Baggage is fine for carrying-on short flights and overnight car trips, but nagging personal baggage can paralyze your sales efforts. What do you carry around with you that is constantly weighing you down, limiting your flexibility and holding you back? Most of us carry the burden of something; usually more that we should. Why do we and how does this behavior impact our selling?



Psychologists tell us that the roots of these burdens are usually veiled the twin culprits of guilt and fear, two negative emotions that can cripple your selling career. As human beings, we are a sum of our parts. It is unrealistic to assume that emotional baggage in our lives will not overflow into our sales efforts as well. While I certainly am not a psychology expert nor is this an attempt to solve your personal issues, there are indeed several daily adjustments that can be made to improve our outlook, expectations and desired results.

My own personal experience has demonstrated that there are several specific techniques that can be of great help. These actions are not an attempt to solve all of your life issues, rather a plan to help you achieve your selling goals and income needs in spite of them. We will leave your deeper life issues to the psych professionals.

Try implementing these eight steps :

1. Realize that your circumstances are seldom as bleak as you imagine them.

2. Visualize the worst possible outcome and evaluate it. Can you accept that conclusion if necessary?

3. Write out your specific goals and your action plans to achieve them.

4. Write out the anticipated obstacles to each action step.

5. Evaluate each obstacle and devise a plan to effectively deal with each.

6. Realize that F.E.A.R. (false evidence appearing real) is your enemy, often restraining you.

7. Accept that your actual potential is virtually unlimited.

8. Believe that you are deserving of so much more than you currently have, both tangible and intangible.

While these steps may actually be helpful in many life instances, they are particularly helpful in your sales efforts. These are designed to add separation between your sales career and the baggage that you carry around. The interesting thing is that your improved sales results will impact your confidence and feelings of self-worth, thus affecting the rest of your life as well.

Now that's something to definitely add to your carry-on baggage!