Selling Can Be Easy and Fun

Let me guess, when you think of sales, you think of that guy or gal who was super pushy and sleazy, right? We’ve all had those terrible experiences where we walk away from being sold and we feel like we’ve been had. Yuck! I don’t know about you but I never want to experience that again. It still makes me mad when I think about it.

That being said, sales does NOT have to be that way at all. You do not have to be sleezy, salesy or pushy in order to sell your products or services. Those days are long gone and customers are super weary of being treated that way. More often than not, things will backfire if you try to use those old fashioned tactics.

If you dread selling or have had bad experiences, let me put you at ease, selling can be easy and fun. That being said, it requires a different way of doing things. Different than what most sales experts will teach you. I’ll give you an example, when I started out as a Life Mastery Consultant, we were taught to offer a significant discount if the client decided to buy on the spot. The point was to get clients to move out of indecision and make a choice, yes or no. The premise behind it is that people will put off decisions that seems scary to them and are outside their comfort zone. We were told we would be helping them make a choice by offering this significant discount.

I tried it on and off for years but something inside me just didn’t feel right about using this tactic. Some of these people were my friends and this technique felt manipulative. I began to approach sales in a very different way. In fact, I threw out most of my sales training because it seemed everything I had been taught was back-firing. My conversion rates (how many leads turn into clients) were terrible and I felt incredibly frustrated. Worst of all, I dreaded sales, which is the lifeblood of any business.

By throwing out what I had learned and doing what felt right to me, I stumbled upon a process that made sales much more enjoyable. The best part is, my conversion rates substantially improved. In fact, I rarely hear the word “no” anymore. This process works great for professionals who are selling services even services with substantially high price tag.  This is one of my most favorite things I teach my clients and I love it when the newest of entrepreneurs, who’ve never sold anything before, sell high ticket offers with ease. Here are a few things I teach…

1. Throw out the scripts! – The key to sales is to find out what your clients are struggling with. What are their biggest frustrations? Your job is to stay curious and ask questions that will help you identify how you can help. They are coming to you for a reason – they need your help! Find out why they need your help and you’ll be on the right track. Scripts only get in the way of you being present and listening carefully.
2. Create custom offers – I used to try and fit all my clients into one or two standard packages with a fixed formula for how I was going to help them. That was a disaster! Concerns would come up left and right about the things they didn’t feel they need. I now have packages based on how long we’ll be working together but the specifics of what we will be working on changes based on each client’s needs. In other words, creating custom offers based on your clients’s specific needs makes your clients feel heard and valued. You’re giving them exactly what they asked for.
3. Scrap the idea of objections – There is no need to overcome objections because there are no objections. The truth is, objections, as sales people call them, are just unanswered questions. Once you realize this, you can recognize that your main work to do in a consultation is to answer all their questions and make sure they feel complete and satisfied. Asking, “How does that sound? and getting an answer of “Good” validates they are on the same page with you. Then asking, “Do you have any further questions?” and getting a “No” tells you you’ve done you’re job thoroughly and your client is now ready to hear the investment or price.
4. Break your consultation into two – Rushing your clients is self-serving in my opinion. Hiring a professional or making a major purchase is a big decision and should not be rushed. People are perfectly capable of making decisions without being pressured. With that awareness, I now spend the first part of the consultation just getting to know them. Once that part feels complete, I move into asking them questions about what they were hoping to have help with (remember they set up time with you so know they did that for an important reason). I continue to ask questions until I have a clear picture of how I can help and what my offer might be. I set up a follow-up meeting and then present them with an offer that’s specific to what they need.

These are just some of the ways that you can makes sales conversations easy, organic and fun. I now enjoy doing consultations and my clients enjoy them as well. We usually meet over a glass of wine or cup of coffee and we’re laughing by the end. Everyone leaves on a high note. That’s a different way of doing business if you ask me.

If you’re ready to start making selling fun, reach out to me and set up a free consultation. We’ll take a look at what you’re biggest frustrations are and come up with a plan to get your business rocking and rolling in the right direction. Contrary to popular belief, owning a business can be a lot of fun and will bring you a lot of joy if you set this intention and keep this in mind while you grow it.