I failed yesterday...

[Kingmaker]

... And it felt great!

My mother gave me some jewelry pieces that she owns and asked me to see if I can sell them at work because we need money. I am not a social person in general, and selling in person seemed like hell to me... I literally had to sit in my car on my break and muster up my courage to try offering the jewelry to the co-workers...I couldn't convince them that it was brand name and worth the price. I only sold 1 piece for $25 and had to pay my mother the difference of $5 out of my pocket because she asked me to sell it for $30.

But the way I feel now about failing is WAY lighter than the fear of selling in person that I had before it. I am now over it, and feel like I can sell anything, or at least attempt to sell it without being paralysed by fear. Fear of failure passed over me and is gone.

Quote that summarizes my experience best is:


"Do the thing you fear most, and the death of fear is certain." - Emerson


TL;DR I had a great fear of failure of selling in person, took the plunge, failed, but got rid of the fear and will do better next time without a doubt. I learned that fear of failure is way more paralysing than the failure itself.


Has anyone had similar experiences in overcoming their fear ?

 

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[Michael W.]

Sure.

Im more of a closer and operations type of guy. So after bombarding myself with some Jordan belfort training, I decided to become a cold caller, because I hate cold calling. We just had a hailstorm and a friend of mine owns a paintless dent repair shop, so I went knocking on doors through the neighborhoods looking for customers. Walking around in khakis and a polo with one of the hottest summers on record doesn't seem too fun but I had a blast and got over that fear of cold calling.

Spent countless hours searching neighborhoods and too much money on gas only to make a few hundred bucks but the experience and confidence was priceless.

 

[Kingmaker]

Sure.

Im more of a closer and operations type of guy. So after bombarding myself with some Jordan belfort training, I decided to become a cold caller, because I hate cold calling. We just had a hailstorm and a friend of mine owns a paintless dent repair shop, so I went knocking on doors through the neighborhoods looking for customers. Walking around in khakis and a polo with one of the hottest summers on record doesn't seem too fun but I had a blast and got over that fear of cold calling.

Spent countless hours searching neighborhoods and too much money on gas only to make a few hundred bucks but the experience and confidence was priceless.

Nice! Any tips that you can share on cold calling?

One problem I have with it in my head is that selling to people who are already interested in what you have or in a similar product is pretty straight forward. But for cold calling people don't need what you may have. Does selling to them have to do with the concept of offering them actual or perceived "value" that MJ talks about in his book & convincing them they do need something even in cases when they really don't ?

 

[andyredsox]

All people have fears in life. But for coping it, we have to face it, and fight for it. Because, if you don’t face your fears, you will get stuck there, and that would be the cause of your failure.

 

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[rocksolid]

Nice! Any tips that you can share on cold calling?

One problem I have with it in my head is that selling to people who are already interested in what you have or in a similar product is pretty straight forward. But for cold calling people don't need what you may have. Does selling to them have to do with the concept of offering them actual or perceived "value" that MJ talks about in his book & convincing them they do need something even in cases when they really don't ?

When you are cold calling you don't know if they need your product or not. Usually you would pick an industry that makes sense on calling based on your product. If your selling pizza cutters then you would call pizza places knowing you have a product that they use. When cold calling you need to figure out if they have any pain. Do this by asking open ended questions not yes or no questions. You need to engage them in a conversation and uncover if your product can make their lives better or easier. Some times it can and sometimes it won't but you need to talk to them about it and find out. You should not have to convince a prospect they need your product, a prospect should be smart enough to see it through a conversation you are having......but if they don't, you might have to make them see why your product is the right fit for their needs.

 

[liquidglass]

... And it felt great!

My mother gave me some jewelry pieces that she owns and asked me to see if I can sell them at work because we need money. I am not a social person in general, and selling in person seemed like hell to me... I literally had to sit in my car on my break and muster up my courage to try offering the jewelry to the co-workers...I couldn't convince them that it was brand name and worth the price. I only sold 1 piece for $25 and had to pay my mother the difference of $5 out of my pocket because she asked me to sell it for $30.

But the way I feel now about failing is WAY lighter than the fear of selling in person that I had before it. I am now over it, and feel like I can sell anything, or at least attempt to sell it without being paralysed by fear. Fear of failure passed over me and is gone.

Quote that summarizes my experience best is:


"Do the thing you fear most, and the death of fear is certain." - Emerson


TL;DR I had a great fear of failure of selling in person, took the plunge, failed, but got rid of the fear and will do better next time without a doubt. I learned that fear of failure is way more paralysing than the failure itself.


Has anyone had similar experiences in overcoming their fear ?

Did you really fail or did you just not succeed to the point you were hoping?

A failure would mean you just stuck it in your pocket and paid your mother saying you sold the items when in fact you did not. You succeeded in selling the jewelry I'd call that a solid success.

Nice! Any tips that you can share on cold calling?

One problem I have with it in my head is that selling to people who are already interested in what you have or in a similar product is pretty straight forward. But for cold calling people don't need what you may have. Does selling to them have to do with the concept of offering them actual or perceived "value" that MJ talks about in his book & convincing them they do need something even in cases when they really don't ?

I have a large amount of experience in the area of direct sales. (Honestly we all do, everything you do is selling. If you're at a social event you try to make a good impression: selling your personality, you get the idea) I have some advice that would relate to 'cold calling.' First change your perception. If you noticed I highlighted above a failure point in your logic of salesmanship (nothing personal). When you are approaching someone about an item or service I don't care if they asked you 100 times for it or they have never met you, trust me they need your product. It's up to you to uncover that need for them.

