Keeping a positive mindset during these challenging times can be really hard. Especially when potential prospects start ghosting you, big opportunities get stalled out, and finding someone new to talk to feels like an impossibility.

Every salesperson has experienced this in their career and it’s definitely easy for the fear to creep in. Problems seem to magnify. And then it’s just about impossible to think straight. The downward spiral begins—and if you don’t stop it, it only gets worse.

Here are some things that might help when you’re in these kinds of situations:

1. Detach yourself.

Detach yourself from the issues you’re facing. Realizing that you’re not a total loser and that everyone is struggling actually helps you not get so personally down.

2. Say it’s a challenge.

Rather than say “I’ve got a big problem,” tell yourself that it’s a challenge. Our brains respond positively to challenges. It wants to find answers. It starts searching in your memory bank for relevant ideas. It notices different things online. In short, it clicks into gear.

3. Re-boost your confidence

Remind yourself that you’ve successfully handled other challenges before. Think of other times when you’ve turned things around, even if it’s not sales-related. It helps with growing your confidence.

4. Ask Questions.

Ask yourself questions to get you thinking in different ways. For example, If sales were down, you might ask:
• What could I be doing differently?
• How are my colleagues dealing with this situation?
• What can I do to get more business from my existing clients?
• How can I change my messaging to get a different response?
• What would it take to make this decision a higher priority?
• How can I help my prospects gain consensus on these important decision?

5. Experiment and Evaluate.

Start experimenting with different strategies, approaches, and techniques. Now you know something has to change– but not necessarily what or how. Calling what you’re doing an experiment frees you from failure. Instead, you are actively seeking a new answer to an emerging challenge.

Every time you try something new, step back and evaluate it. Try looking for what went well so you can repeat it. Look at where you ran into issues then start thinking of possible reasons why it happened.

Was it what you said? How you said it? What you didn’t say? The sequence of the conversation? Who was there or not there? Was my business case strong enough?

It’s only when we start being totally honest with ourselves that we can find ways to a workable solution. “I have to change. I have to get better. I have to learn more.”
We can blame the world, the pandemic, and even the horrible state of the economy. That is simply the reality.
But how we approach these “challenges” is ultimately a big factor in how well we deal with them.