Business Work Flow: I hate selling!

How often do you hear that, particularly from those whose livelihoods and success depend on their ability to sell? Is selling a chore for you, or is it an absolute joy to be spruiking your products or services? If it’s a joy, you should do well; your enthusiasm infectious. If it’s a chore, trust me, your potential customers will pick up on your hesitation.

And that’s a shame, because if you hate selling, you’ll never be good at it, and that means lost revenue and quite possibly the loss of your business. I have a confession. I was one of those people who hated selling before I knew about business work flow. Why? Because certain beliefs were ingrained in my psyche.

Mistakenly, I thought:

• Selling was all about manipulation. I believed I had to manipulate people into buying something they didn’t want – twist their arms by being a snake-oil salesman, something I didn’t want to be.
• Everyone hates salespeople. I believed I would have to hound people with repeated and unwanted phone calls and emails. We’ve all had experiences with pesky salespeople who won’t take no for an answer. Who wants to be a pest? And who wants to be hated?
• Selling is boring. Customers often mull over purchases, particularly big ones. They’ll “get back to you”. For someone like me who likes to keep moving forward, that waiting period felt like an eternity in hell.

If this sounds like you, you’ll hate selling. That means you’ll either have to move to a job with no selling component (usually low pay) or face your belief system head-on. Is it really possible to change your beliefs and consequently learn to love selling? Of course! And I’m a great example of that. I now love selling. Sure, it’s not a skill I was born with and sometimes I feel that old belief system sneaking back in (hey! I’m only human!). But here’s what I now believe.

• I help people by selling to them. Once I’d made the decision that I’d never, ever sell something to someone they didn’t need or want, it freed me up. Now my time is taken up making people happy, selling them something they want or need. Remember, if you qualify your leads, you’ll generally only be speaking to people who have a genuine need or desire for your product or service. What’s manipulative about that?
• Have fun while selling: I read a quote the other day that said – To succeed in sales, simply talk to lots of people every day. And here’s what’s exciting – there are lots of people! – Selling can be fun. It can be about making new acquaintances, finding new customers and talking about your favorite subject – your product or service. It can also be about being creative by finding new ways your product or service will fit a potential customer’s needs or desires.
• I learn a lot through the sales process. People are fascinating – and never more so than when they’re making decisions. Get curious and you’ll never be bored again.

Your success, as a small business owner, depends on your ability to sell. If sales aren’t happening, you don’t have a business.

The good news is the more you get out there, the better you’ll become at the sales process. Learn to love selling, and you’ll achieve your goals much faster.