5 Tips to Overcome Your Fear of Commission Selling

I just got this great question from a reader and I thought you might benefit from our dialogue regarding the fear of commission-only selling. Hello Gary, I''ve been reading some of your articles related to cold calling in the web. I''m starting a sales position for 2 companies from my own home. Cold calling businesses... But it is scary...

Recently, I was asked my advice about how to overcome your fear of selling on a commission-only basis, and I thought this might be of benefit to anyone in this situation. Here are five tips for addressing this fear: (1) Insist on getting them to train you. Get their calling scripts, the ones that are working for other people. No need to reinvent the wheel, here. (2) A reader told me he was working for 2 companies at the same time. When I was about 11, and money hungry, I took on 2 competing newspaper delivery routes at the same time. Gosh, was that confusing! I think I earned more complaints in a single day than anyone else in history. I''d take on these jobs SERIALLY, not simultaneously.

(3) Being paid on commission-only is scary. But think of it this way. If they were paying you a salary, you''d still have some butterflies because what you''re undertaking is a NEW job. So, the question is: How much fear is attributable to being on a straight commission? Some, but not all. Your time frame for judging success may be shortened because you have to pay bills, but still, try to relax. See my just-posted article, "The Million Dollar Cold Caller," about the guy who went for 10 months without a sale, working on 100% commission, and then he hit REALLY BIG!

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Million-Dollar-Cold-Call&id=733612

(4) Here''s the nightmare scenario, however. The folks that hired you are clueless as to how to sell what they''re asking you to sell. They expect you to figure it out, and what the heck? If they''re paying only for results, they''re not out of pocket. REMEDY: Get some tapes from them, up front of successful callers who are selling their products, right now. Study success, and become a nice and humble clone. Imitate success. Replicate it. And then, when the cash is flowing in, improve upon it.

(5) Recently, I did a campaign in support of the seminars I''m running this Fall through universities. As a test, I emailed and then phoned chiropractors, generally an entrepreneurial bunch. After following up with a half dozen, I sensed they are not a viable target, for several reasons. For one, they can''t get out of the office to invest a day in a class.

My point is they told me, through our discussions, they weren''t going to put money in my pocket, and I listened and abandoned them, as a category, super-fast.

If you get feedback that says, "This c*@p is impossible for ME to sell," then cut bait, and search for another opportunity.

However, having said that, I made the MOST MONEY as a cold caller when I was paid on straight commission. If you succeed, you can succeed handsomely.

If you found these tips helpful you might want to check out my audio seminars: THE NEW TELEMARKETING and THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS, if you expect to stay in sales and especially in telephone sales.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top trainer, conference and convention speaker, and sales, customer service, and negotiation consultant. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is also the best-selling author of 12 books, more than 1,000 articles and several popular audio and video programs. His seminars are sponsored internationally and he is a faculty member at more than 40 universities, including UC Berkeley and UCLA. Gary brings over two decades of sales, management and consulting experience to the table, with impressive academic credentials: A Ph.D. from USC, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management, and a J.D. degree from Loyola Law School, his clients include several Fortune 1000 companies..

His web site is: http://www.customersatisfaction.com and he can be reached at: [e-mail] His blogs include: YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS! and ALWAYS COLD CALL! at: http://www.alwayscoldcall.blogspot.com