Simple Solutions for Making Sales When You Hate Selling
Simple Solutions for Making Sales When You Hate Selling
Maybe you’re even one of the many people who hates sales, salespeople and everything that goes along with it. Honestly, these days I don’t blame you.
From telemarketers to used car salesmen, we’re bombarded with people trying to force us to buy things we don’t really want or need. And these rude, non-listening, aggressive types have given sales a very bad name.
However, it’s almost impossible to be a successful entrepreneur if you hate selling Because the one thing you have to be able to do in business is sell.
You’ve got to sell your partner on your ideas…Your employees on doing it your way…Your clients on the value of your products or services…
The list goes on.
The good part is, most of us are already master salespeople. And have been since we were little kids.
Think about it…
Remember campaigning for weeks (or even months) to get that one particular toy for your birthday?
Or hounding your folks until they let you drive, or stay out late?
And at some point you’ve probably persuaded a friend to go to a certain restaurant, buy a particular item, or wear a different outfit…
Or convinced your child to do their homework, go to bed, or eat their green beans…
In each of these examples, you had to sell someone on something. And I bet at the time you had no issue whatsoever with trying to make the sale. Probably because you felt confident you were persuading each of them to do what you thought was best.
Now let’s fast forward to today…
You’ve got a service and/or product to sell that you really believe in. But maybe you feel uncomfortable telling people why it’s so great. Or with actually asking people to part with their hard-earned dough.
That’s understandable, but it’s also a big problem. Because if you want to grow your business, at some point you are going to have to get clients or make sales.
Thankfully, there are much better, easier, ways to sell than the old used car salesman stereotype implies.
What you really want to do is simply get people to want to buy from you. Because everyone likes to buy, but no one likes to be sold.
Here are 5 of my favorite ways to get people to want to buy from you:
1) Be a problem solver. If you show someone you can solve one of their most pressing problems, you are well on your way to landing a new client (Testimonials and case studies are a powerful way to do this). And if you deliver, you’re likely to have a long-term client and a raving fan for life!
2) Be an educator. Anytime you can teach effectively—whether formally as a speaker or writer, or informally to clients and customers—you are automatically seen as a expert. And if the information you give away is helpful people are going to want more of your expertise.
3) Be an expert. People seek out experts, and are willing to pay them more. The easiest way to become an expert is by speaking and/or writing. Nothing says expert like your own book or you standing behind a podium.
4) Be a resource. Giving someone a quality referral to a solution or provider builds your reputation as someone who cares and is helpful. And it shows you have a lot more to offer than just your products or services.
5) Be someone who cares. Always be on the lookout for ways to make a difference for others. This could be as simple as offering a free tips sheet or report, or even helping someone carry a stack of boxes. Or it could be as complicated as volunteering with your local non-profit or networking group.
The common thread here…?
Not once did I use the words sales, sell or selling. Instead I’ve given you 5 ways to pay attention and find ways to help other people.
Because selling is all about you and your needs. But if you want people to buy from you, it’s got to be about helping them get what they need. They need to know, and believe, you truly have their best interests at heart.
My guess is you already do. You may have just been so focused on making (or avoiding making) sales you forgot to show others you care about them, their happiness, and their success.
Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t focus on making sales and growing your business. Just that this should come in a close second to helping other people.
Once you get in the habit of doing this, sales have a wonderful way of happening on their own.
Simple Solutions for Making Sales When You Hate Selling - To learn more about this author, visit Stacy Karacostas's Website.
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Do you hate selling?
Maybe you’re even one of the many people who hates sales, salespeople and everything that goes along with it. Honestly, these days I don’t blame you.
From telemarketers to used car salesmen, we’re bombarded with people trying to force us to buy things we don’t really want or need. And these rude, non-listening, aggressive types have given sales a very bad name.
However, it’s almost impossible to be a successful entrepreneur if you hate selling Because the one thing you have to be able to do in business is sell.
You’ve got to sell your partner on your ideas…Your employees on doing it your way…Your clients on the value of your products or services…
The list goes on.
The good part is, most of us are already master salespeople. And have been since we were little kids.
Think about it…
Remember campaigning for weeks (or even months) to get that one particular toy for your birthday?
Or hounding your folks until they let you drive, or stay out late?
And at some point you’ve probably persuaded a friend to go to a certain restaurant, buy a particular item, or wear a different outfit…
Or convinced your child to do their homework, go to bed, or eat their green beans…
In each of these examples, you had to sell someone on something. And I bet at the time you had no issue whatsoever with trying to make the sale. Probably because you felt confident you were persuading each of them to do what you thought was best.
Now let’s fast forward to today…
You’ve got a service and/or product to sell that you really believe in. But maybe you feel uncomfortable telling people why it’s so great. Or with actually asking people to part with their hard-earned dough.
That’s understandable, but it’s also a big problem. Because if you want to grow your business, at some point you are going to have to get clients or make sales.
Thankfully, there are much better, easier, ways to sell than the old used car salesman stereotype implies.
What you really want to do is simply get people to want to buy from you. Because everyone likes to buy, but no one likes to be sold.
Here are 5 of my favorite ways to get people to want to buy from you:
1) Be a problem solver. If you show someone you can solve one of their most pressing problems, you are well on your way to landing a new client (Testimonials and case studies are a powerful way to do this). And if you deliver, you’re likely to have a long-term client and a raving fan for life!
2) Be an educator. Anytime you can teach effectively—whether formally as a speaker or writer, or informally to clients and customers—you are automatically seen as a expert. And if the information you give away is helpful people are going to want more of your expertise.
3) Be an expert. People seek out experts, and are willing to pay them more. The easiest way to become an expert is by speaking and/or writing. Nothing says expert like your own book or you standing behind a podium.
4) Be a resource. Giving someone a quality referral to a solution or provider builds your reputation as someone who cares and is helpful. And it shows you have a lot more to offer than just your products or services.
5) Be someone who cares. Always be on the lookout for ways to make a difference for others. This could be as simple as offering a free tips sheet or report, or even helping someone carry a stack of boxes. Or it could be as complicated as volunteering with your local non-profit or networking group.
The common thread here…?
Not once did I use the words sales, sell or selling. Instead I’ve given you 5 ways to pay attention and find ways to help other people.
Because selling is all about you and your needs. But if you want people to buy from you, it’s got to be about helping them get what they need. They need to know, and believe, you truly have their best interests at heart.
My guess is you already do. You may have just been so focused on making (or avoiding making) sales you forgot to show others you care about them, their happiness, and their success.
Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t focus on making sales and growing your business. Just that this should come in a close second to helping other people.
Once you get in the habit of doing this, sales have a wonderful way of happening on their own.
Simple Solutions for Making Sales When You Hate Selling - To learn more about this author, visit Stacy Karacostas's Website.
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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