Is the Fear of Selling Holding You Back as an Entrepreneur?
If you’re in business – online, offline, or a combination of the two you know that everything depends upon the sales you can generate in order to bring in the needed revenue to keep your business moving forward. It does not matter if you sell a product or a service, if you sell items once or have a consumable or ongoing model, your bottom line is the direct result of your sales skills. If you lack confidence in this area, or have any fear of selling it will be obvious.
Think about this from another perspective. Don’t we appreciate and encourage people to sell to us when it will be in our best interest and help us to achieve our goals? For example, when I take one of my dogs to the veterinarian for a checkup, I am hoping they will make suggestions and recommendations that will help ensure better health and lifestyle for my pet. Even though many of the procedures are routine, I may not realize they are necessary at this time.
When you are preparing to sell your products and services to others, ask yourself:
- What problem does my prospect have that one of my products or services could solve?
- If I do not offer my prospect the products/services I offer, who else will?
- How can what I offer be updated or changed to make it the best solution available?
- How many ways am I asking for the sale every day?
It may be time to think about forming an innovation group or to join a mastermind in order to answer these questions fully. If you truly have a fear of selling this could be a valuable topic of discussion. Checking in with yourself when you are about to close a sale to see how you are feeling and what is coming up for you will give you better insight into what must be done to improve your sales record. Make eliminating your fear of selling a priority and it will evaporate like an unwanted smell in the air.
Role playing is also worthwhile. During the time I sold cars the dealership brought in a team of sales professionals to walk us through some common scenarios. We learned to overcome objections, to ask and answer both open and closed-ended questions, and to speak about the products with authority and confidence. Even though I couldn’t change a carburetor I could point it out, describe it, and explain why it was superior to one used by our competitors.
When I think back over my lifetime I have been involved with sales in one way or another for most of my working life. As a waitress in high school I sold my personality, ability to work quickly and efficiently, and my knowledge of the products to earn more than my co-workers at the International House of Pancakes. Later on I sold Toyotas, and I sold my willingness to follow up with leads along with my knowledge of the product to become a top salesperson. And as an elementary school teacher I sold my empathy towards students and teachers, my excitement for learning, and my knowledge of the value of an education to help my students do their best.
In each case I was confident that what I was selling, whether it was pancakes and sandwiches for hungry people, new and used cars for those needing transportation, or an education that was valuable and worthwhile to my students. Now that I’m an online entrepreneur I sell my ability to teach adults the concepts and systems that lead to success, along with the specifics of the business model they have chosen.
Think of selling as the way in which you can help others with your areas of knowledge, experience, and expertise. And when you feel the fear of not wanting to sell to someone, try to imagine what could happen if they do not make a purchase from you or from anyone else. How would their life be enriched by buying what you have for sale? How would their life be diminished if they did not buy? The fear of selling is worth moving past so that you may better serve the people you come in contact with on a regular basis in your business.
Connie Ragen Green is a bestselling author, online marketing strategist, and international speaker working with newer online entrepreneurs on six continents to help them build lucrative businesses on the internet. Find out more and download a Special Report at Online Entrepreneur Blueprint and get started right away.
Leave a Reply