information that is several years old. Th

is happened to me at the begin-

ning of my career.

When I was twenty-three I was working for a restaurant chain as an as-

sistant manager. I was promoted to general manager and lasted less than

a year before I was demoted back to an assistant manager. I had proved

unable to perform to the company’s expectations. I ended up leaving the

company shortly afterward. For fi ve years I hesitated any time an op-

portunity for a promotion presented itself; I had not been sure I could do

it. Finally it dawned on me exactly what I had learned from that earlier

experience. I was not the only person responsible for that particular fail-

ure, and my leadership and managerial skills had developed since then.

Nevertheless, it took me fi ve years to realize it! Let go of your mental

baggage and work on developing your personal confi dence.

SALES TIP

Develop your personal confi dence by creating a list of your strengths, and iden-

tify how each of these strengths contributes to your sales success. Review this

list on a regular basis to give yourself a continual boost. If you are unsure of your

strengths, ask close friends or business associates for their opinion. One word of

caution: make sure you ask someone who will be honest and open with you and

whose feedback you trust.

THE POWER OF CONFIDENCE

45