Selling our services and ourselves can sometimes feel like a daunting task when we run our own business. At a recent small business conference I noticed very few entrepreneurs in the room said they enjoyed selling.

However sales is an area that is absolutely crucial for us if we are to be successful with our business.  I remember someone once saying to me, “No sales equals no business” and it’s true, if we don’t make any sales we don’t have a business.  That’s why I’ve written a short article to help you to gain some insights and move forward in your own approach to selling.

Does Anyone Like Selling?

There are a few people who do like selling.  However when I give a presentation and ask the audience, “Who went into business because they enjoy sales and marketing?” I usually find only one person puts their hand up!

However the problem is that we do need to engage with the process of selling if we are to bring new business in.

Why are we reluctant to sell?

Here are some of the main reasons:

1. In our culture selling is not that highly regarded – did you (or anyone you know) have parents who wanted them to become a sales person?

2. It can feel uncomfortable – many of us just don’t like the feeling of asking for money!

3. We also risk other difficult feelings such as feeling rejected, embarrassed or awkward

4. We don’t want to manipulate the other person
Now ask yourself, “Do any of these ring true for you?”  In what ways do you hold yourself back from selling?

How can we overcome this reluctance?

When you look at the above list, many of them are to do with mindset and what we think about selling.  That’s why in my work with groups and individuals, I help people to change their approach and the way they see selling.  The first step is for us to become aware of our own perception and maybe even our own judgements around selling.

How to turn selling around?

Next we can begin to change those thoughts and judgements about selling which are unhelpful to us.

• One of the ideas I shared on a marketing teleclass I ran recently was that instead of “Selling” we could see it as “Sharing our knowledge and inviting those people interested to take the next step with us.”
• Or instead of “going out to sell”, how would it feel to “go out and promote your passion”?

If you find selling challenging in anyway, there is a good chance that this is holding you back in your business in some way.

Reducing your sales work

It is possible to minimise the amount of selling you do and still have a very successful business.  To do this you need to set up the rest of your marketing system in the right way.  If you do this correctly it enables your service to almost sell itself for you.  If this approach appeals to you, you  can apply for a complimentary one-to-one Marketing Strategy Session