--- title: How The Best Salespeople Sabotage Their Own Potential | Rainmaker description: Is your top salesperson or even you sabotaging your own potential through negative self talk? What you say to yourself matters! image: https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hs-fs/file-2151626910-jpg/Blog_Images/The_best_salespeople_can_sabotage_their_own_potential.jpg --- [![](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hs-fs/file-2151626910-jpg/Blog_Images/The_best_salespeople_can_sabotage_their_own_potential.jpg) ](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/how-the-best-salespeople-sabotage-their-own-potential) # How The Best Salespeople Sabotage Their Own Potential Dec 2, 2014 by [Chris Young](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/author/chris-young) - - - ## ![The_best_salespeople_can_sabotage_their_own_potential](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hs-fs/file-2151626910-jpg/Blog_Images/The_best_salespeople_can_sabotage_their_own_potential.jpg?width=270&name=The_best_salespeople_can_sabotage_their_own_potential.jpg)The best salespeople often sabotage their own potential. If you are like me, you play to win.  It is hard-coded in your DNA.  Losing is not something you take lightly.   Do you use your word against yourself?  Do you say things like, "Sometimes I am so stupid" or "I suck"? Sounds insignificant, doesn't it?  I often hear people proclaim, "I am hardest on myself."  It is almost like a badge of honor.  Negative self talk should not be a badge of honor.   ## The potential of top salespeople is gorgeous like a Porsche 911 Turbo. Ever since the first time I saw a Porsche 911 Turbo, I have wanted one oh so badly.  I am working hard to attract one soon - [Guards Red](http://cc.porsche.com/icc_pcna/ccCall.do?rt=1416953511&screen=2560x1440&userID=US&lang=us&PARAM=parameter_internet_us&ORDERTYPE=991430&hookURL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.porsche.com%2fusa%2fmodelstart%2fall%2f%3fmodelrange%3d911).  Go ahead.  Take a look.  You know you want to...  Choose your preferred color and then print it.  Then come back and finish reading this.   A Porsche 911 Turbo is designed to outperform most everything else in its class.  A Porsche 911 Turbo is anything but average.  A Porsche 911 Turbo is a timeless classic beauty built for speed.   When I get my Guards Red Porsche 911 Turbo, I will take care of it.  I will love and protect it.  I will drive it proudly and I will drive it the way it is meant to be driven. If you had a Porsche 911 Turbo, how would you take care of it? You wouldn't put cheap fuel in your Porsche 911 Turbo, would you?  Nor would I.  Would you drive with under-inflated tires?  No!  It is a Porsche. *Your "fuel" - your "tire pressure" - is how you talk to yourself.  The way you think, what you believe and what you say - all matter.  When you use negative self-talk - your fuel quality is poor and your tire pressure is low.* *You cannot do your best work with negative self-talk.*   ## The best salespeople often flatten their own tires through negative self-talk. Over the last decade, I have studied what separates good sales performance and great sales performance using advanced psychometric testing and old-fashioned statistical analysis.  The best salespeople hate losing.  They "[*feedback loop*](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/3-feedback-questions-you-need-to-ask-for-employee-coaching)" their experiences, carefully scrutinizing what works and does not work to continuously improve their win ratio. ### I have observed two patterns that are essential for you to know.   1. **Top salespeople have a very distinct [sales personality test](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/sales-personality-test) pattern.**  Extremely distinct.  If you are curious about your sales personality, go [here](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/sales-personality-test) to complete a sample assessment and we will forward your results upon completion.   2. **Top salespeople sabotage their own potential by being overly hard on themselves.** Too much of a good thing can turn into trouble.  Too much *feedback looping* can often turn into overly critical self analysis... and often, to negative self talk.  The key is to stop it before it begins by creating a better habit.   After studying thousands of salespeople, I have come to understand the value of scrutinizing outliers.  A salesperson "wired" like a sales wolf is going to outperform over 80 percent of all other salespeople.  When they do not, it is due to one or a combination of the following three reasons.  ![The_best_salespeople_often_flatten_their_own_tires](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hs-fs/file-2151692195-jpg/Blog_Images/The_best_salespeople_often_flatten_their_own_tires.jpg?width=325&name=The_best_salespeople_often_flatten_their_own_tires.jpg) - They have a poor sales manager. - The product / service / brand has a problem. - Negative self-talk. After debriefing many, many [sales wolves](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/the-mindset-habits-of-sales-wolves) - I have found a common "Achilles heel" in the Acumen section of their sales personality testing that shows the potential for negative self-talk.  This area of their reporting illustrates how well they understand their potential as well as and how hard they are on themselves.  When I address this concern area, I share the following...   ## Your word is all powerful.  *What you think about - you bring about.*  I highly recommend you watch the video and read Rhonda Byrne's [The Secret](http://thesecret.tv/).  *What you say matters.  What you think matters.  What you say to yourself...  It matters more than you know.  Choose thoughts and words carefully.* I used to use negative self-talk. I no longer do because I know what happens when I do.  