We all know that feeling you get before walking into a sales conversation. I felt it today before my sales project presentation with Professor Sweet.
I think Eminem said it best: “Your palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy…” 😉
So, since we all face that adrenaline rush before making a sale (or not making a sale), here are a few tips on how to overcome and conquer:
Drink Water. This helps to take your mind off of the sale for a second so that you can focus. Also, I don’t know about you but I have a hard time talking when I’m nervous and water really helps.
Breathe. Never underestimate the power of deep breathing. I’m not kidding. When I get really nervous, deep, controlled breathing makes a world of a difference.
Know the Information. This is a terrible thing to say, but sometimes you are freaking out beforehand because you should be! In other words, don’t have a reason to be nervous. Be ready to be flexible, but also know your information inside and out.
Smile. In the end, no matter how you feel, just smile and do your best. Even if you don’t feel confident, acting confident will go a long way.
Make Eye Contact. I know that sometimes making eye contact is the last thing you want to do, but do it anyway. It will help remind you that this is nothing but a sales conversation, as Professor Sweet often stresses, and that the person you’re talking to is a person too.
Let Your Instincts Kick In. If you’ve done sales before, your instincts will probably kick in. There have been times when I walk into a sales situation unprepared and then, bam, I start talking and selling before I even know what I’m doing.
I hope these tips help! Let me know if you have any tips on how to stay calm just before making a sale in the comments below.
Happy selling!
testacr22
I connected with your message her (especially the Eminem sentiment! Haha!) I have found that drinking water before a presentation, or a sales conversation can make a big difference. For me, I typically take a moment to pray, which gives me a better perspective about where my identity should be found and where it shouldn’t.
this is definitely important to relax before a sale. These are great tricks to help yourself to be calm and relaxed. It is very easy to be stressed going in and botch it by talking too much or saying something you regret. These will be helpful to anyone ready to go into a sale
I have a hard time doing this sometimes, but it has worked for me before. Excellent advice, I just need to apply it to every sale!
Awesome blog post! These are great reminders not only for sales pitches but for speeches and business presentations.
This really helps a lot! I’m a worrier by nature and stuff like that drive me up the wall. I’ll have to keep these in mind for the next time. Great post!
Love this! I was nervous before my sales conversation too, and any of these things would have helped. It’s interesting, because a lot of these tips are common knowledge, but almost none of them are common practice, and certainly not all of them together. Because of that, it’s great to see them in a list. It’d be good for all of us to take this advice.
Great read, especially given how nervous I was before pitching my idea in class. Praying is a definite help to me and listening to some soothing music on the way to the class – was a great way of calming those jitters and my mind down!
I think that everyone gets nervous before speeches, presentations, meeting new prospects and so on… I think that this list could definitely help someone out if they remember to do this the next time. Solid post.
Wow! This is such a great post, It’s nice to have reminders on ways to calm down your nerves before a sale. We need to be laser focused on our goals, and methods like this will help us keep a clam composure while we do so.