“I hate sales.” This is the most common thing I hear.  ”I can’t sell” is a close second.  It makes me cringe a little everytime I hear it because I don’t agree.  What you hate is deception, pushiness, spam, coercion – things that unskilled and unprofessional people do instead of true selling. 

Reason 1 – It’s all about me.

Successful selling is never about you.  I’ll repeat – it’s never about you.  It’s about them.  So don’t worry if you don’t like self-promotion and you can’t be like Donald Trump with your name and face all over.  This isn’t new to you I’m certain.  I’m sure you’ve heard it before.  So the question I have is: Why haven’t you learned to talk/write, sell with your customer in mind? Are you sure they understand how much better/faster/thinner/easier things will be if they buy from you?

Reason 2: Selling out.

Somehow the romantic notion of the starving artist became something nobler or better than getting paid. Really? You want to toil and sweat and pour your life’s energy into something and then refuse to be compensated? Of course not. I don’t know who said this to me first, but it’s stuck with me for years.  The best way to help the poor is to not be one of them.  Most artists are starving because they suck at selling.  Don’t get mad at me, I didn’t make the rules.  Show me an artist who is thriving – you’ll find they have figured out a way to sell what they do.  Question: Why haven’t you?

Reason 3: But I can’t be pushy.

Well, good for you.  I can’t either.  So, when you buy a new book – it’s because someone made you?  Of course not.  How about your new car, or home or TV? Did someone drag you to the store and force you to buy it? I’m going overboard to prove a point. If you are talking to the right people, with something they want (notice I didn’t say need?) no pushiness is needed.  Make it easy for people to say YES!  Give them options and choices (you want frys with that?) or payment plans or a bonus for buying today – That’s not pushy, that’s selling. Question: Are you even asking?

Reason 4: People just don’t understand how much this will help them.

I hear this alot – but in a specific context. Please allow me to explain. I talk with people who are emotionally tied to the reasons why people aren’t buying.  And they can’t let go.  Example: I spoke with a wellness practitioner that does some sort of cranial manipulation thingy (I know I’m not accuratly describing this – she couldn’t explain it to me and she does this for a living!) that makes people who have chronic headaches stop having headaches! I spent over an hour trying to help her put a marketing message together. (For free, which was a mistake) And all she kept saying were statements like this: “People just won’t pay for it.”  “Insurance doesn’t cover it so people think it’s too expensive.” “People won’t pay to feel better.”  On and on this went.  I couldn’t change her mindset.  Here’s what I know for sure.  I have a friend who is debilitated by headaches to the point where she can’t get out of bed some days.  She would pay all kinds of money to make them stop.  But this practitioner can’t even see the possiblity! Question: Have you decided in advance no one will buy?

Reason 5: My favorite – I can do it for others, but not for myself.

So you’re admitting you can sell. You’re acknowledging that you do in fact have the skills necessary. But only if you don’t personally benefit?  What? I know this gets all tangled up in asking vs. reccomending.  Some of this also gets tied up with the whole, I can’t talk about myself thing too.  I get it. But here’s the bottom line.  If you truly know what you are selling is of value, and you are talking to the right person (target market baby) then you owe it to them to make the offer. Really. It can be as easy and saying, “My nero-cranial thingy helps many clients eliminate thier headaches.” If you want to schedule a session, I can give you my next open appointment.”  It’s worth repeating. Make it easy for people to say yes! Question: How can you ask in a way that feels good to you?

I  know this isn’t easy for you.  I can’t explain why, but it’s always been easy for me. And I want to help. It really doesn’t have to be hard, or stressful or sucky.  Please let me know in the comments what is holding you back.

Want help?  Email me if you want a skype (or in person if you’re in the Nashville area) consultation. I know you can do this.  You can be successful at selling. And it doesn’t mean being someone you’re not or using tactics you hate. I promise!
pnichols at soundadvicesales.com

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 Today is “Groundhogs Day” here in the US. The roots of this quirky winter prediction event goes back to Europe and like many other things took a bit of a twist here in the US. You can read about the history here. Since the early 90′s Groundhogs Day is a movie, with popular actor Bill Murray.  In case you don’t know the story, he relives groundhogs day over and over and over.  But he’s the only one who is experiening it that way.  No one else is in on the recycling of events.  If you haven’t seen it, The Encore channel (who else?) is running the movie for 24 hours today.  It’s a clever way to acknowledge the whole deja-vu quality of the movie. 

What does this have to do with selling?

Fair question. I see this often with people who need to improve their sales.  They continue to do the same things even though they don’t see the results they want. Like Murray, they lather, rinse, repeat and hope that this time it will work.  So in the spirit of Groundhogs Day, here are a few things to jumpstart your sales and have you beaming with new customers by spring.

Take inventory.

It’s easy to be busy with activity and neglect taking a quick accounting of what’s working.  Schedule 20 minutes in your week and be very honest with yourself.  What sales activity is yielding business?  What isn’t? 

STOP any activity that isn’t paying you.  It’s okay to make a change.  Don’t let yourself get attached to an activity or process that isn’t putting money in your business.  I recently spoke to a business owner who was proud of the fact that he attends up to 5 networking events each week.  His pile of business cards was impressive and he thought that was a great measurment of his efforts.  When I asked how many new clients/new revenue this activity was bringing in, he had no answer.  No tangible sales. 

Now, don’t get me wrong – networking is a great way to establish credibility, build relationships, and meeting prospective clients.  I like going to some events myself.  But be honest about why you are there, what you hope to accomplish and if it is really working for you.  This also applies to the newest “online” strategy. Or direct mail, or email campaigns or any other strategy you use. If the desired result is revenue and it’s not happening, be honest about it and make a change.

Be bold.

In my conversations with business owners I often ask, what do you think you need to be doing?  What is missing from from their current strategy? Almost always they know at least one thing that they could do, but aren’t.  You may be in that spot.  Like Murray’s character in the movie, there are lots of reasons NOT to do accept your reality.  But guess what?  Deciding to take action may be scary, but it’s so worth it.

What should you do?

Take action! Decide today that you will make a change to your sales efforts.  Reconnect with your email list. Improve your offer on your website. Call back those prospects that haven’t decided. Ask for feedback. 

Let me know how I can help.

Sometimes taking the bravest but smallest step makes all the difference!