You don’t belong here. No one will buy from you. Someone is going to call you out at any moment.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU ARE A FRAUD!
These are the thoughts that crossed the mind of all of us in sales, especially when we are just starting out. There is a feeling of terror that fluctuates between the background and foreground. There is a voice from The Judge who sits on your shoulder and whispers “truth” in your ear.
And that voice gets louder and louder with each rejection.
Imposter Syndrome affects us all. You. Are. Not. Alone.
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome happens one of two ways. You can wait it out or kill it like a fly on your desk.
Me? I waited it out. I was in my 30s before I realized I had every right to make sales calls on upper management. Up until then, my client base were administrative assistants and low level employees. I simply did not feel worthy to go much higher.
And even when I started making a few speeches and presentations, I fully expected someone to raise their hand and say, “Don’t you see you are just little Billy Farquharson?” At that time, I was prepared to admit I didn’t belong there and crawl back under the covers.
When someone first told me about Imposter Syndrome, it made total sense. It fully explained the narrative that ran between my ears. How I wish someone had told me…
• You belong here
• These other people you are sure are better and smarter than you, aren’t;
• Everyone is scared. Some of us are just better than others at hiding it.
The other option is to kill it before much damage is done.
I am so proud of my stepdaughter. College wasn’t for her and she took a job at a doggy daycare. Unlike many of her coworkers, she was as reliable as the sun in the sky and worked there for 18 months before applying for and landing a job as a Veterinary Assistant. Now, she goes to work in scrubs and looks every bit the professional she has become.
But the first day she came home, she burst into tears. It was equal parts displaced anger and unexplained frustration. When we asked her what was wrong, she couldn’t put it into words. She eventually calmed down and went to bed.
Two days later, I talked to her about Imposter Syndrome and the possibility that her reaction might be a result of some belief within her that she didn’t belong there. After I finished explaining was, she almost instantly nodded her head and said, “I think you’re right.”
In that moment, she swatted the fly and the Imposter on her shoulder died instantly.
Don’t wait. Don’t suffer unnecessarily. You have a voice and the right to be in the conversation.
The fourth of The Four Agreements (Don Miguel Ruiz, author) is this: Always do your best. So long as you are practicing this simple rule, you can hold your head up in self-belief, even if you fail.
