3 Quick Tips to Make Peace with Selling (and Hack Your Sales-Phobic Tendencies)
If I had a dime for every time I heard one of my tribe members say, "I don't like sales, I'm just not good at it," I wouldn't have to launch another program for the rest of my days.
But here's the thing: You know sales better than you might think.
We are sold to all day, every day...especially now that we all have mini-computers in our pockets everywhere we go.
From the ads you scrolled by on your newsfeed this morning to the signs you drove by at the gas station to the book drive pamphlet stuffed in your kid's backpack - you are constantly being sold to.
And I am willing to bet that you are VERY clear on how you don't like to be sold to, right?
Have you ever been that person diving to hide behind the kitchen counter in her own house to avoid someone who was knocking on the door trying to sell you on their political or religious beliefs?
Raises Hand. #guilty
When was the last time you answered an unrecognizable number on your phone at dinner time (or anytime nowadays)?
Can you even remember life before caller ID?
In these examples, I am willing to bet you can clearly recall the visceral feelings coursing through your body when you were being sold to in a way that felt high-pressure or off-putting in some way.
Gues what? This is great news!
By recalling these examples, I've got you primed to tap in to what you DON'T want, which means...you guessed it...will easily pave the way for you to recognize what you DO want.
Can you remember a time when you bought a product or service and the experience felt absolutely incredible?
Take a beat and jot down what the sales person said or did to help you make the decision to buy feel amazing.
Consider how motivated you were to make the purchase in the first place and what role the sales person played in walking you to the checkout counter or sales page with ease and a feeling assurance and trust.
Is it getting clearer for you, now?
Great, now let's flip it around to the products and services you are selling to your audience.
Let's begin by assuming that what you are selling is already a perfect fit for your ideal client (if you need help with that, click here).
Here are 3 Quick Tips to Make Peace with Selling (+ Hack Your Sales-Phobic Tendencies)
1. Sell the way you want to be sold to.
What does that look like for you? How do you want to be sold to? What does this experience need to feel like in order to engage you and not send you running for the exit?
When it comes to coaching services and programs, it's all about connecting to the bigger why and remembering what your former self really needed to hear.
In my sales process, I have spent a great deal of time and attention on this and have enlisted the help of 2 of my nearest and dearest clients and friends to help me connect with new clients who are interested in joining our tribe of soulful CEOs and mamapreneurs.
Each and every potential new client has the opportunity to have a personalized coaching conversation with my team to discuss their goals and big vision.
The calls are heart-centered, action-oriented and provide massive value for the women we know these programs are for.
No matter the result of the call and the timing for the prospective client, we deliver value. We meet them where they are.
We care about them, their families and their journey.
We follow-up with them and make a connection built upon a foundation of love.
Because our clients are more than just a number and I know yours are too.
They are a dream, a heartbeat, a family, a soul here to make an impact...they are one of us and this is the ethos of what this company was built upon.
We care about YOU. We care about your family. We want to know the names of your kids and your partner and the people that matter in your life. We want to know the names of your furry kids...we want to know what's happening in your world so we can help you make the necessary adjustments to live in greater joy so you can achieve the goals that will not only help your world become a better place to be, but this entire planet.
We do this work for stories like the one a Mastermind student shared through tears on our group call last week.
She is tending to the seedling of her dream. She is growing a business while raising a family and holding down a corporate job until she is ready to make her big transition.
And this transformation is not just about her...her entire family is intimately connected to the work she is doing and the transition she is embarking upon.
The work we're doing here is about changing the course of history for each and everyone of us.
2. Encourage and incentivize courageous action
One of the biggest challenges for our students is that they have to push themselves in to action.
Making an investment in ourselves, let alone our businesses, is hard.
But the greatest success will only come to those who are willing to make the greatest leaps.
The greatest success comes to those who are willing to jump in the water, not just tip their toe in the shallow end.
The GIANT goals my clients have requires great commitment; therefore, we want to incentivize that courageous action.
Ways you can do this is by adding a money-back guarantee (ala Zappos with free returns/shipping for up to a year) or a fast-action bonus.
What can you offer your clients for making a decision on the phone in the way of a discount or additional content or services?
Could you offer a one-to-one coaching call or a free invite to a live event if they say YES (and follow it with a deposit) during the sales call?
Get creative and think about what would feel good to you and give it a try...
The emphasis here is on adding MASSIVE VALUE to maximize your client's success.
3. Stop trying to go it alone
The most compelling form of sales is hands down, without question, word of mouth marketing.
Think about the last time you asked for recommendations for a service provider or when your best friend gave you a tube of her favorite lip gloss.
Referrals from people you know, like and trust are pure gold.
Think about all of the people you've already helped - how can they help you?
Most recently, I hired a friend and colleague based upon a recommendation by 3 friends who hired him and his company.
When he approached me about working together, specifically based upon a recommendation from one of our mutual friends, I didn't feel like I was being pitched, I felt like I was being supported on the pathway to my big goals.
Pretty sweet distinction right?
How could you enlist the help of your tribe and those you've served for referrals and recommendations about others who need your help?
Authentic referral marketing (affiliate or otherwise) that comes from a place of true service and a desire to serve will always be the #1 way to sell products and services.
How can you weave in the stories of those you've helped?
Here's an example of a video we put together of our client success stories...
The success stories of my clients is the lifeblood of my business.
Because together we rise.
Now it's your turn:
Sales is all about emotion.
The relationship your client has with his/her dreams and the rocket ship to achieve that success is at the root of their willingness to take action.
A little reflection and reverse engineering is the start of an amazing sales strategy.
What's more...being intimately connected to why you want to help her solve her problem is even more important.
Dig in to your latest sales experience, the good, the bad, the ugly.
What wisdom can you glean from your experiences?
I hope today's love note serves as a reframer, launching pad and a clarifier around the hard edges that the notion of "selling" has been presenting you with.