If you asked me what the most important thing to work on as a salesperson or leader would be, it wouldn’t be leadership skills or sales techniques.
It would be your limiting beliefs.
Sales training can teach you new skills and techniques, but it won’t necessarily address the beliefs that influence how you sell.
The problem is you probably don’t even realise those beliefs exist.
In this article, I explain what limiting beliefs are, how they affect your behaviour, and how to identify and challenge the assumptions holding you back.
Jump to a section:
- What are Limiting Beliefs?
- Examples of Limiting Beliefs
- The Power of Limiting Beliefs
- How to Identify Limiting Beliefs
- How to Challenge Your Beliefs
- Final Thoughts
- Frequently Asked Questions
What are Limiting Beliefs
Limiting beliefs are the negative things we tell ourselves that stop us from trying things and ultimately limit our personal development.
We often accept a belief to be true based on our experiences and assumptions rather than facts.
One of the most challenging parts about limiting beliefs is they are often subconscious, so we don’t recognise we have them until someone points them out.
Examples of Limiting Beliefs
Here are a few examples of some of the most common limiting beliefs I hear from my clients and other people in my daily life:
- I’ve tried that in the past, and it doesn’t work
- My work life makes it impossible to find any balance
- I’m not very good at cold calling
- I’ve tried everything and don’t know what to do now
- I struggle when dealing with senior stakeholders
- I’ll lose the deal if I quote too much
In sales, limiting beliefs can be particularly damaging.
A salesperson who believes buyers will reject their calls, challenge their prices or see them as pushy may avoid the very conversations that could lead to a deal.
These assumptions can quietly influence everything from prospecting and qualification to negotiation and closing, often without the salesperson realising what’s driving their behaviour.
The Power of Limiting Beliefs
I first learnt about limiting beliefs when I was studying Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and it turned out to be quite a big personal breakthrough for me.
You see, our beliefs (positive and negative) make up what’s called our belief system which ultimately influences our identity as human beings.
For example, if you believe you’re a shy person who doesn’t get on very well with people, that limiting belief will significantly impact your entire life.
And the thing is, most people know these limiting beliefs aren’t true but continue to say them because they feel like it’s part of their identity.
How to Identify Your Limiting Beliefs
The best way to identify limiting beliefs is to ask yourself questions.
For example, you could ask yourself a list of ‘Are you good’, questions such as:
- Are you a good person?
- Are you a good parent?
- Are you a good leader?
- Are you a good colleague?
- Are you good at selling?
- Are you good at learning?
- Are you good at driving?
Before coming up with a list of questions, asking yourself what areas of your life or career you feel you need to improve most can be helpful.
For example, you might feel like you want to improve your conflict management skills so you should ask yourself the question ‘Are you good at dealing with conflict?’
If your answer is anything other than positive, the big question to ask yourself is;
Why?
Your limiting belief(s) will almost always be hidden in your answer.
How to Challenge Your Limiting Beliefs
Once you uncover your limiting beliefs, you can now begin to question them.
You may find this exercise challenging as some of your beliefs may be deeply embedded in your identity since childhood.
You may also have a belief that has been reinforced multiple times too.
For example, one of my coaching clients once believed she wasn’t suited for a leadership role.
When I asked why, she said she didn’t think she had the right qualities.
And when I asked her to describe her version of a leader, she immediately started talking about a couple of her past leaders who were very controlling and not nice.
She had created a template for what a leader should be based on a past negative experience, which had been reinforced more than once.
Thankfully we were able to correct her belief of what qualities a leader needed and, as a result, remove her limiting beliefs that she was not suited to leadership.
Fact or Fiction
I often get my clients to play a game of ‘Fact or Fiction’ with me to help remove limiting beliefs and to help with general doubts.
It’s a great way of ridding yourself of making decisions based on assumptions.
For example, I once worked with a high-performing senior account executive who felt pressured to always work late.
I found it strange that someone who overperformed consistently would feel this way, so naturally, I had to dig into this and ask her, “Why?”.
“I feel like my boss is staring at me and judging me for leaving on time if he is still there”, she said.
“Okay, so if we were to play a game of fact or fiction, which would that statement come under?”, I asked.
Obviously, her statement was based on fiction as she had no concrete evidence her boss was judging her or thinking anything of the sort.
Maybe he was just looking at her, thinking she was rude for not saying goodbye.
Or maybe he was just daydreaming.
Who knows?
Final Thoughts
Limiting beliefs can have a real impact on how we think, behave and approach challenges.
The problem is that we often mistake assumptions for facts and allow past experiences to dictate what we believe we’re capable of.
The first step is to recognise these beliefs. The next is to question them.
Ask yourself what evidence supports them, whether there could be another explanation, and whether you’re letting an old experience influence your decisions today.
You won’t change every belief overnight. But the more you challenge your assumptions, the better you’ll understand your own behaviour and the choices available to you.
You don’t have to believe everything you tell yourself.
Sometimes, the very thing holding you back is an assumption you’ve never stopped to question.
About the Author
I’m David Craig White, a British B2B sales trainer, coach and consultant with more than 20 years’ experience helping sales teams get results.
When I’m not writing B2B sales articles, I’m providing B2B sales training, coaching and sales consulting to B2B sales teams, sales leaders and business owners.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Limiting beliefs are negative assumptions about yourself, your abilities or your circumstances that hold you back from achieving your goals. They often develop through past experiences and can influence your decisions and behaviour without you realising it.
Common limiting beliefs include thinking you’re not good enough, believing you’ll always fail or assuming you can’t improve at something. In sales, examples include believing you’re bad at cold calling, that buyers will reject you or that charging higher prices will cost you deals.
Limiting beliefs can damage sales performance by influencing how salespeople approach buyers, handle objections and make decisions. For example, a salesperson who believes buyers will reject their calls may avoid cold calling, while someone who fears losing deals may offer unnecessary discounts.
You can identify limiting beliefs by questioning the negative assumptions you make about yourself. Start by asking whether you’re good at something you find challenging, such as selling, negotiating or managing conflict. If your answer is negative, ask yourself why and examine whether your reasoning is based on facts or assumptions.
You can overcome limiting beliefs by recognising them, questioning their accuracy and challenging the assumptions behind them. One practical technique is to ask yourself whether a belief is fact or fiction. Look for evidence that supports it, consider alternative explanations and avoid allowing past experiences to dictate what you’re capable of today.