“I’m financially independent and I don’t need the business.”

This was one of the most useful ideas I picked up in sales training. Not because it’s literally true in every moment, but because of what it creates: composure, clarity, and the ability to walk away from the wrong deal.

Too many professionals start negotiating before they’ve established value. They discount early, chase the close, and unintentionally signal uncertainty. That’s where deals start to slip, because confidence drops, positioning weakens, and the relationship shifts.

An abundance mindset changes that dynamic. When you’re not operating from urgency, you ask better questions, hold your ground longer, and make decisions that serve the long term, not just the immediate win.

A former business partner used to say, “Surround yourself with the conditions you intend to create.” It stuck with me. The way you show up—your tone, your language, your standards—shapes how others experience you.

If you want to be seen as confident, credible, and steady, you have to act like it before you feel it. Not as an act, but as a discipline.

That’s what leads to better outcomes.

By the way: Everyone should get sales training.

We invested in sales training and it was like rocket fuel to the business. Prior to that we were simply winging it instead of having a specific process. We worked with Jim Ayraud and Haley Haggerty of Next Level and they were a great match. Even if you investigate a methodology, read a book and adopt a process, you’ll be better off than winging it.

This is a contributed blog post written by Kevin Hart of Engine 58. Are you interested in submitting a guest blog post to Massachusetts Business Network? Fill out our contact form.