“Faith” is not just a religious word. We exercise it every day in our relationships, choices, and dreams. No worthy goal is ever achieved without it. But what is faith? And what does it have to do with sales success?
Faith paves the way to goal achievement
Faith is being confident in achieving a goal without having all the answers. It allows us to envision a better future, and inspires us to work towards it. Think about it – when you applied for your first job, were you ever absolutely certain that you would be chosen? We can never know everything, and faith fills the gap to fuel action.
Sales is no exception. Every time you pick up the phone to make a call, you have no idea how the other person will respond. You make the call all the same, trusting that if you keep making the calls, that you will make sales. If you are going to meet and exceed your target, you need to first believe in your heart of hearts that you will achieve it.
Fear will steer you away from your goals
Fear is the enemy of faith, and will do everything it can to prevent you from realising your dreams. In the same way faith moves us to goals without all the answers, fear moves us away from our goals without actual evidence.
I once had a senior sales consultant coach me on my calls. On one occasion I put down the phone only to realise that I had not asked for some critical information. I put them on my follow up list, only for my colleague to assert that I should call them straight back. My fear instinct kicked in – “I don’t want to do that, they’ll think I’m pushy!” I reasoned. “How do you know?” He replied. Reluctantly, I conceded that I couldn’t possibly know what the other person is really thinking. I called them back, and got the information I needed without any trouble.
Have you ever found yourself saying things like “He’s probably busy,” “She will think I’m being pushy,” or “I don’t think they’ll buy?” Challenge those thoughts and ask yourself “Why do I think that way?” and “Is that based on fact or fear?” Imagine rather, that the person is happy to hear from you!
How to grow faith and overcome fear
As with the above anecdote, I set my eyes on the goal and put my fears to the test. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote “Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain.” The same principle applies to faith – do the activities that progress toward your goal, even if you don’t know how it will work out. As you begin achieving small goals, your confidence and faith will grow.
Take action!
Faith is necessary for goal achievement. Fear will pull you away. Both lack substantial evidence. Choose then, to believe that something good will happen, and challenge your fear-based assumptions. I have faith that if you do, that your sales will be better than it has ever been!
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