I was like you when I was younger, scared to sell, to even speak to people. I fell victim to the crazy idea that I would rather die than speak in public. But I overcame it by doing it, just like you did. Instead of listening to me I attached a video below that shows you how anyone can sell anything regardless of the "need" at the beginning of the conversation.

A lead is just a name, address, and a reason to talk to them. I'm pretty sure cold canvasing or calling fits the bill on all three. They have the name/address you have the reason.

[video=youtube;LAo-DmzdvK0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAo-DmzdvK0[/video]

 

[JasonC]

Good stuff! Taking the plunge is far better than not doing it.

However, I find it equally necessary to clear or reduce the fear using mental techniques before taking action.

 

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[Michael W.]

Nice! Any tips that you can share on cold calling?

One problem I have with it in my head is that selling to people who are already interested in what you have or in a similar product is pretty straight forward. But for cold calling people don't need what you may have. Does selling to them have to do with the concept of offering them actual or perceived "value" that MJ talks about in his book & convincing them they do need something even in cases when they really don't ?

Everyone has said everything that needs to be said so I'll just say this. If you are prepared and know what you are selling, you will be fine. Just nut up and knock on those doors.

 

[mags]

Great discussion here!

This reminds me of one of the qualities of an excellent salesperson as mentioned in Inc.com: Resilience.

The ability to bounce back from a failure bringing with you the learning you got from it is one of the most important things you could have as a salesperson.

Here is the link to the full article: 13 Traits of an Outstanding Salesperson | Inc.com

Congratulations on learning one really great principle of selling, TheKing. And, you learned that from experience.. which is amazing.

 

[PSDSH]

Man, I've had all kinds of "failure" experiences in my life...no big deal. Consider it an education.

IMO, always sell yourself first. People buy from people they like and trust. I think if you'd have said something about your mom needing to raise some money and just would have been completely open about the situation, you'd have done far better. In my experience, honestly and humility goes a long way...people like to help others when they can.

Kudos to you for stepping out of your comfort zone!

 

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[Jason K]

... And it felt great!

My mother gave me some jewelry pieces that she owns and asked me to see if I can sell them at work because we need money. I am not a social person in general, and selling in person seemed like hell to me... I literally had to sit in my car on my break and muster up my courage to try offering the jewelry to the co-workers...I couldn't convince them that it was brand name and worth the price. I only sold 1 piece for $25 and had to pay my mother the difference of $5 out of my pocket because she asked me to sell it for $30.

But the way I feel now about failing is WAY lighter than the fear of selling in person that I had before it. I am now over it, and feel like I can sell anything, or at least attempt to sell it without being paralysed by fear. Fear of failure passed over me and is gone.

Quote that summarizes my experience best is:


"Do the thing you fear most, and the death of fear is certain." - Emerson


TL;DR I had a great fear of failure of selling in person, took the plunge, failed, but got rid of the fear and will do better next time without a doubt. I learned that fear of failure is way more paralysing than the failure itself.


Has anyone had similar experiences in overcoming their fear ?

May I suggest a solution? Take digital pictures and go to etsy.com. You'll get the idea once you're there.

If you have something to sell, go where the traffic is.

See those bored people selling jewelry from a kiosk or cart at the mall, or downtown? They're where the walkby traffic is. Now if you do that as you are, you're gonna look like the flasher guy whipping open his trenchcoat "Hey wanna see what I got?" So pimp it up. Figure out a way to display without looking cheap or cheesy.

Now did you think about taking the jewelry to...a jeweler? Or an antique store? At least to find out their estimate of its value. Who knows? Maybe the goods are worth a lot more than your mom thinks...or a lot less. Maybe $25 was high. Maybe it was ridiculously low. Having some expert knowledge on your side would help you and give you confidence ("No, mom: the jeweler said this is only worth $10 at best" vs "Wait, I have some great news..."). Keep learning! Selling is a skill that once developed rewards you for a lifetime.

 

[DeletedUser394]

I fail every day. Welcome to the club!

 

[Kingmaker]

OP here.

Quick update: I came up on a Craiglist deal two days ago - 80 old DVDs in original boxes for $55. Got the person to drop it to $50 instead of paying the whole amount just to see if I can do it.

Then typed out a list of the DVDs, printed it out and took to my work again.... Having the "failed" experience in selling in person from the original post in the thread, this time I had no fear offering them to people.... Made my $50 investment back the same day.

After that point, I "hired" on of my co-workers to sell for me and he sold for $36 more.... I gave him 50% and made $18 bucks for just putting it together. Tiny fastlane/passive income experience for me there. I loved it.

I still have about 40 more DVDs left from the box to sell for straight profits.... It wouldn't be possible however without my first failed experience. It all came together like building blocks of failed experiences that have all taught me something and made me stronger. More than ever now I understand the quote:

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

 

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[Kingmaker]

Another little update:

I am still selling DVDs here and there at work. Selling itself is no longer a problem or a fear at all. In fact I even have people coming back to me to buy more, or being referred to me by someone who already bought.

I faced another issue however: Collecting money. Some people didn't have cash on them so I let them have the DVDs and told them to pay me back the next day. Never thought it would be awkward to go up to them and ask for it, but it was. Technically an irrational fear because I am in the right here, just collecting what's mine. It was still awkward.... I overcame myself and came up to them anyway. And the interesting thing was that everyone paid up, being shackled by their own fears of being "obligated" to pay me since they promised. So truly, everyone has fears and the person who wins just overcame theirs. I even made a random person pay me back after they borrowed money from me at work to use at the vending machine. The expression on their face when they paid me back was telling: they didn't expect me to ask for it back (it was only $1) but still did it because they felt "obligated" by social rules. Felt like a boss overcoming my fear of collecting, even if it was just a buck.