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Why Sales Is Actually Awesome, Ep. 108

Aug 8, 2019

On today’s episode of Just the Tips, Dean and I field a listener request, and dive into the world of sales. Now sales gets a bad rap. Sometimes people view it as icky or something you just have to do. But that’s wrong! In fact, if you’re in business, you have to sell something, and when you’re selling something, you’re actually helping people with whatever problem they have. So you shouldn’t see sales as something you have to get through, you should see it as the reason you’re in business.

How do you sell without being salesy?

Everyone has had the experience of either being sold to by some lousy salesman, or having to sell something you don’t believe in. But if you believe in what you’re doing and what you’re selling, there’s no reason for you to be “salesy.” In fact, sales is a service. If you believe in what you’re doing, then you are doing a service to other people by selling them your product, which will help them with their problem. If you can reframe how you think of selling, then there’s no reason to put on your plaid blazer and try to work the sale. You’re actually doing people a service.

Sales is not about you

A lot of people go into a sales meeting and think about themselves. What do I have to say? How do I get this sale? But if you go into it thinking about the other person, it’s a completely different conversation. Now, instead of working to get the sale, what you’re doing is talking to them to figure out what they need and whether what you’re offering is right for them. And once you understand that, you can change how you have a conversation with prospects, and sales becomes a lot less about trying to convince someone of something.

The best and worst sale I ever made

When I used to sell for a water treatment company, I got sent to a house in rural Florida. This guy had kicked two salesmen from my company out of his house before, and now I had to go down there and try to sell him the same thing. And when I got there, I was not welcomed. But I did manage to close the sale, because I listened to him. I listened to what he was angry about, why he’d kicked out my colleagues, and what he needed. And once I was able to connect what I was selling to what he needed, he became a customer.

People buy from you, you don’t sell to them

If you adopt this mindset, then you aren’t selling to people, but people are buying from you. And what that means is that you listen to the person, and if your product is the right fit, then helping them see how it can work for them. Closing is not hammering someone into submission. The truth is that if you do that, if you apply that pressure, then they will almost always go back on that sale once the pressure is off. If you’re hitting a wall with sales, you need to listen to this week’s episode of Just the Tips. 

Outline of This Episode

  • [2:45] Selling without being salesy
  • [4:00] Why sales is actually great
  • [7:15] Sales is not about you 
  • [9:00] A great sales story 
  • [14:00] You don’t have to close every sale
  • [18:51] You shouldn’t have to convince someone to buy
  • [22:00] Closing is not hammering into submission
  • [26:12] Set expectations early on

Music for “Just The Tips” is titled, “Happy Happy Game Show” by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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