Sales can be an extremely rewarding career–one that offers entrepreneurs the financial freedom they wish for, but also the opportunity to lie a happy and healthy life outside of work. Reaching this point in your sales career takes hard work, patience and a lot of fine-tuning your approach. Most importantly, though, it requires the right mindset. The way you think of yourself as a salesperson might be the single most important factor behind your success.

1- FIND YOUR HIGHER “WHY”

Why do you work as hard as you do every day? We often forget to ask ourselves this question. Family, financial stability and the opportunity to live a healthy work-life balance are all great reasons to work hard. Remind yourself of these regularly, and use it to fuel your sales.

2- YOU’RE NOT SELLING, YOU’RE HELPING

Salespeople help clients improve their business by providing them with a product or service that will improve their bottom line. Make it clear to every client that you are there to help them succeed, and that the results of doing business with you will greatly outweigh any upfront costs you may be asking for.

3- LEARN HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

Criticism happens often in sales– and rightfully so. Clients have the right to ask the tough questions about your product or service. In many cases, this is a big reason why some of your presentations will end without a sale. Remember, even the best sales performers won’t come close to ending every presentation with a sale. In fact, an average closing rate for many sales companies is somewhere around 20%.

4- MOTIVATION = EXCITEMENT

There’s a clear distinction between excitement and motivation.  Salespeople usually aren’t excited to cold call a list of potential clients, but they’re capable of getting through it because they motivate themselves.  True motivation is visible when someone is productive while doing something they dislike.  You can’t force yourself to feel excited, but you can always control your motivation and ability to get things done.

5- HONESTY IS ALWAYS THE BEST POLICY

Honesty is the best way to excel in sales. According to a study, which looked at more than 300 salespeople, the best sales performers all have a single trait in common: honesty. Don’t compromise your integrity to make a quick sale. Instead, continue to be the genuine person you are, and your sales will follow in a resounding way. 

You are in complete control of your daily mindset – even if your last sale seems like forever ago.  Sales can be an up-and-down career, but everyone is capable of achieving great things in the industry with enough determination and positive thinking.  Take control of your mindset, and watch yourself take control of the market.