Tweet

How to Stop Suffering From I Hate to Sell But I Need to Pay My Bills

Written by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Article Overview: As a sales professional, small business owner or service professional have you ever suffered from either or both of theses thoughts? I hate to sell, but I need to pay my bills. Boy, if I could only do what I love to do. A recent survey of 135 business consultants, executive coaches ad professional facilitators revealed these exact thoughts. Read on to learn the answer to this dilemma.

How to Stop Suffering From I Hate to Sell But I Need to Pay My Bills

As a sales professional, small business owner or service professional have you ever suffered had either or both of theses thoughts: I hate to sell, but I need to pay my bills. Boy, if I could only do what I love to do. A recent survey of 135 business consultants, executive coaches and professional facilitators revealed these exact thoughts.

In business, many are forced to adopt the role of salesperson when they truly do not want to be a salesperson. The reason is perceived as the only path to doing what they love to do. So this leads to the obvious question: How can I earn a living by not selling? The answer is quite simple stop selling and start educating.

In listening to a teleconference by Jay Niblick, President of Innermetrix, he talked discussed the results of this survey and the concept of education based marketing (EBM). Many service professionals engage in education based marketing, but do not leverage to its fullest potential or combined EBM with the traditional sales based marketing approach (SBM).

Here are some examples of EBM:

Speaking
Writing Articles, Columns, Books
Blogging
Engaging in Socratic Dialogues

Imagine that you and your potential customer (a.k.a. prospect) or qualified potential customer (a.k.a. qualified prospect) are each holding the opposite ends of a single rope. Now, you attempt to push the rope. What happens? Nothing! You and your potential customer are no closer together and you just may appear to look a little foolish.

Now using that same visual, imagine your qualified potential customer pulling the rope. What happens? You are now closer to your potential customer. Obviously, you do not look foolish because your potential customer wants you nearer to her or him.

To fully engage in education based marketing means that you truly must be knowledgeable about:

What you do
The known and unknown needs of your potential clients
The marketplace current and future trends

And it does not hurt to know as much as possible about the other resources available within the business community. When you embrace this approach of educating instead of selling, you can become the go to expert, the trusted advisor.

TAKE ACTION SALES COACHING TIP: Revisit your marketing and sales action plans and set some new goals using an education approach instead of a selling approach. Watch your revenue, your love of what you do and your loyal customers grow as you quickly increase sales.

Related Articles
  Ok - It's Called Enterprise 2.0
  What Do You Do When You Lose Your Mojo? 3 Tips
  When selling a business is the highest bider always the best buyer?
  9.3.4 Commercial banks: Support for Growth-oriented Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania, 2005
  Change 1 Thing To Move From Hating To Loving Sales!

Article Tags: abou, business consultants, education, exact thoughts, executive coaches, future trends, marketing, marketplace, niblick, professional facilitators, rope, salesperson, sbm, service professionals, small business owner, socratic dialogues, teleconference, theses



Related Forum Posts
Decide your market first - Stop for a second and decide exactly who it is that you want to sell your product to. Once you've done this you'll have a far better idea of where to find them and what it is that they're interested in Cheers
Your advantage over others - Sell using your USP - unique selling proposition. Why should people buy from you, instead of your competitors? Think about it, why are you so great? It may be a hard question, but finding the answer can multiply the effectiveness of any advertising or marketing activities you undertake.
Other Great Books... - Feel The Fear And Do It AnyWay - Susan Jeffers How To Stop Worrying And Do It Anyway - Dale Carnegie ('What's the worst that could happen - the worst?' Then prepare yourself for that and reality is such a relief!).
Re: When do entrepreneurs retire, if ever? - Why would you ever retire when you love what you are doing? Sell the business and start another one maybe - but retire - NEVER! You should all read, The 4 Hour Work Week - By Timothy Ferris. He talks about building your business so that you can take mini 'retirement's throughout your life, instead of saving it all up for when you are old. Great concept - what do you think??
Re: SES Toronto - Day 1! - ...oh and even though it's 21 secrets, why do you have [quote:1gz722fe]Tip #22: Use Your Thank You Page to Sell[/quote:1gz722fe] on your blog? Are you holding out on secrets or are you adding your own? Hope to see you at the next conference!


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

9 tips to increase ROI in PPC Campaigns

What I Really Want Is...

The Digital Diet by Daniel Sieberg

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.