Follow these 3 principles to calm your nerves while knocking doors.
Even with over 20 years of experience knocking doors, I must admit, I still get a little bit nervous right before a prospect opens their door.
“Will I omit a step in my initial approach?”
“Will I forget to use a creative icebreaker?”
“Will my words get jumbled and not come out clearly?”
These are just a few of the questions that can race through my mind before I utter my first words, and from my experiences knocking doors with hundreds of sales reps, questions like these race through most sales reps’ minds.
For me, what I’ve found to be the most helpful techniques to calm my nerves and give me confidence are:
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- Focus on the person in front of me.
- Don’t try to make the sale during the initial approach.
- Take the experience from each interaction as an opportunity to learn.
First, by focusing on the person in front of me, I only concern myself with one person at a time. Thus, I don’t get caught up thinking about the hundreds of other interactions I’ll be having in the coming days. The only impression that matters at that moment is the impression I make on the person who answers the door. By focusing on that person and controlling my interaction with him or her, I don’t allow the previous or upcoming interactions to distract me.
Second, sales are rarely made during the first 30 – 45 seconds of an interaction, however, sales are lost during this time. People must like you before they’ll buy something from you, thus your first impression needs to be impeccable in order to earn more time with each potential customer. Learn to make a good impression on people by using creative ice breakers and showing genuine interest. By doing so, you will earn more of their time, which will progress you closer to the sale.
Finally, remember that even the best sales reps have been rejected more often than they’ve made sales. Thus, take each denial as an opportunity to learn something that will assist you during your next sales opportunity. Lessons learned from a loss are way more powerful than lessons learned after a win. Improvement comes more quickly to those who apply what they learn from each experience.
Is nervousness about knocking normal?
Yes!
Regardless, by following the principles above, you can negate your nerves and focus on controlling what is in your direct control. And remember, the next “no” you receive, is getting you one step closer to making your next sale.