Success Advice
5 Ways You Can Supercharge Your Sales Courage Today

Sales can be hard. Whether you’re asking someone to buy a ticket, idea, or program, it’s not a skill that comes naturally to most people. But like any skill, it can be learned. With practice (and a little bravery), you will get better at selling.
Here are 5 tips to build your sales courage so you can get out there and get business:
1. Focus on Service
Many entrepreneurs don’t think about service. They don’t think about other people. They just think about themselves, and what they can get. Building sales courage starts with putting your focus on being of service to other people, and taking a genuine interest in the problems or challenges they have, that you can help them address.
Sales courage starts when you shift your focus off of yourself, and put it on how you can be of service to others. Sales is not about you. In fact, selling has less to do with whether you say the perfect words, and a whole lot more to do with how well you listen to the other person and what they want to be, do, or have.
Before you begin a sales call, get in the service frame of mind. Maybe it’s taking a deep breath and asking ‘how can I help you?’ before the conversation begins. Maybe it’s consciously giving the other person your undivided attention. Interestingly, focusing on service ramps up your sales courage like nothing else – because it puts your attention where it belongs…on the person with whom you are speaking.
“Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’ Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.” – Mary Kay Ash
2. Practice Listening
There’s one skill that will win you customers, investors, and colleagues like nothing else—listening. If you’ve ever been to a party where you were stuck talking with someone who only talks about themselves, you get it. Listening helps you tune into the information a prospective customer is giving you. If you aren’t listening, you will miss all sorts of valuable signals with the potential to boost your sales results.
Events like speed networking, where you can have plenty of shorter conversations with lots of new people, are a great way to notice who is listening and who isn’t – on top of honing your listening skills. Get comfortable talking about what you sell, in a clear and fascinating way.
Watch people’s eyes. Do they glaze over when you’re talking, or do they lean in with curiosity? Notice the people who listen to you, and what they do that shows you that they are listening. Despite what sales gurus teach – like sales is smooth talking and psychological manipulation – for most entrepreneurs, sales actually come from first making other people feel heard.
3. Count the No’s
Selling is a numbers game. As the top salespeople in the world will tell you: it’s not the number of people who say yes to you. It’s the number of people who say no – and your ability and willingness to let those no’s run off you like water on a duck’s back.
Yes, show up for every sales opportunity with your full attention and willingness to be of service to the other person. But don’t get emotionally attached. Sales conversations are like buses, if you don’t catch this one, there is another one coming soon. While this may sound counterintuitive, it is a secret to building sales courage – and serious sales skills.
One tool you can use to count the no’s you get is a courage diary. You record how many sales asks you make in any given day, week, or month, along with the outcome of the conversation, and one thing you learned about selling that you will do differently next time.
The great thing about having one is that it sets the expectation that you need to get one hundred people to say ‘no’ to you. That’s the goal. Which is actually a trick, because by the time you have gone through the trouble of asking one hundred people to buy from you, your sales courage will be through the roof!
4. Study Your Results
Once you commit to count the no’s, you’ll be in the powerful position of taking action. Action taking is critical to boosting your sales courage because it gives you something you won’t get anywhere else: experience.
Each conversation you have gives you valuable feedback, and an opportunity to learn and develop your skill. For example, if someone tells you now isn’t a good time, you just received feedback that timing is important. You could then ask yourself, ‘how can I serve someone who isn’t ready to buy yet?’ Then strategize.
Maybe you think to yourself, ‘I can ask the person when would be a better time, note their response, and create a simple reminder to follow up.’ Turn each sales interaction you have into exercise for your service muscle. This also applies to online selling on multiple channels, using a data-syncing app like LitCommerce.
5. It’s Just a Conversation
The first few conversations where you ask someone to buy something, brace yourself, they will probably say no. That is totally normal. It’s like trying on a new coat – it may not feel like your old one, so it takes a little while to get used to how it fits. Sales conversations are a new and different thing.
But then again, you’ve been having conversations with other people all your life! Talking to people is natural. It’s something you do every day. What’s different about sales conversations is that you’re asking people if they want to buy something you are selling. Don’t make it weird by following a ‘sales script,’ asking people corny questions, or trying to push those who said they aren’t interested.
A lot of the sales advice, sales training and articles out there are based on dominance models of human interaction that don’t respect the decision-making intelligence of prospects (especially women). If that doesn’t jive with how you do business, keep walking. Sales courage doesn’t come from disrespecting people – it comes when you are humble and open enough to keep getting out there until you’ve gotten your hundred no’s.
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The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025
Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”
While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.
Why This Gap Exists
Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.
What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.
Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap
Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.
1. Practice Mutual Empathy
Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.
2. Maintain Professional Boundaries
Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.
3. Follow the Golden Rule
Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.
4. Avoid Micromanagement
Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.
5. Empower Employees to Grow
Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.
6. Communicate in All Directions
Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.
7. Overcome Insecurities
Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.
8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship
True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.
9. Eliminate Favoritism
Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.
10. Recognize Efforts Promptly
Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.
11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews
When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.
12. Provide Leadership Development
Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.
13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles
Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.
The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role
Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:
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Build diverse talent pipelines
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Embrace flexible work models
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Design compelling career paths
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Simplify HR processes
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Redefine the value HR brings
The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.
Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff
When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.
Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.
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