7 Ways to Crush Sales Anxiety and Boost Your Confidence

Feeling your heart race before a sales call? You’re not alone. Many financial professionals experience sales anxiety, which can hinder performance and impact results. But what if you could transform that anxiety into confidence and crush your sales goals? In today’s fast-paced financial sector, mastering this skill is not just beneficial — it’s essential.

To get you started, here are seven actionable strategies that will empower you to manage and overcome your sales anxiety via practical, proactive tips and mindset shifts.

1. Understand and Identify Anxiety Triggers

Sales anxiety isn’t as simple as a fear of sales. That’s very much not likely what you’re dealing with (after all, why would you have pursued a career in sales if you intensely disliked the sales process?). Instead, your sales anxiety likely stems from a more specific, underlying trigger and connected emotion.

Common sales anxiety triggers include imposter syndrome or the belief that you’re not good enough or talented enough to be in the position that you’re in, the feeling of pressure to perform at a certain level, and low self-esteem. These feelings can then spawn anxiety around sales conversations. They might not make you anxious during every sales conversation, either; maybe you only feel anxious during cold calls, for example.

The key to managing your sales anxiety is to first understand it. Keep a journal to track your anxiety and the other emotions surrounding it. Be mindful of what’s going through your mind and body at the time. If you can begin to identify your triggers and the root causes of your anxiety, you’ll be able to deal with it better.

2. Develop a Pre–Sales Routine

Understanding your anxiety on a deeper level, while crucial, isn’t going to make those butterflies and shaky hands disappear immediately. So, what can you do in the meantime?

You may find that developing a pre-sales call routine can help mitigate your anxiety, soothing your nerves before you enter the anxiety-inducing environment. For example, meditate for a few minutes before each sales call or try breathing exercises.

Here’s what Heleen Westerhuijs, an Arootah sales and executive coach, suggests: “Here is a simple exercise that you can do right before that sales pitch or introductory call. Take Breath Number 1 and inhale as if blowing up a balloon in your underbelly; exhale, bringing your belly button back to your spine. For Breath Number 2, do that same deep inhale while telling yourself to r e l a x. On Breath Number 3, ask yourself, ‘What is important right now?’ Go over the reasons why this party wants to buy your product. Your brain will feed you an answer that will prove helpful during the call.”

3. Master Your Sales Script

If you go into a sales call prepared, you’ll go in with confidence. Put together a successful sales script that you can rely on. You don’t have to stick to the script every time, but it can act as a safety net if you feel anxious.

For example, a script could start with the following: “Hi [Client’s Name], I’m [Your Name] from [Company]. I wanted to discuss how our solutions can specifically help your team achieve its financial goals…”

4. Enhance Your Product Knowledge

Also, like prepping beforehand, develop a confident knowledge base of whatever you’re selling. Ensure that your knowledge base is updated and deep and extends to your company’s products and services and the industry and market at large. Consider scheduling weekly industry review sessions to stay updated on the above.

If you have a confident understanding of what you’re selling, you can answer questions and address statements from potential clients that may otherwise make you anxious.

5. Use Visualization Techniques

Manifesting is the idea that you can make something happen by visualizing it. While the jury’s out on the legitimacy of manifestation, one thing is certain: visualizing your success, especially successful sales interactions, can help you enter those interactions with renewed confidence and optimism.

Before your next sales call, close your eyes and picture a successful sales meeting. Imagine the client’s positive reactions and your confident responses.

6. Leverage Positive Affirmations

Likewise, build your self-confidence through positive affirmations. While they may seem hokey at first, the science does show that they have a positive effect (and with successful individuals like Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey using them, you’ll be in good company).

According to Healthline, “Creating a mental image of yourself doing something — like acing a nerve-wracking interview or conquering your fear of heights by bungee jumping — activates many of the same brain areas that actually experiencing these situations would. Regular repetition of affirming statements about yourself can encourage your brain to take these positive affirmations as fact. When you truly believe you can do something, your actions often follow.”

So, consider beginning your workday with affirmations like, “I am a confident and persuasive salesperson,” or “I close deals with ease and professionalism.”

7. Seek Continuous Feedback and Improvement

Lastly, to boost your confidence further, try to improve continuously. Seek feedback from your peers and mentors and overcome any hurdles in your career path.

The Bottom Line

Enhancing your confidence in your sales abilities can significantly reduce the anxiety of selling. Try incorporating several of the suggested strategies and observe the positive effects firsthand.

Looking for further guidance in mastering your sales strategies? Register for our upcoming sales webinar on 8/27 at 12 P.M. EST to turn your leads into sales.