One of the biggest threats to a salesperson hitting quota?

Themselves...or more specifically their stress levels.

Cortisol is a hormone produced by our adrenal glands.

When stressed out, increased levels of cortisol is released into our bloodstream.

High stress & cortisol can negatively impact our cognitive abilities, leading to shorter attention spans, slower processing speeds, poor memory, word recall, or muddled thinking.

It effectively cuts us off from creativity, problem solving skills & our capacity to think clearly.

Not a pretty state to find yourself in.

So, if you're often stressed out when making prospecting calls or during that meeting with a group C-Level stakeholders, you may well find yourself coming off the rails.

When this happens, you could lose your ability to think on your feet, to respond appropriately in the moment, or to stay on top of your emotions.

So, managing our stress levels & negative emotions surely has to be at the top of our priority list...

But how?

Here are a few pointers: -

- Talking slower & pausing more ensures you'll be more composed, giving yourself time to think. This will have the effect of making you look, sound & feel more self-assured.

- A realisation that whoever is asking the questions is usually in control. More control = less stress.

- Breathing slower & more deeply into your diaphragm to ensure you're connected to your power source when speaking (shallow breaths into your chest do the opposite).

- Having regular calling blocks to build muscle memory, which in time will decrease anxiety.

- Visualisation techniques before meetings or calls blocks to ensure you have that 'expectancy' things will go well. (you'll probably find you'll put out better energy).

- Making sure you don't burn out by taking regular breaks, clearing your head, going for walks, getting some sun (*unless in the UK).

What else would you add?