We are selling our whole lives, whether we call it that or not. As kids, we try to sell our parents on letting us do something they might normally say no to. As teenagers, we might try to convince our teachers to give us a better grade, which is a form of selling. As adults, we are selling ourselves when we are looking for a job or asking for a promotion.
Basically, we are all in sales.
But most of us bring some baggage about what selling is (and is not) and what types of people are salespeople (or are not). This baggage is dead weight and can hinder your forward progress in your career or business.
The truth is you probably don’t have to do anything or be anybody that would feel icky to you.
Hard sell equals no sale
Being pushy doesn’t work. Do you listen to a pushy salesperson? I doubt it. Most of us don’t. Instead, we walk out or hang up.
We make fun of used car salesmen, but they also may be the first example we think of when we think about sales and selling.
The days of the fast-talking, high-pressure salesperson are mostly over. Information is available to everyone. There are multiple places to buy the same item in many cases. The hard sell doesn’t work and you don’t have to do it.
Curiosity leads to opportunity
Getting curious, asking questions, and truly listening to people’s responses will uncover opportunities to solve a prospect or client’s problem. If you are confident in your product or service, you are in a position to be helpful, not pushy.
My entrepreneur clients often need to be reminded that they get great results for their clients and talking about their services and seeing if there is a fit is potentially hugely valuable for the prospect.
Connection seals the deal
Business relationships, like personal relationships, take time to build. Yes, sometimes you get lucky and there is an immediate need and opportunity for a sale, but you can’t count on that.
Prospects may have a different timeline than you would like. You may need to nurture the relationship for a while before they buy. They may refer someone else to you, which is also good. Business relationships can pay off in many ways.
Selling doesn’t have to be hard or scary. You don’t have to push and you shouldn’t have to beg. Work on building your professional network and your pipeline. Be genuinely interested in your prospects and strive to help them solve their business problems. Sales will naturally come if you do these things.
Photo by Radission US on Unsplash
