“No thanks, I’m not really good at sales. I don’t like it.”
This is what a friend told me after I proposed a business opportunity to her. Mind you, this friend clearly stated that she was interested in going into business for herself or starting a venture on the side of her main job. I instantly felt bad for this person after hearing the response.
It wasn’t because she rejected my proposal. It’s due to the fact that she lacked any understanding of the connection between sales and having a small business or even a side hustle.
Knowing how to sell is essential if you want to make money whether you’re an employee or someone who’s self-employed. The one thing I see a lot of people do is hold themselves back from embracing sales or feel like they can get by without basic sales skills. If you fall in the same boat, consider overcoming these common roadblocks below to get better at sales. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Realize That You Practice Sales Every Day
Saying that you don’t like sales or you’re not good at it may seem pretty silly once you realize that you sell each and every day. Whether you’re trying to sell yourself at a job interview, promoting something on social media, or trying to sell an idea to your spouse, you’re using basic sales and persuasion techniques.
There’s no reason to be afraid of sales because you do it every day. All you need to do is build up your skillset and get more comfortable and confident with what you’re doing.
People Want to Be Sold
Sure, you probably don’t want to be sold at 7 pm when a newspaper sales guy comes to your front door. Still you, like most other people, want to be sold when it comes to different products and services that you may need. This is why advertisers pay so much to insert commercials between regular television programming.
They know that people have a need or a problem to solve and their product or service will provide the solution. We are all marketed and sold to each day. If you want to get better at sales, the trick is not to make it so obvious or vague since people don’t want to feel like they’ve been tricked.
Don’t ever feel bad about selling if you believe in the product or service. If it will truly help people, most prospects will be interested in at least hearing your pitch and determining what it can do for them.
Excuses and Objections Get You Closer To Your Desired Result
Don’t be afraid of objections or excuses not to by when you start practicing targeted sales. In fact, expect them. Expect people to tell you ‘no’, ‘not right now’ or ‘not interested’ on a regular basis. Realize that objections are completely normal and the more you get, the more comfortable you will be with selling.
In fact, you’ll even get better at determining your target customer. That way, when you’re talking to someone who you know is not a fit and will present a ton of excuses, you can cut things short in a polite way and move on to more suitable prospects.
Summary
You don’t have to be a marketing expert a top-performing salesperson to get better at sales. Start by breaking down your mental roadblocks that are holding you back from embracing sales. Understand that everyone sells and it’s a skill that even you can perfect. Then, start practicing regularly and make sure you truly believe in what you’re selling.
Expect excuses and objections and start to train yourself on techniques you can use to help people overcome these setbacks. Overall, stay persistent and realize that while you do have to put yourself out there quite a bit, you’ll become more efficient with more experience.
