8 Ways to Overcome Sales Anxiety
Anxiety and Social Anxiety in Real Estate Sales
Sales anxiety is more common than most of us think. Every real estate agent feels nervous when they are less experienced with a certain activity or product type. This isn't solely limited to new agents. Experienced Realtors can feel anxiety when exploring new prospecting techniques, showing properties at different prices, or dealing with varying client types.
I remember a few years into my career when my office passed along a lead to me. I was excited when I looked up the property. It was in a price point above my current range. So, I planned out my call. My plan was simple - convince this potential seller that I'm the best agent for them (wrong approach - but read on to learn why).
When I started to dial the number, I noticed my hands were shaky, and my heart rate rose along with my self-doubt.
There was no answer, and the call went to voicemail. I proceeded to leave quite possibly the worst voicemail in real estate history. I couldn't form a sentence as my mind went blank. I tried to convey my value over voicemail, but I was rambling. Wrong approach again. I then hung up and realized I didn't leave my name, company name, or even my phone number.
So no, I didn't get that listing or even a listing presentation.
This was when I decided it was time to build in practice around sales anxiety.
How do we overcome sales anxiety?
A few key tasks and mindsets are required to overcome sales anxiety; the great news is that some of these will instantly decrease your stress. Who doesn't like strategies that have an immediate impact?
Before jumping in, it bears repeating that all agents are anxious about some element of real estate, prospecting, or marketing at every stage of their career.
So regardless of how long you have been selling real estate, this information is for you!
"To spare oneself from grief at all cost can be achieved only at the price of total detachment." Erich Fromm
Overcoming Sales Anxiety
Firstly, keep in mind if you think you have sales anxiety, don't think that you're not "cut out for sales." In fact, having some anxiety means that you care about helping your customer achieve the best result. Therefore, you're likely to be strong with customer service, and it suggests you're someone who wants to succeed. These are two of the core components of being a strong salesperson.
Detach from the outcome: This is key to overcoming sales anxiety. If we are not concerned if the client proceeds with us. Then our concern about "how we appear" dissipates (or disappears).
Attachment to the outcome is where all sales anxiety is born. If you've ever been on a sales hot streak, you know that positive results impact your confidence. A component of this is you're not tied to the outcome. You've accumulated enough recent positive interactions, so you're less concerned if this next person will proceed or not.
You're detached from the outcome of the sale.
Easier said than done, right? Well, there is actually a quick way to detach from the outcome.
The quick hack to achieve this mindset is to treat all your interactions as practice. There is no big championship game in real estate, just a number of practice sessions throughout your career. The next call or presentation is just practice for the next one. Internalize this belief and you remove your sales anxiety.
Win the next step, not the client: You're calling a potential buyer who you're looking to secure. Drop the need to secure the client and instead focus on simply getting them to the next step.
In this example, perhaps it's suggesting that you look at a house over the weekend. We are frequently so focused on winning the client over when, in fact, we just need to move the process forward one (baby) step with each interaction.
Avoiding trying to "close the sale" at every junction takes the pressure off your performance.
Instead, have a small goal for each interaction. In most cases, it's asking for a meeting or suggesting a property for a buyer to look at.
Focus on a tiny area of improvement: When it comes to prospecting, we feel like every call, text, email, or social post needs to be perfect.
Drop the need to execute a perfect sales call.
Instead, focus on one element you'd like to improve with the next call. Perhaps you're going to work on your energy, questions you ask, or how you explain a concept. Don't concern yourself with the rest.
Of course, you'd like to nail every part of the call, but you won't improve if you're trying to improve all elements of the call at one time.
This is a sales technique that works on various levels. Narrow focus improves performance.
Curiosity and empathy: Being curious about clients' needs and being empathetic to their position is magic. Stop trying to "convert" and start understanding your client's thinking, and anxiety will immediately decrease.
This mental shift changes the dynamic of the conversation (in a good way).
Most unhappy clients state their displeasure is due to a lack of understanding of their situation and needs. What solves this? How you approach the conversation and needs analysis.
We don't need to convince or persuade customers to work with us. We need to understand their situation and make thoughtful recommendations.
Time and anxiety: Looking to increase your stress? Simply increase the amount of time between thinking about a task and doing it.
Personally, I write down three items I'd like to bring up, then "smile, stand-up, and dial." The three items keep my focus on the purpose of the call or meeting. Note, one of these three items is always additional value, such as marketing information, a comparable sale, or a listing.
I pair this with physically standing and smiling when I make my calls. Studies show positively impacts the call.
It's next to impossible to think your way out of anxiety. Instead, feel anxious and do the task anyway. That's how you overcome these feelings in the long run.
You're doing them a favor: You're reading a real estate sales blog. Chances you're someone who is always looking to improve. Wouldn't a client be lucky to have you as an agent vs. someone who isn't interested in personal growth? Yes! You're doing prospective clients a favor by reaching out to them. If they work with someone else, it means they could have a worse experience. You owe it to them to reach out.
This solution can have an immediate impact. Most agents know they will outwork and provide the best customer service, but they aren't sure of their "closing abilities." Don't worry about ever needing to close a client.
Know that the client is doing themself a favor by working with you. This will instantly increase your confidence.
Fitness before calls: Regardless of your mindset, a quick workout will improve your feelings of confidence and is proven to make you think more highly of yourself.
The best type of exercise to immediately increase your self-confidence is cardiovascular work. Any activity will help, but increasing your heart rate for a manageable amount of time seems to have the most impact.
If you know you have a morning of prospecting ahead of you, go for a light jog before starting your day.
Screwing up doesn't impact who you are: You are not a real estate agent. Real estate is your career. Messing up a call, post, or even a deal doesn't change that you're a great and worthy person. Making a mistake is an opportunity for us to improve our craft. (I've had countless "opportunities" to improve my craft over my career 😂 )
Conclusion: Attachment drives anxiety. Drop the attachment, and your sales anxiety will disappear. You can do this by understanding that you're just moving a client forward in a transaction and not needing to "sell" them on you at every step.