You deal with rejections, frustrations, disappointment, and possibly disrespect on a daily basis. You probably experience more emotional ups and downs than most other professionals. And, no matter how successful you are, your income is less predictable than that of salaried employees. As a salesperson, your level of mental and emotional toughness affects you everyday, both on and off the job.

Being mentally and emotionally tough is less about what you say and do than it is about how you feel about what you say and do. For example, if your feelings about asking a prospect to make a decision keep you from asking, then you start a downward spiral to nowhere. First, you're uncomfortable asking, so you don't ask and end up wasting time with a non-qualified prospect. You get angry with yourself and/or the prospect for wasting time. All these negative feelings and actions only serve to tear down your emotional and mental well-being.

Here's a Sandler rule: "Never become emotionally involved in a sales call, especially a cold call." Being emotionally tough doesn't mean that you have no emotions or that you are a cold person. It means that you have learned how to control your emotions so they don't keep you from doing what you have to do.

Excerpted from the President's Club Professional Development Program (trainer edition) 2000 Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights reserved