I slow down my potential. I hobble myself.  I lower my "tire pressure" and rob myself of potential.  Winning does not include using negative self-talk.   Two powerful books that I have read several times is [The Four Agreements](http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416955560&sr=8-1&keywords=the+four+agreements) by Don Miguel Ruiz as well as follow-up book [The Fifth Agreement](http://www.amazon.com/Fifth-Agreement-Practical-Self-Mastery-Toltec/dp/1878424610/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416955594&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fifth+agreements) coauthored with his son. Both have the power to change your life. The biggest thing I learned from Don Miguel Ruiz and his son is how powerful my word is.  *My word is all powerful and should be used very carefully - particularly when talking to myself.  *   ## I did not say, "Let yourself off the hook". Let's be clear here.  I did not just hand you a get out of jail free card.  I said, "Choose your words carefully."  Never use your word against yourself.  Hold yourself accountable.  But do so carefully and purposefully.  Never use your word against yourself.   ## A helpful general rule about how to hold yourself accountable. I have two rules that I follow. 1. **If I would not say it to a four year old, I always avoid saying it to myself.  ** 2. Develop the habit of asking, **"What could I have done better?"** or **"How will I improve next time?"** or **"What lesson can I take away from this to make next time even better?"**   ## The decision is yours. It took several weeks to break my negative self-talk habit.  I made a decision to break this bad habit because it was not serving me the way I had thought.  I was on auto-pilot.   I have avoided negative self-talk for the most part for almost a decade.  Occasionally I get off track, but when I do, I notice what went wrong and improve from there.   The decision is yours.  [![How to Identify Don Draper Salespeople Webinar](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/115950/840991f5-6e57-46b2-b0bc-9f3f53f0eaea.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/115950/840991f5-6e57-46b2-b0bc-9f3f53f0eaea) _________________________________ *Have a story to share?  Drop me a line.  * *If you have an "ah ha moment" or a tip - share it in the comments below. *         [Sales Performance](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/tag/sales-performance) ### Recent Posts ![feature image](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/Illustration%20of%20competing%20organizational%20priorities%20and%20diverging%20paths%2c%20representing%20Organizational%20DriftTM%2c%20unclear%20direction%2c%20and%20misaligned%20execution.jpg) [ Stop the Drift™ ](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/stop-the-drift) Jun 24, 2026 ![feature image](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/iStock-1322139081.jpg) [ Build What Talent Chases™ ](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/build-what-talent-chases) Jun 3, 2026 ![feature image](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/organizational-drift-and-structural-misalignment.jpg) [ DRIFT DISCIPLINE ](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/drift-discipline) May 28, 2026 ### Posts by Tag - [Sales Selection (49)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/sales-selection) - [Scaling Up (40)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/scaling-up) - [Sales Management (25)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/sales-management) - [Sales Culture (24)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/sales-culture) - [Sales Performance (20)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/sales-performance) - [Leadership (19)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/leadership) - [Mindset (17)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/mindset) - [Sales Strategy (15)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/sales-strategy) - [Team Effectiveness (15)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/team-effectiveness) - [Rockefeller Habits (7)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/rockefeller-habits) - [Culture (3)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/culture) - [Metronomics (3)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/metronomics) - [Blue Ocean Strategy (1)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/blue-ocean-strategy) - [Employees (1)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/employees) - [Founder Mode (1)](https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/topic/founder-mode) ![](https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=238051740001209&ev=PageView&noscript=1) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Chris Young", "url" : "https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/author/chris-young" }, "dateModified" : "2022-08-12T17:43:33.101Z", "datePublished" : "2014-12-02T16:30:00.000Z", "headline" : "How The Best Salespeople Sabotage Their Own Potential | Rainmaker", "image" : [ "https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hs-fs/file-2151626910-jpg/Blog_Images/The_best_salespeople_can_sabotage_their_own_potential.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/blog/how-the-best-salespeople-sabotage-their-own-potential", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com/hubfs/the-rainmaker-group-logo-top-nav.svg" }, "name" : "The Rainmaker Group" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "name" : "The Rainmaker Group", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/TheRainmakerGroup", "https://www.twitter.com/therainmaker", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rainmaker-group-inc.", "https://plus.google.com/+Therainmakergroupinc" ], "url" : "https://www.therainmakergroupinc.com" } ```