Confidence Over Cockiness

There is a fine line between confidence and cockiness. The mark of a great salesperson is to be confident in your ability and your process while taking care to not come across as arrogant. All too often, a talented salesperson squanders his or her opportunities by allowing their ego to get in the way of logic. You can be the most talented and well-versed salesperson out there, but if you allow your inflated ego to take the wheel, you will surely stray from the path. We as salespeople need to take our egos, check them at the door, and follow the process.

One of the most fundamental ideas is sales is that you are not selling a product, rather, you are selling yourself. This is a phrase that has been used exhaustively, yet some people still will never grasp it. Your product could be phenomenal. It could fit the budget and the needs of every customer you come across, but if the customer does not like you, they will not buy from you. Period. The true art of salesmanship is the ability to sell someone on a product or idea without leaving a bad taste in their mouth. Understand that everybody likes to buy things, but nobody likes the feeling of being sold. Do not let your ego to speak louder than your intelligence. Simply bulldozing over potential customers and offending them with
a pompous attitude will come back to hurt you every time. Your confidence will provide you with the ability to sound educated and genuine. Your arrogance will afflict you with the ailment of sounding overly aggressive, and uninteresting. When I am interested in giving my business to another company, I do not want a salesman who acts as if he is doing me a favor, or that my time is not as valuable as his. The sales experience on any level is often a painful one, but it does not have to be.

Often the cockiest of people are the most insecure. Treat your consumers with respect, let your integrity and honesty show through your words and actions, and understand that to sell anything to anyone, you must be charismatic and pleasant to work with. Everyone appreciates confidence, but no one enjoys cockiness.