As salespeople, we often feel like we’re all alone. We’re lone wolves. The ones on the front lines taking the bullets.

But really, you’re NEVER alone.

In fact, there’s ALWAYS someone you can count on to be with you, in your best times and your worst:

Your Inner Critic.

You already know your Inner Critic. Maybe you never gave him or her a name, but you know their voice.

It’s that nagging voice inside your head constantly telling you all the things you don’t want to hear.

They won’t go for the price.
They already have a good solution.
My last 2 calls no-showed me.
I’m way behind on my numbers for this month.
I had a great month last month, but I’m not sure I can do it again.
So-and-so closed more than I did last month.
You blew the last call pretty badly.
There, you happy now, dad? That one is always lurking for me…

Your Inner Critic is the one constantly reminding you of your perceived failures. Your shortcomings. Your dismal 14 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

And he or she LOVES comparing you to anyone else.

Your Inner Critic lives in a state of fear. And based on the joyfulness with which your Inner Critic pursues its agenda that state of fear is tax free. The minute things get a little uncertain, he or she peeks out to let you know about the possible danger, even if it’s only imagined.

The sad thing is that your Inner Critic is probably the only thing holding you back from REALLY achieving the sales goals, income, and lifestyle you really want.

If you could just learn to quiet that voice…

I write a lot about dealing with your Inner Critic in my book: Fear Less, Sell More.

My Inner Voice used to haunt me WAY more than it does today. These days, it’s more of an annoyance as opposed to someone driving the bus. It’s the person in the back saying, “Don’t you know how to drive?!”

Sometimes I tell my inner critic to get in the car – we’re going for a ride (it works best if I do my Godfather impression). Then I’ll ask him to get out and see if I have a flat. The second he gets out, I pull away really fast. He always beats me home, but for a while I can make some calls in peace.

Keeping your Inner Critic relatively quiet is the difference between a mediocre sales career and skyrocketing to the top 1% in your field.

For today, just focus on recognizing your Inner Critic for what it is: a made-up voice of fear and anxiety.

Maybe even give it a name. Karen might work for some of you out there. Or go weird and just name your Inner Critic crevice. I’m a silly guy so I like nonsense-names. I named my Inner Critic Shren to remind myself that he’s full of nonsense and no sense.

I talk about this in my new book.

I’ll teach you how to undress that thing and embarrass it in front of its friends, so it learns to sit down and shut up, unless of course, you need it. Because, sometimes, I could have actually used an inner critic. Like when I went ahead and bought that paisley tracksuit.

Your Inner Critic isn’t going away, just make the rent in your head so high they can’t afford to live there anymore.

The question is, what are you going to do about it?