Overcoming a Fear of Failure in Sales

It’s very hard to become a top performing salesperson without becoming a really good prospector. 

I hear salespeople say, “I can’t prospect, that’s what marketing does.” What it comes down to is they have this fear of failure. 

Fear of failure should never keep you from prospecting.

**This blog is part of the 15 Reasons Holding Salespeople Back series**

1. Failing means you’re trying. 

I love skiing—snow skiing and water skiing. I’ll never forget one time in particular, I was skiing with my wife. We’d spent the day skiing, and I tend to bust apart from her because I want to go to the black diamonds. I want to go to the steepest slopes out there. Do I fall? You bet I do!  But you know what? Failing, and in this case falling, means I’m trying. 

One day my wife and I were out skiing, and at the end of the day my wife said, “Oh, great, I didn’t fall at all.” And I replied, “I can’t even begin to count the number of times I fell.” It’s okay to fail. 

via America’s Funniest Home Videos on GIPHY

2. Big failure always predates success. 

It’s amazing how many times you have a big failure, but suddenly that failure creates a better outcome or it precedes success. I love this. 

This just happened today. I was experiencing a big failure getting a project done because my calendar is just so tight. And suddenly—boom—the light bulb went off as to how I could accomplish it. Suddenly it’s becoming an absolute success. 

If you’re pushed up against the wall, that’s okay. You’re going to figure out a solution. It always happens if you allow yourself to be open-minded about it.

3. Believe in your mission. 

Whatever your mission is, as a company, as an individual, believe in it. If you don’t first believe in your sphere of influence, how will you ever convince others? 

For instance, I have several people who work for me and we have some goals, aspirations, and targets. I absolutely believe in them. And it requires a lot of prospecting. But I’m willing to do the prospecting because I believe in the overall mission of what we’re trying to accomplish. 

via CBC on GIPHY

4. Don’t stop. Keep going. 

So many times when people fail, they suddenly stop. 

I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times I’ve failed over the years. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know we have the Sales Hunter University online training, and it’s very successful. But you know what’s interesting? That’s probably about version number five or six, and we had to go through several different versions—which all failed.

Years ago I had a podcast. (I’m talking back in the early days of podcasting.) I had a podcast and I stopped doing it. I just restarted doing my podcast about a year and a half ago. Now, could you imagine if I had been producing my podcast for that entire time, perhaps even a 15-year period, how big it would be today? 

I was fearful of failing because it just wasn’t going anywhere. So I stopped doing it. Big mistake.

via The Sales Hunter on GIPHY

5. Have an accountability partner. 

Who’s your accountability partner? You have to have somebody. 

I find that my greatest success and my greatest ability to overcome failure and actually prevent failure is by having an accountability partner. It is amazing how much more successful I am because it helps me process things. 

I have a mastermind group with three other people, and then there’s a person in my mastermind who is my accountability partner. You probably know her, Meredith Elliot Powell. She keeps me focused, I keep her focused, and it helps us overcome. 

When fear of failure bubbles to the surface, we both poke and prod and push and help each other get to the next level. 

Read more about 5 Ways to Build Your Sales with Your Network. 

6. Find success in everything. 

Regardless of what it is you do, there’s always something to learn. 

You take a great athlete, and they lose a game. What do they do? They go to the film room, and they study why. Likewise if they are successful and they win a game or a match, they still study the video. 

What can they learn? They find success in everything.

We’ve left no stone unturned in providing you the most comprehensive prospecting training available.

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Copyright 2023, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.