When we go into a new account for the first time and engage the client, we also silently engage the competition. As AEs, we know this. It’s nothing new. We qualify the account, seek to understand the opportunities, and work a solid sales methodology in accordance with our individual selling styles that vary as personalities vary. But, during all of this, what is it that we really seek?
At the end of the day, whether it be penetrating and developing an important account or engaging and defeating competition, we all work to achieve security. Not in the sense of physical safety or even avoiding defeat necessarily, but in the core meaning of security. Achieving freedom from doubt, anxiety, and fear. Those things that suck the oxygen out of the air and take the fun out of our profession. For it is freedom from these things that results from confidence. Security does not mean we are safe from losing a deal. It means we can have confidence in what we are doing. That within the purview of our control we are managing the path forward.
Confidence is looking at yourself in the mirror and saying, “We can do this better than any other company on the planet!” It is trust in yourself, your company, and your solution – a consciousness of your ability. Not in an arrogant or overconfident way, but in the presence of a quiet determination and belief in what you’re doing. And, when clients sense this introspective confidence, it translates into commitment that they can rely on pre and post-sale. And, that is sales security!