Are you caught between loving your business but hating ‘sales’ and the idea of having to get customers or clients? Don’t you wish there was a magical sales company that handled that part?
You are not in that boat alone!
It’s natural not to LOVE sales but today I want to share a simple “reframe” about sales that will help you serve more people and earn more money. Reframing is simply a new way to see something and I want you to see sales more like sharing or inviting. Sales is a learned skill and you must have it if you own your own business. I’ll share the sales breakthrough I had a few years ago that really turned around my business from struggling in the recession to thriving. I wanted to make a bigger difference for clients and for the world, but when I looked around to take some ‘sales classes’ I didn’t like what I saw. It was a lot of push sales, and “you must do this or else you will fail” language and none of it was a fit for me. It was based in some ‘truth’ but for the most part it was filled with force, and the last thing I want to be is ‘salesy or forceful’. So I took a few classes, along with some basic sales experience I already had and I created the Greatness Marketing Academy. I have now taught this to all of my private clients and through live classes here in Phoenix. It has really helped entrepreneurs get clarity on how marketing and sales works together in an easy and authentic way. These are the two biggest sales mistakes I see business owners make:
1. they don’t know the solution they offer – people buy solutions so you have to know how to talk about your business as a solution (you solve _____ problems).
2. they try to sell without really owning the value they provide (they are faking it).
Here are 4 easy and authentic ways to improve your sales:
1. OWN IT! You have poured so much greatness into your business, but have you owned, realllllllly owned the value and solution you are? Do you really know the 2-3 ways you ROCK your customers world? Be really, really, really clear in the VALUE of your services/products and the SOLUTION you are to your target market. You can’t go to step 2 until you get clear on this. So, ask yourself what value does my customer get from my company that is HIGHLY valuable to them? It’s so highly valuable that they want to buy from you again? What problem do they have that you are a solution to? Most people “apologize” in one way or another for their prices or their skills – this is the death of an entrepreneur.
2. COMMUNICATE! Next we need to be able to listen to people talking about their problems/challenges. Then the ability to speak to them about the value and solution of your business in a way that is natural like having a conversation. When we are at a party, at an event or networking we want to be able to speak about our business/solutions/value in a way that ‘lands’ for our potential customer so they say things like, ” WOW I would love your business card or I would love to talk to you more”. Do people lean in and inquire MORE from you as you talk about your business or did they just get confused? This lesson is about listening better and speaking better so you can have conversations that cause people to lean in.
3. NEXT STEP! After you have a great conversation with them and they are asking questions (fishing to see if you can solve a problem of theirs)…..WHAT do you do next? THIS is where people often don’t have an invitation or ‘step’ and they just end the conversation and go get another drink at the bar. But this is where YOU are going to be ready to invite them to an easy way to try to you out…..like the free class you have coming up, or your free ebook on that subject, or invite them to have a free 30 minute consultation or simply have coffee to talk more to see if you can help them. At the very least see if they want to be on your newsletter list to get more tips on this subject? The most important thing here is to ask yourself what is an authentic ‘step’ at this time that will serve them with the problem? The KEY to know about sales is this: PEOPLE BUY SOLUTIONS. Once you get and understand this then your entire sales game will change.
4. SERVE! When you come from a place of serving and authenticity you won’t ever be sales-y. I only invite people to a “step two” when I hear a problem that I can be a solution/service to. Allow them to say yes or no to your invitation. What is really important is to stay UNattached if they say yes or no, that will keep you out of being pushy/salesy. Just share about your solutions to the people you want to serve and they will SELF select themselves who want to work with you. Again, no sales, just an invitation to solutions – then serve them and NEVER EVER sell people on things they don’t need. Hear their need first and then offer the appropriate solution.
BONUS
5. INVITE! Make sure all your marketing (blogs, brochures, social media, bios, email signatures) also has some kind of invitation to your solutions (see my invitations as an example below).
Summary: Have language ready so you can share your solutions in a way that people lean in. Also be authentic, not salesy so you can truly solve people’s problems – the more problems you solve the more people you serve and the more money you make.
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW THIS POST INSPIRED YOU PLEASE COMMENT BELOW…
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Dena’s passion is to help women entrepreneurs structure, market and lead their business to the next level of greatness and revenue. Let’s start today.
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