If you're selling, you're most likely experiencing fear. I say that, because I've dealt with it my entire professional career. I've worried about meeting my quota. Then, when I did, I worried about doing it the next month. I was afraid of losing customers or worse yet, losing opportunities to competitors.

No one really talks about this fear, but it's underneath everything. When you're fearful, you try to push your prospects to make decisions faster. You also sell harder – trying to convince people to buy from you. But those fear-based actions actually boomerang against you – and make it harder to get the business.

The first, and most important step, in dealing with the fear is to recognize it. For me, sometimes it was always a feeling of dread, deep in the pit of my stomach. Other times, it was an anxiety, causing me to have a shortness of breath. Sometimes it was even frenetic behavior.

Once you recognize yourself doing things, it's imperative that you quiet & calm yourself down. You literally need to say to the fear, "I know you're there, but this isn't helping me right now. It just making things worse. I need you to take a break so that I can think clearly." Here's the deal: You can either let your fear win – and then you lose. Or, you can learn how to effectively live with it.