Let’s talk about sales! But first, let’s play a game. When I say sales, you think what? Gross? Uncomfortable? Pushy? Sleazy? Terrifying? But what if I told you that it doesn’t have to be that way. That learning to become comfortable with and even excited about the opportunity to sell your services, products, programs and events is possible for everyone … yes, even you!
Today, we’re going to talk about why you might have such negative associations when it comes sales and selling and how you too can become one of those people who sells their products, services and programs easily and effortlessly … and dare I say it … even find it fun!
Read to the end, and I will give you a very simple way to stay in the right headspace when it comes to creating your offers and asking for the sale.
So, today I’m going to start with a story from almost 25 years ago. I was with Justin Theroux’s mom when I found out I was pregnant with my first baby. It was October 2000, and we were drinking red wine together in Italy.
She was running what I believe was her first writer’s retreat at an Italian villa near Siena. I’d seen the single-line invitation in her short bio at the end of her monthly column on the back page of House Beautiful magazine. And this is a perfect example of how sales works in your business.
Do your primary work, create a new offer, get eyeballs on it, and make a call-to-action. Those people who resonate with it will come to your website or social media profile and take action. But you first need to have a system to tell them where to go and what you want them to do. That’s your job. Their job is to self-select and raise their hand by going to the place you told them to go and doing the thing you told them to do.
You’re not twisting their arm, convincing them to want what you’re offering, or hard selling them to buy. You’re just doing your work, promoting it to put it out in front of people, giving them a place to go, and telling them what to do to find out more. That’s sales. It’s as simple as that.
Unfortunately, many online business owners, especially those selling their own services, programs and memberships shy away from the sales part of their business. They want to do the actual work … coaching clients, developing courses, and creating trainings for memberships. But they don’t want to do the promotion to get themselves in front of people. And they absolutely don’t want to ask for the sale fearing rejection, mortification or objections they may not know how to respond to.
But sales is a critical part of business and without it, these talented, experienced, wise, and generous people struggle to get enough customers, clients, or members to generate a consistent flow of income to sustain their business. Then the world loses another brilliant female leader who could have transformed a lot of lives, and the online business owner loses their dream of making the difference they know they were born to make.
If this is something that you have experienced in your business, especially if you are a heart-centered, purpose-fueled female entrepreneur, I’ve got good news. You can learn to be comfortable with sales and even, dare I say, enjoy it and look forward to the next opportunity to do it.
First, accept that very few of us are naturally comfortable promoting ourselves, especially when we are selling our own services, products and programs because we are essentially selling ourselves. Some of us are introverts and just aren’t comfortable with all eyes on us. In addition, many of us were raised with limiting beliefs around sales, selling, self-promotion, bragging, pride or “being too big for our britches.”
That means, it’s a skill that you have to learn. But the good news is that you can. It’s simple conditioning through consistent action, no different than strengthening your muscles at the gym. You can develop the skill by doing it just like using your muscles makes them stronger little by little over time.
Secondly, it’s critically important that you believe in what you’re selling. Create something you are proud of and are well-qualified to deliver then make an offer that is a win-win. Tell people what you have and invite them to join you. If they say “yes”, both you and they get what you want. You both leave the conversation happy.
Remove from your mind that you are ever in a position where you feel you have to strong-arm someone to buy. If you feel that way, there is something wrong with your offer. Either you aren’t actually qualified to deliver on the promise you are making, you don’t believe in the value, or you are trying to sell it to someone who you don’t believe actually needs it.
If you are a person with integrity, all of those *should* make you feel crappy. So, trust those feelings, and re-evaluate to see which of the three elements I mentioned might be at play.
So today, you learned that Phyllis Theroux found out I was pregnant with my first baby before my husband did. And you learned that becoming more comfortable with sales is just a mindset shift and a learnable skill … both of which are within your control.
As promised, here’s my #1 tip for approaching sales conversations with confidence and ease. Focus on asking them questions and solving their Problem … even if the Solution ends up being *not* working with you.
Instead of going into a sales conversation thinking that it’s your job to convince them to hire you or buy what you’re selling, go into it thinking “I’m going to have an open-hearted conversation with this person and ask questions to find out what they really need. Then if it’s something I can help with, I’ll tell them how I can help. And if it isn’t, I’ll let them know that too. And if I have any resources, recommendations or referrals to give them, I’ll do that. Either way, I’ll do what I can to help them.
That’s sales folks!
