“When your confidence goes up, your competence goes up.” Zig Zigler

Selling, like anything else, is about confidence.

When you exude confidence, you naturally attract others. People listen to you, follow you, and even buy from you. Displaying confidence assures people that you know what you’re doing. People who exude self-confidence know they have what it takes to master difficult situations, and they are not afraid of failure.

As a Leasing Professional, confidence comes from knowledge, training, and experience. So how do you develop confidence in the area of selling?

First, I’d determine what my attitude toward selling is like.  Do I look forward to the opportunity, or do I dread it?  Your mindset makes all the difference.

Second, I’d look for training opportunities because knowledge breeds confidence.  The more knowledge you have about what you want to learn, the more confident you are.  Take advantage of the training your company offers and look for additional ways to add to your training curriculum (Multifamily Insiders offers free and low cost webinars monthly). There is also a plethora of industry articles available on the internet that can greatly add to your knowledge. Check out units, Multifamily Executive, Multi-Housing News, as well as your local apartment association publications.

Third, evaluate yourself.  After going through the process of greeting, product demonstration, and closing a prospect do a self-evaluation.  But notice what you’re telling yourself about the experience.  How you “label” your selling experience—your self-talk—will determine if you are creating confidence or eroding it.  What thoughts help you feel more confident, enthusiastic, and resourceful in your sales ability?  Focus on those.  Conversely, what thoughts put pressure on you and reduce your confidence level?  Trash those.

“Overcoming self-limiting beliefs and self-imposed limitations is often the biggest obstacle standing between you and the realization of your full potential.”  Brian Tracy

Finally, ask yourself, “What am I good at?  Which areas do I feel confident in my skills?”  Then ask yourself the critical questions: “How did I learn that?  How did I gain confidence in this area?”  Your answers to these questions will show you strategies you can use in building your sales confidence.

How confident are you in your:

• Product demonstration skills?
• Product knowledge?
• Community and lifestyle knowledge?
• Relationships with residents?

Take a quiz from Mindtools to find out how self-confident you are!

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.”  Norman Vincent Peale