Do you ever feel that sense of dread wash over you when you think about having sales conversations? Entrepreneurs understand the importance of sales, but frequently stop themselves from actually reaching out to new prospects because of the feeling that accompanies sales conversations.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Most people are hesitant to open that dialogue because they are scared of rejection, but more than that, they view sales as taking something from someone else. As nice, good people, we feel that it’s bad to take money from people, but the truth is that people actually love buying things. Otherwise, Amazon wouldn’t be so popular. They just don’t like to be “sold” to.
The key to overcoming the anxiety of a sales conversation is to change your mindset. Shifting the thoughts you have that seem clingy and desperate, like “I really need this sale,” to focusing on engaging a prospect with abundance and a willingness to be helpful is the type of change I mean. You have to understand and embody the fact that you are serving a good purpose. If what your business does truthfully solves people’s problems, helps them, or makes them happy, wouldn’t you be cruel not to offer it to them?
One way to give yourself a break is to know that most of us aren’t even really good enough at sales to manipulate people into buying something they don’t want. You might be worried about being something you couldn’t even be if you tried!
Think about it from the point of view of a nutritionist. As long as you market to your target audience, the potential clients that approach you are already interested in the services you offer. Remove the feeling of guilt with the knowledge that by providing them that service, you are improving their life. People tell me all the time that they don’t want to be a creepy salesperson. Well, the best way to do that is by being yourself and remembering that you are not a creepy salesperson.
I know that sounds confusing, but it’s fairly simple. Most people avoid a sales conversation because they are scared of being something they aren’t even capable of being, that just isn’t the kind of person they are. It’s obvious because bad people aren’t worried about this type of thing in the first place.
I have degrees in Journalism and Marketing, and because of this, when I started my own business, I approached sales conversations with the idea that I needed to come up with the perfect thing to say to people to get them to buy from me. I put a lot of pressure on myself to come up with the perfect pitch until I realized that it doesn’t work that way at all. Sales is about them, not me.
One of the best sales conversations I ever had wasn’t a sales conversation at all. On a consultation one day with an energetic client, I sat down and with both of us being in our highly happy state, just said, “So, what’s going on?!?” We then proceeded to have a wonderful conversation. I was so busy getting to know her that there was no hesitation or awkwardness about the sale. I just had a great conversation about what she needed, what she wanted, and how I might be able to provide that for her.
What I learned from that was not only does selling help people, but that a good sales conversation is about asking all the questions, not about telling all the things. How awful would I be if I didn’t do all I could to help her?
To take it back to the point of view of the nutritionist, you should be asking about the client’s needs and what they want to achieve, instead of worrying about supplying them with vague goals that aren’t specific to them and you don’t yet even know they want.
So remember, the most important thing about your sales mindset is to connect as a human first and keep in mind that you aren’t taking something from someone, you’re making their life just a little bit better.
