Why Your Sales Team is Scared to Sell (And How to Help them Overcome Their Anxiety)

May 24

May 24, 2025

Why Your Sales Team is Scared to Sell (And How to Help them Overcome Their Anxiety)

You’ve set your team’s sales goals, reviewed expectations with them, and then watch as they help customer after customer, only to see them still not reach their goals. Maybe you’ve even tried monetary incentives to drive motivation. Yet by the end of the month, some employees still miss the mark. And you’re hearing the usual reasons:

“The customer wasn’t interested”
“We didn’t have enough time”
“I feel like I’m being pushy if I sell”

It’s the kind of lines that make you think your team isn’t even trying. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if it actually meant that they felt sales anxiety.

Sales Anxiety is a lot more common than you might think. And it can show up in an unexpected ways.

A study from Harvard Business Review found that 50% of salespeople experience sales anxiety, which directly impacts their ability to engage customers effectively. And if they aren’t engaging effectively, it’s unlikely that they are maximizing their interaction for sales (and probably even customer experience).

What we can learn from this study is that it demonstrates how potentially half of your team could be holding back on their actual sales potential, not because they’re lazy, but because they’re nervous or unsure how to handle specific customer situations.

The good news is the fear of selling isn’t permanent and can be changed, especially with integration of consistent training, lots of practice, and a slight mindshift in how we talk about selling.

If we want to overcome the fear of selling, we have to start by understanding how sales anxiety develops, specific behaviors for how it shows up, and what you can start doing to help your team build sales confidence without any pushy sales tactics.

What is Sales Anxiety?

Sales anxiety is a nervousness, fear, or discomfort around the act of selling itself especially when it comes to asking for money, handling rejection, or navigating objections from customers.

It can show up as:

Fear of being pushy
Imposter syndrome
A shaky voice or rapid heartbeat
Avoidance (e.g. skipping steps in the sales process)
Over-talking (aka word vomitting) or freezing up and saying nothing
Feeling “bad” or awkward about suggesting products or following up post purchase
Low self-esteem in relation to sales

Some employees are even afraid to look “too salesy,” so they avoid selling altogether. And other employees may have never been shown how to sell in a way that feels authentic and natural.

It's important to remind your team, and yourself, that sales anxiety isn’t a bad thing. It’s usually a combination of feeling nervous and a lack of consistent sales training.

What Causes Sales Anxiety?

There are a few root causes of nervous selling, but here are the most common ones I see:

Fear of rejection or being seen as pushy
Pressure to perform without proper tools, coaching, or strategy
Belief that sales is manipulation
Bad past experiences being “sold to”
No formal training or support in how to engage and close

Most people aren’t taught how to sell in a way that feels like helping. So when someone “hates selling,” it’s often because their only examples have been high-pressure, uncomfortable, or transactional.

And unfortunately, many employees would rather avoid a task than admit they don’t feel confident doing it. So they default to what’s comfortable instead of what’s effective.

That’s why it’s never as simple as: “Just go out and sell.”
It takes training, conversation, and a reset of what selling actually means.

Signs Your Team Might Be Struggling with Sales Anxiety

If you’re not sure whether this is what’s going on with your team, here are some real-life signs of sales fear and avoidance:

Avoids initiating conversations (waits for the customer to come to them)
Talks at customers instead of with them
Skips product suggestions or add-ons because they don’t know how to naturally integrate it into the conversation
Over-explains or offers discounts too quickly
Doesn’t ask open-ended questions
Avoids following up after the sale
Never closes; they just say “thank you” and walk away
Doesn’t offer alternatives when something is out of stock
Relies on discounts or promos to make sales

You might also hear them say things like:

“I’m not good at selling”
“I’m not a salesperson”
“I don’t want anyone to buy something they don’t need”
“They didn’t seem interested”
“That would feel weird to say to the customer”
“I ran out of time”
“I see clients when I feel in alignment with what they’re ready to receive” (Yes, that’s a real one I’ve heard)

These aren’t excuses. These are signs of discomfort, confusion, or lack of tools.

How to Help Employees Who Hate Selling (Or Feel Anxious About It)

The truth is, you can build a confident sales team—even if they currently hate selling or feel nervous every time. And you don’t need to throw a 3-day workshop at them to make it happen.

Here’s how to start:

1. Normalize the Fear

Let your team know this is common. Even seasoned salespeople experience sales anxiety—it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Normalize it. Talk about it. Fear shrinks when it’s not hidden.

2. Reframe Selling as Helping

This one changes everything.
Most people don’t hate helping. They hate feeling like they’re manipulating someone. Remind your team that consultative selling is about solving problems, guiding people, and making thoughtful suggestions. It’s not about pressure—it’s about partnership.

3. Give Them One Confident Phrase

Instead of changing everything at once, give them just one new phrase to practice for the week. Something simple and confident they can say to customers. It helps shift their mindset and build muscle memory without overwhelming them.

Examples:

“One thing I always recommend with that is…”
“Most people love pairing it with…”
“Let me show you!”

4. Be the Example

Your team watches you more than you realize. Show them how to engage customers, how to handle objections, how to follow up. Roleplay with them. Talk about what worked. Celebrate little moments. Model the behaviors you want them to copy.

5. Praise the Effort, Not Just the Outcome

Your team needs to know it’s safe to try—even if it doesn’t end in a sale. If someone suggests a product and the customer says no? Celebrate that! Why? Because they took action. Sales confidence comes from practice, not just wins.

And If You Need Help, That’s What I’m Here For

Sales anxiety is real but it’s not permanent. When you provide your team with the right tools, verbiage, support, and training, even the most anxious of employees can learn how to better connect with customers, suggest products and services naturally, and feel excited about what they have to offer.

If you don’t know how to start, that’s where I come in.

I specialize in working with customer facing sales teams to build sales confidence in a way that feels human, not pushy. Whether it’s workshops, team training, secret shopping or 1:1 consultations, I help you (and your team) feel good about what they sell so it shows up in your numbers.

Want to learn more or chat about your store’s needs? Let’s connect.

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ABOUT RACHEL

With more than 13 years of experience in luxury retail, Rachel now trains customer-facing sales teams how to turn more lookers into buyers with a focus in consultative selling and customer retention.