inside and out. How they’re made, where they’re made, what they’re made from. Every feature, every benefit, every color, every option. Every size, shape, and quantity. Both they’re strengths and their weaknesses.

2. Study your company
Get familiar with every part of the operation. Know the history, the mission, the values. What’s your brand promise? What’s your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?

3. Study your competitors
Know their products, services, differentiators, strengths, and weaknesses as well as they do.

4. Review testimonials
Not just the testimonials you have received personally, but all the testimonials your company, products, and services have received. Scope out Yelp, Google, TripAdvisor, Amazon, and other review sites. Read, collect, and re-read all those positive reviews.

5. Review past successes
All too often we forget our own track record. So remind yourself how awesome you are. How have you helped other people in the past? What problems have you solved? What challenges have you overcome? What competitions have you won?

6. Make a list
Grab a sheet of paper or open a document on your computer, tablet, or phone. Then write down all the reasons you have to be confident. Your list might include your education, your attitude, your skills, your company, your aforementioned track record, your team, your personality, and/or your length, breadth, or depth of experience.

7. Ask for feedback from your boss
Whether your boss is a sales manager, a general manager, or an owner, ask them for feedback periodically. Specifically, you want to ask them for two kinds of feedback: positive and constructive. The positive feedback will help fuel your confidence. The constructive feedback with enable you to get even better.

8. Constantly hone your sales skills
Every time you learn or improve a sales-related skill, your confidence increases. So always be reading blog posts and books, listening to podcasts and audio programs, watching videos and webinars, and attending conferences and workshops. A major reason the best salespeople are so good at what they do, is that they know how good they are at what they do.

Whether it’s your first day in sales or you’ve got thirty years under your belt, everyone can use a confidence boost. Print out this list and use it to pump up your confidence on a regular basis. It will show in your face, your voice, your posture, and your sales.