Awhile back, my family decided we should all go to the casino for an afternoon of fun and maybe even a little profit. One of the players at our blackjack table kept repeating these words: “Go big or go home.”

As a businessperson, I am used to taking calculated risks, but I have to admit—I gambled big with the future of my travel agency.

Calculated Risks

Outwardly, I was very successful, selling a high volume of “contemporary” products and, because of this, was often treated like a VIP. I was flown first class to inaugural events, served lavish dinners with industry executives and so on.

However, the agency was hemorrhaging money and in danger of going out of business. It was a high-service agency trying to compete on price. It just didn’t work.

Focusing on the Affluent

So, I made the biggest bet since starting the company. I began focusing on attracting affluent customers as my overall sales strategy. Go big or go home!

Many people are intimidated by affluent prospects, and I was no different. I was raised on an artists’ commune in the 1970s. On a scale from one to 10, our social and financial standing in the community was probably in the negative numbers.

Even after years of working on cruise ships, I was still intimidated by people based on my perceptions of their incomes, professions and positions of power. But as I came to know many of these folks, I realized my fears were unfounded.

Seeing Things Clearly

I was the problem. I was seeing them for what I thought they had become, not for who they really were. If I was to build my business with luxury prospects as my client base, I needed to learn to handle my own issues.

Fast forward to today. I still have many of the same fears, anxieties and insecurities I had then—I just choose not to let them control who I am.

Do you have some of the same perceptions about your prospects? Are they standing in the way of the success of your career or business? Once we learn to get out of our own way, the sky is the limit!

Dan Chappelle is a sales performance coach and professional business advisor. His training and consulting firm develops sales-focused business leaders and entrepreneurs in the travel industry.