I recently attended a workshop at my coworking space where the speaker made a distinction between the way people typically think about sales and what it means to actually create a sales process. I was elated to see someone in my local area who could teach how to properly conduct sales!
Most people screw up sales because they are focused on the end goal – the money. They’re thinking they have to land a deal because that deal will pay their rent. This usually leads to hard sales, discomfort and you guessed it – not closing the deal.
A sales process, on the other hand, is simply a system you move people through. Essentially, sales isn’t a hard driving push, it’s a process that takes time. That means you have to create a sales process for your business and understand how it works. It’s something we all have to learn at some point, but it’s well worth the effort. Below you’ll find the key factors to creating a sales process that works.
It’s not about you.
The most important thing to remember when you begin to create your sales process is that sales isn’t about you. It’s not about your bills, your ego or your bottom line. It’s about you being able to help someone with their problem.
That means you don’t do any of the following:
- You don’t begin business relationships solely for the purpose of getting something out of it.
- You don’t immediately pitch people upon meeting them or having a consultation.
- Pitch yourself to someone even though you’ve learned that you cannot help them.
Instead, you begin by providing value, building a genuine relationship and having the other person’s well-being in mind. Sales is a long game, not an excuse for you to get rich.
Building your personal brand.
I’ve often times talked about building your own personal brand online, this is definitely an important part of the sales process, but there’s actually more to building a personal brand than sending out the periodic tweet.
You can also build your personal brand in person. One of my own teachers, Kendrick Shope, said that looks like doing common things uncommonly well. Send an email to a client just because you’d like to see how they are doing. Tweet them an article you thought they’d find interesting. Remember their name. Treat them like the human being that they are.
Believe it or not, most businesses just treat their clients like cash cows. If you really want to keep their business (and have them send you more business) you’re better off to create a sales process that treats clients like more than just a cash register.
Detachment.
When you create a sales process, it’s important that you learn to detach from the outcome. As I previously mentioned, most people are too concerned with the dollar signs and therefore destroy their chances of making a sale.
The only way to get good at sales is to realize you really only need to detach yourself from the situation. Your job is to help the person you’re speaking to regardless of whether they end up hiring you or not. Keep your thoughts about your bank account out of it.
Final Thoughts
When I began to create a sales process with all of the tips mentioned in this article – particularly the detachment part – I went from experiencing an income plateau to doubling my revenue by the end of 2015. This year I’m on track to triple last year’s revenue.
