Selling can sound scary but once you have all your material and pricing in order there really is no way around it, you will have to become a salesperson or you will have to outsource your sales to someone else.
Sales don’t have to be “icky”, you can be a salesperson and keep your values, ethics, and morals intact, in-fact I think it’s important that you do. Honesty wins every time and it’s the same with sales. That’s why you need to change your mindset about selling, who knows, you may actually grow to enjoy it.
I’m an introvert, INFJ for those who are interested, and I still love meeting new people and getting to know them, building rapport with people and getting to help them grow their businesses is a real passion of mine, it always has been and in this series, I will give you my top tips to help you sell more and move past the mind blocks that may be holding you and your business back.
In this first article, we are going to talk about your mindset, it all starts here and if you’re not in the right mindset about your sales you are holding yourself back before you even started.
What does it mean to adopt a sales mindset?
We’re all in sales in a way, we all have something to sell, whether you’re selling your range of products, a service, your skill in a job interview, or trying to get your children to go to bed. We take on the role of the persuader or influencer throughout our day and to sell more we need to identify how our mindset impacts our result and shift it so that we are open to selling more.
Being in sales doesn’t need to mean that you resort to pushy tactics or that you are putting money first. Selling your products and growing your business doesn’t mean you’re asking for favours or that you’re trying to do a quick cash grab.
Having a selling mindset is all about being curious, curious to make a connection with people, curious to help them grow their businesses, curious to help by offering a solution.
Be a teacher and educator
A good salesperson is a teacher and educator, you will need to teach your customer how having your product can help them grow their sales or how they solve a problem/need for their customers.
When I first started in sales I sold lots of tissues, lip balms, and mini wipes to fashion stores and it worked because even though these stores did not traditionally stock these sort of items back then, they are fast-moving products that their customer base needed and could be persuaded to buy in their stores.
Later in my career, I sold books to the same fashion stores, did you know that one of the big gift products for Asos.com is books? Did you even know that they sell books? Buyers are always on the lookout for new products so by being curious about their needs you can help them find their next bestseller.
This curiosity might not result in instant sales but by learning what your customers want and need you are starting a dialogue and learning how you can assist and this is much more likely to lead to a sale than doing nothing or hoping that they will discover you.
One of the reasons for launching my podcast, Let’s Talk Shop, is that I wanted to bridge the gap between the buyer and seller, to show that this relationship is a two-way one and the control doesn’t rest solely with one of you. One is not right and one wrong but neither of your businesses could exist if it wasn’t’ because sellers and buyers work together.
Detach from negative thoughts
Before you reach out to a new potential lead you need to detach from any thoughts such as “they will probably not like my products”, “they won’t reply so what’s the point” and “they are probably too busy to even look my way”.
By having these thoughts you are not being curious, you’re not doing what’s best for your potential customer, you are trying to make excuses for them to protect yourself.
Instead, focus on what you can control, focus on educating and understanding what your prospect wants and needs, and how can your products help them solve these needs.
Yes you will be ignored, yes you will face rejection but let this fuel your efforts instead of letting them get you down, and don’t see them as a sign that you’re failing, instead see it as one more no is another step toward a yes. Sit up straight, think positive thoughts, and keep going.
Reflecting is good, it’s okay to pause and consider how you can tweak your language or pitch to communicate better how you are helping the potential buyer but don’t let the negative thoughts take over. In the next article, I will talk more about how we can use positive language to better communicate and grab buyers attention.
Get clear on your why
If you communicate and starting from your why you can sell almost anything. This is what makes you stand out and makes you and your business exciting.
“People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe” Simon Sinek
I recommend watching this TED talk with Simon Sinek. It explains this so much better than I ever could.
Remembering and keep coming back to your why can also really help motivate and fuel you when things are tough or don’t go to plan. If you’re clear on your why, the uncomfortable feeling you have about selling will become almost irrelevant as you will do what it takes to spread what you believe in and you will want to share this with the people around you.
In Summary
Our mindset affects every aspect of our lives but with the right mindset, we can overcome pretty much anything that life throws our way.
You’re already a salesperson, you persuade people around you all the time and that’s not a bad thing. Use this skill to share why you do what you do and how your products are the best fit for your potential stockists and don’t let your own mindset hold you back from building the business you dream of. Don’t limit yourself!
Beyond the blog
I’m not a therapist or even a life coach but I have found a way to sell that works for me and I absolutely would love to help you do the same. By working together we can save you time and get you to recognise how you can be the salesperson that drives your business forward. Get in touch today to see if we are a good fit.