"Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings."

Napoleon Hill

As we start off our time together, let's do so by applying this Napoleon Hill quote to salespeople and leaders.

Sales is often seen as an external game, targets, meetings, and KPI's. But at its core, it's an inner journey and for some a struggle. Every call made, every door pulled, and every meeting begins not with a script, but with a belief... A belief of “I'm capable. I'm worthy, and I create value.”

This is about self-confidence, not arrogance. It's the quiet, steady conviction that you have something meaningful to offer, and that your voice deserves to be heard.

We all know that rejection is all a part of sales. For the confident professional, rejection isn't a verdict on their worth, it’s a moment of redirection. It's about finding out the answer to the question, “What can I learn from this and how can I grow?”

Confidence transforms rejection from a wall into a mirror, reflecting lessons, not limitations.

I believe confident sales professionals, those heart-centered show up authentically. They don’t need to manipulate or overpromise.

They trust that their honesty, empathy, and clarity are enough. They know that people don’t just buy products, they buy trust, connection, and certainty.

Confident sales professionals:

• Ask for the meeting no one else dares to request.

• Shares ideas and insights that gets people to think.

• Believe in success before the world sees it.

Self-confidence isn’t loud. It’s the quiet voice that says, “I’ll try again tomorrow.” “I’m still learning, and that’s okay.” “I belong here.”

Your internal voice is your soul’s fingerprint.

Whether some choose to believe me or not, we live and sell in a post-trust world, where skepticism runs high and canned sales pitches simply fall flat.

In this environment, salespeople start chasing new tools, scripts, or hacks, forgetting that the most impactful asset in the conversation is something they already have, their voice.

Not just the physical voice but the confidence, conviction, and clarity that comes through when you speak from the heart.

Authenticity can't be faked. Your conviction can't be outsourced. When you speak with belief, you don’t just inform you influence, you connect, and you inspire people.

The Trust Formula which is Authentic Relationships, Meaningful Value, Inspirational Experiences, and Disciplined Habits, simply amplifies your voice. It turns your words into trust, your tone into connection, and your presence into impact.

Don’t chase the perfect pitch. Cultivate a real voice.

The meaning behind this message to you isn’t about speaking perfectly, it’s about speaking authentically.

What does confidence sound like to you?

Before you speak with confidence, you must believe with conviction.

Confidence is not manufactured.

It’s not some bravado-laced performance or a slick rehearsed pitch. Real confidence, let's just say, authentic confidence, is the alignment between your heart and your message.

You earn the right to speak with confidence not by faking certainty but by doing the deep inner work to know who you are, what you believe in, and the value you bring to others.

I encourage you to ask yourself a few deeper questions to help you explore your authentic self before stepping into any client conversation:

1. What part of my message do I most believe in and why? Can you say it without a script, and from the heart?

2. When was the last time a client said, “I can tell you really care”? What did you do or say that made them feel that way?

3. Am I living what I'm selling? Are your daily habits aligned with the promises you make to clients? This goes back to the Disciplined Habits pillar in the Trust Formula: AR + MV + IE + DH.

4. Would I buy from me? Not because of your product but because of your presence, conviction, and character.

Let's layer in the Trust Formula, as confidence shows up when:

• Your Authentic Relationships (AR) are rooted in care, not quota.

• You articulate Meaningful Value (MV) based on what your client values, not what you’re selling.

• You deliver Inspirational Experiences (IE) that make your clients feel heard, seen, and challenged, in a good way.

• You practice Disciplined Habits (DH) that back your words with consistent follow-through.

It’s not enough to be sure of yourself. Your words must be grounded in integrity, belief, and relational equity. This is how we move from performing to transforming trust.

You don’t earn the right to lead a sales conversation with confidence until you’ve done the heart work.

Confidence Begins With Clarity

Clarity in message breeds confidence in delivery. Salespeople often falter in front of clients because they’re unclear not just on what to say, but why they’re saying it.

This is where The Trust Formula comes into play:

• Authentic Relationships (AR)

• Meaningful Value (MV)

• Inspirational Experience (IE)

• Disciplined Habits (DH)

This model will remind you that when we speak with confidence, you must ensure its rooted in real relationships, valuable insights, and consistent follow-through.

When your message is anchored in meaning, your words carry weight.

Confidence, it’s the quiet power that comes when your head, heart, and habits are in sync.

The most compelling voices in sales don’t echo scripts; they echo conviction.

These people have done the inner work to strip away the noise, the ego, the empty tactics and what remains is clarity of purpose.

When you know who you are and believe in the impact you bring, you don’t need to chase attention, your presence earns it.

The Boldness of Truth in a Distrustful World

Truth in leadership and sales is leadership, which involves being honest, transparent, and well-principled. It means communicating with clarity and boldly, applying these principles with confidence, while being accountable to yourself.

This is not about bravado. It’s about bold integrity, the kind that resonates in your voice when you speak truth to a client’s issues, challenges, opportunities or aspirations.

Confidence doesn’t mean you have all the answers. It means you're willing to ask the right questions and sit with the tension that real, human conversation brings.

To be bold in truth is to risk being misunderstood, as choose honesty over everything else.

It's about choosing depth over polish, and substance over performance. Because in our world today, we're conditioned to reward the loudest voice in the room, however; the real power lies in the one who speaks with unwavering conviction, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Bold truth isn’t aggressive; it’s grounded. It challenges assumptions not to win, but to serve.

