Overcoming the fear of “not knowing enough” in Sales

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Jan 24

Written By Peta Sitcheff

“I don’t know”

3 selfless words that are an admission of doubt.

An admission we don’t have the answer.

An admission we have more to learn.

An admission someone else’s interests are more important than our own.

And most importantly, an admission that speaking our truth, is more important than appearing without flaws.

“Doubt is the hallmark of authenticity” ~ Hugh MacKay

The bookend of a professional chapter is an opportunity for a reputation reset. Amidst the swirling emotions that accompany the lead up, lies a chance to ask yourself, “if my customers & colleagues couldn’t hear my words, what would my actions tell them?”

Being confronted by what we don’t know is a dead certainty with any new job. In life for that matter. How we react, reflective of more than just missing knowledge. It’s a reflection of our willingness to expose our vulnerability to a dose of sun.

Have you ever had someone spin you a response & not trusted one word?

As our rookie time passes, reality sets in. We are hitting our straps, yet wish we knew more. We want to be playing with the big guns, but we’re not quite ready. Doses of overwhelm periodically jerk us back, reminding us we’ve SO much to learn.

Suddenly, the heaviness of our inexperience settles in.

As a sales professional, I remember easily justifying a day in the office, burying myself in “research” & feeling good about contacting customers I’d never met, by email. Far from judgemental minds, confronting situations & the constant reminder of how much I had to learn. It felt safe.

The problem, there were no customers in the office. No matter how productive it made me feel to send an email, it was always going to be a 34 times less effective than a conversation. Fact! (1)

I was green to the game & choosing comfort over courage. The fear of what I didn’t know, paralysing me. It took a while to learn it was also paralysing my business.

I remember feeling this way for months. Particularly throughout the Customer Experience (CX) in the operating room.

Until the penny finally dropped.

What I didn’t know, could become my strength.

All I needed to do was flip my mindset. To make the surgeons my teachers & me, the curious, diligent student. I’d focus less on what I knew, & prioritise understanding what I didn’t. And most importantly, I’d make my surgeons aware of this approach to manage their expectations. Remembering, they couldn’t read my mind.

They quickly became used to me speaking up if I didn’t understand. Before long, I found myself receiving countless invitations to attend surgeries that had nothing to do with my products. They wanted to help me. Understanding it was in their best interests to accelerate my learning.

The by-product, trust.

And for the learner, trust affords forgiveness.

It was an accidental formula, for no other reason than self-preservation. Expecting these situations & mindfully planning my approach in advance, reduced the emotional churn in my day.

It made me feel I was always enough. It shrank the fear of not knowing enough. Not being smart enough. Not being ready enough.

A week that previously intimidated me with its resistance, elusiveness & rejection, suddenly became days of opportunity.

Opportunity to empathise, practice patience & understand the complex layers to these customer beings.

Using your Customer Experience as context, how can you adopt mindful planning approach?

Here are 6 steps for your to consider;

Inform the Customer of your approach & invite their input
“I am mindful I have a lot to learn & would be grateful for your patience while I do.”
Map your CX with your Customer & identify your knowledge gaps
Formulate a plan to fill those gaps & commit to a timeframe for your learning
Prepare for each CX with questions, writing them down & asking the Customer before you get started. My planning with questions blog here
Develop a CX bible. A resource full of facts, figures, case studies. Useful information you can refer to.
Reduce your reliance on memory. With time information will find its place in your memory vault. For now, reduce the pressure
Consider how you’d teach your CX to another. It’s the best way to reinforce how far you’ve come & begins the process of transferring knowledge.
Our mind is more energised when knowledge is shared & information flows though

Championing what we don’t know keeps it real - the best decisions based on reality not pretence. Humanise yourself & offer your customer or colleague the opportunity to help you, to give back. Remember, giving is how we bring our values to life. It energises us & makes us feel good.

Imagine giving your customer that gift?

Peta x

High performance sales & career coach | Commercial growth consultant | Keynote speaker

Author of My Beautiful Mess - Living through burnout & rediscovering me

Peta runs a number of Masterclasses to inspire Sales teams.