My Top 5 Selling Secrets!
Much like yoga, roller skating, or applying perfectly winged eyeliner, selling is a learned skill.
But too often our idea of selling is tainted by those who do it in a way that doesn't feel right to us. It feels aggressive, "pushy," or just plain tacky and impersonal.
We picture the dude in the informercial who is practically screaming at us or the guy at the car dealership who's making you feel uncomfortable while you shop for that new vehicle. Or Susan from high school, who you haven't spoken to in 15 years, who's suddenly messaging you on Facebook to tell you all about how you need the new skincare regimen she's selling.
It all feels gross and we want no part in it.
When it comes to selling in our own businesses, we are either terrified, dumbfounded, or both. We have no clue what to say, or how to say it. And the idea of someone telling us "no," or ignoring us completely, feels really upsetting.
What too many women entrepreneurs end up doing is setting up their storefront (either online or in person), and then hoping that people will find us and magically want to buy what we're offering. But this ain't Hogwarts or Middle Earth and we're going to need more than magic to keep our businesses profitable.
The good news is there are easy-to-learn techniques and skills to close more sales with confidence, and without feeling super "salesy."
In my course, Conversations that Convert, I give you the following sales tips and so much more. I know you have what it takes to learn a better way to sell. And I want you to be equipped with the knowledge to feel like a pro when it comes to speaking with potential clients. But before you can learn the specifics, it's important to learn some key basics. So I present to you... my top 5 tips for selling success!
Selling is being of service.
It’s problem solving. It’s enhancing someone’s life in some way. It’s not trickery, convincing, or guilting.
You need to know who your ideal client is, and who she is not.
If you just read that and feel like I’m speaking a foreign language, I’m going to suggest my foundational sales course: Sell It, Sister!. Before you can have conversations that convert you have to be certain you are talking to people who might buy, and I cover all of that and more in the course.
You have something amazing (product or service) and it can benefit the other person in some way.
The way they get what you’ve got is with money. Asking for monetary compensation for what you’re offering does not make you a bad person. We have to stop feeling so guilty about this.
Do not use scare tactics, guilt, or shame to get people to buy what you’re selling.
It’s perfectly normal to agitate your ideal client’s “pain points,” and you might even get some sales from being shady, but it leaves a bad feeling and they probably won’t be back. This means you’ll be stuck on the hustle hamster wheel forever chasing new clients, rather than getting repeat and referral business. ***I see this all the time with people who sell anything in the health/wellness industries, and also with non-toxic body/home products. Making someone feel like a bad person for using what they use already is slimy. Please trust me on this. If you need tips on how to sell without feeling sleazy about it, check out my blog post about it!
Focus more on building a relationship and cultivating “know, like, and trust” rather than just “closing a sale.”
Depending on what you’re offering, the person might not be ready to buy right now, but will be in the future. How you treat them now will show them if it’s worth coming back to you or not when they’re ready. Because, let’s be honest, none of us do anything so incredibly unique that someone couldn’t just go to a competitor.