When clients sense that your courage is fueled by care and not ego, they lean in.

Boldness wrapped in empathy becomes magnetic.

Check out Selling in a Post-trust World on Audio, click on the image to download.

Speaking to Be Heard vs. Speaking to Be Felt

Allow this to sink in for a moment... Inauthentic sellers speak to be heard; authentic sellers speak to be felt.

This my friends is a seismic shift in the sales world.

When you speak with confidence from your heart and not a script, you give clients permission to do the same. You open the door to connection before any kind of sales happens.

Confidence in your speak doesn’t mean dominating the room. It means entering with empathy, clarity, and conviction without arrogance.

Heartfelt professionals speak to be felt as they communicate from a place of presence, not performance.

This means they're not just transferring information, they're transferring belief, intention, and care.

It's safe to say that the sales world has become saturated with noise. I believe the words that resonate aren’t the loudest, they’re the most aligned.

When clients feel you, not just hear you, they begin to trust you. That’s where walls come down and real conversation begins. This only happens when your voice echoes your values.

You see, authentic professionals don’t just say what the client wants to hear, they speak what the moment truly needs, even if it’s raw, unpolished, or challenging.

That’s when hearts open and conversation follows.

Confidence Is Contagious

Sales is a transfer of emotions. If you’re tentative, your client feels it. If you’re uncertain, your client hesitates. When you’re well-grounded, clear, and convinced of your value, you bring a calm strength that invites trust.

This emotional steadiness is more than a skill, it’s a gift.

The more confident and grounded you are in how you speak, the more trust you build.

Confidence isn’t just contagious, it’s anchoring. In these chaotic times, with overloaded inboxes, and distracted minds, your presence can become the calm in someone else’s storm.

This kind of presence can’t be faked. It comes from doing the inner work to know why you matter, not just what you sell.

Confidence rooted in clarity becomes a mirror and when you're grounded, your clients feel permission to ground themselves too.

Let's call this space, emotional steadiness. This is where trust accelerates. I believe trust is earned not through perfection, but through consistent authenticity.

The time is now to ask yourself... What’s the emotional residue I leave behind in a room?

Your Voice becomes Leadership

Every conversation with a client is an act of leadership.

When you speak with confidence:

• You lead clients to clarity.

• You lead clients through uncertainty.

• You lead clients toward transformation.

Here’s the twist, you can’t lead others until you lead yourself.

Confidence in your speak is impossible without confidence in who you are. By this I mean, not some puffed-up persona, but a deeply rooted, self-aware, authentic self.

That’s why so many heart-centered professionals are also the most introspective. They know that the real work happens off-stage and behind the curtains.

Your voice broadcasts your beliefs, your intentions, and your level of inner alignment. In every client conversation, your voice either invites trust or triggers resistance.

At this present moment, is your voice portraying leadership?

By saying this, I'm not referring to the kind marked by authority, but the kind shaped by integrity.

The boldest, clearest voices are formed in quiet spaces, through reflection, soul-searching, and a relentless commitment to self-awareness.

The inner work precedes the outer success.

Your voice becomes leadership when you emerge from that inner work, when you're not trying to impress, but to impact.

How Are You Showing Up?

Ask yourself:

• What tone am I bringing into sales conversations?

• What kind of energy do I leave behind after I speak?

• Do my words invite trust, clarity, and action?

If the answer is, I'm not sure, then good. This means you’ve got room to grow. Growth is where confidence is born.

How you show up isn’t just about preparation, it’s about presence. I hate to tell you this, but this is your responsibility.

Clients don’t just hear your words; they feel your energy. They pick up on your belief, your posture, your pace.

Are you rushed or grounded? Scripted or sincere?

When you walk into a conversation, you're either adding clarity or creating confusion. You're either elevating trust or eroding it.

That’s why how you show up matters just as much as what you say.

Confidence isn’t the absence of doubt, it’s the result of owning your gaps, doing the work, and choosing to show up fully aligned, heart first.

The Quiet Confidence That Builds Movements

As you finish reading this, I challenge you to embrace quiet confidence. The kind that doesn’t shout for attention but speaks with unwavering purpose.

Your clients need someone who sees them, hears them, and believes in the path forward.

Someone who’s done the work to show up with calm, conviction, and compassion.

So, as you prepare for your next client meeting, please remember this... The words you choose, the tone you use, and the belief you carry in your voice could be the very thing that opens a door, solves a problem, or builds a lifelong relationship.

The sales world is full of noise, gimmicks, and surface-level charm, your steady presence becomes the differentiator.

This steady presence signals to clients that you're not here to impress, you’re here to serve.

You do so because you know who you are, what you stand for, and why you’re showing up.

So, before you step into your next conversation, ask yourself this... Am I showing up as someone to be heard or someone to be felt and followed?

Because the quiet confidence you carry might just be the catalyst that changes everything.

In Closing, Confidence Is Not a Performance, It’s a Practice

True confidence doesn’t raise its voice—it raises the level of trust in the room.

Your voice matters. When it’s infused with truth, heart, and conviction, it becomes your most powerful tool, not just to sell, but to serve.

Allow your voice to be the bridge between authenticity and action.

Speak with confidence and most of all, sell from the heart.

Originally published on Larry Levine's LinkedIn.