Do you have a big ego? Many people will tell you that you need to have confidence in order to be successful in sales. However, there is a fine line between confidence and cockiness. Err too far on the side of cockiness, and your ego could get in the way of your sales success.

1. The Impact of Ego

The ego can have a greater impact on you than most realize. It can impact how you work, how you interact with people, how you communicate, and it can impact your ability to be successful if you don’t keep it in check.

“The ego has illusionary needs, which can create a waste of your time and energy. The ego also has the need to be right or to be offended. It can cause you to feel a need to be separate, inferior or superior. Ego can cause fear, guilt or shame. It will have you searching for recognition overachievement,” says David Meltzer on Entrepreneur.

2. Have Self Awareness

Taking time to reflect on yourself as a person and as a sales professional will help you be more self-aware. Take some time each week to review your performance, interactions with clients, and your approach to make sure you are focusing on the right things.

3. Recognition Is Not the Goal

People love to be recognized for their achievements. They want to be recognized for meeting sales goals. Sometimes, the recognition part of the job becomes more important than what you are actually doing daily. Understand and execute your purpose in daily interactions and the recognition will come.

4. It’s Not About You

Sales is not about you. It’s not about making a sale. Sales is actually about helping customers. It’s about building relationships and helping others find solutions to issues and helping them meet their needs through your sales solutions. Don’t lose sight of this.

5. Have Gratitude

Always be gracious for the opportunities provided to you. Have gratitude for the people who have helped you have successes. As Meltzer states, “Gratitude gives us perspective.” Show others appreciation and realize you can’t do it alone.

6. Be Accountable

Having accountability in your life will help you keep your ego under control. Hold yourself accountable to a specific set of standards, allow your customers to hold you accountable, and have other mechanisms to help you keep your ego in check.

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SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right salesperson for your organization, start your search here.