I’ve never been the strongest at selling, but I’m certainly a lot better than I used to be.
Just the very thought of selling would have me sweating as I’ve just run a marathon… in the peak of summer… whilst on fire… covered in diesel.
I’ve since come to understand though that selling is an art.
An art that can be both learned and enjoyed, believe it or not.
In this article, I will be sharing some useful mindset shifts that you can implement to reduce your fear of selling and convert more sales.
Stop Selling
First things first.
If you want to overcome your fear of selling and be better at sales, you need to stop selling.
I realise how ridiculous that sounds but it’s true.
Many business owners will make the mistake of pitching their products left, right and centre and as a result; neglect the very reason why they started their business in the first place.
Need I remind you that the primary purpose of an entrepreneur is to help people – not to make money.
Money is just a by-product of solving problems for others.
But you can’t begin to help others if you’re only thinking about yourself, which is why you need to shift that mindset and focus your attention on the client instead.
- What are they struggling with exactly?
- What goal do they specifically want to achieve and when?
- What is currently stopping them from achieving that goal?
Ask them these questions, sit back and just listen.
You’ll learn a lot more during the call by asking the right questions.
This brings me nicely to my next point.
Say less
It’s a common misconception that you have to be peppering your prospective clients with endless features & information about your offer.
Not true. Not true at all.
Your client is here for one thing and one thing only.
Results.
They want to know whether you are the right person to deliver them the results that they’ve been craving so badly.
But first, you need to understand what those results are.
You do this by asking them the right questions, such as the ones listed above.
Once you know what the prospective client actually wants and is struggling with, you can then provide an effective solution.
Think of it this way…
Your doctor will diagnose your problem before they offer you any medicines, therapy or surgery.
They don’t just jump the gun and throw a load of pills at you before you can even sit down.
At least the good ones don’t anyway.
But the key here is that they ask you questions first.
They’ll diagnose the issue before offering you an effective solution.
And that’s how you have to approach your sales calls.
Ask your clients questions and figure out what they actually need, then provide them with a solution yourself or refer them to someone else who can help.
Sell as a doctor would.
Realise Your Importance
Let’s not get it twisted here, your clients need you – not the other way around.
Even if you are desperate for the money, understand that they are struggling to get XYZ done on their own.
If they could, they wouldn’t have reached out to you.
Without your expertise, they are going to continue suffering with whatever obstacle is currently stopping them from achieving their goals.
If you can recognise that then you’ll also understand that they want you to sell to them.
They want you to take the lead and show them that you are the solution to their problem(s).
The fact that they turned up to the meeting at all is proof of that.
So just relax and understand that you’re the one in the driving seat.
Live in abundance
Not only is this great sales advice but it’s also really good dating advice too.
If you have a fear of selling yourself, you should definitely read this quick and embarrassing story of mine…
I’ll take you back to my early, acne-infested 20’s when I was absolutely terrible with women.
Some might suggest that I still am.
But back then, I couldn’t even bring myself to talk to one. I thought that lowly of myself.
Well anyway, I was out with some mates one evening and was introduced to a girl who was a friend of a friend.
She took a liking to (drunk) me and well… things happened.
Things started off great between us but after a few weeks, I could feel that she was beginning to slip away.
Because of that, I would panic and do or say anything just to get her attention.
I just wanted to remind her how great a guy I was.
Long story short, my neediness pushed her away and she lost interest in me.
All because I had a scarcity mindset.
Basically, because I found it so difficult meeting women up to that point, I was worried that it could be months if not years before I meet someone else.
I mean, I’d only met this girl through the help of a mutual friend. It wasn’t like I had a continuous stream of women falling into my lap, figuratively speaking.
This is why I’d put all this pressure on myself, and this girl, to make this work and for her to be “the one”.
Of course, this was all before I knew any better.
But I see that very same mistake being made by business owners today.
Not necessarily with their love interests, but with their prospective clients.
They struggle to attract consistent leads for their business, so they put too much pressure on themselves to convert the few that they do get.
And unsurprisingly, that often leads to undesirable results.
Because your desperation will be obvious in the way you present yourself, and the client will feed off that bad vibe.
To overcome your fear of selling you want to approach each discovery call from a place of abundance.
You need to imagine that you’ve got a dozen other people, dying to talk to you and that it’s totally fine if this one doesn’t work out.
Who knows, that might actually be the case for you one day.
Create an offer that sells itself
Speaking of taking the pressure off yourself, how better to do just that than to create an offer that sells itself!
Most business owners have a fear of selling because they don’t actually believe that their offer is of value to their clients.
They’re just focusing on the money-making aspect of the sale, rather than actually solving problems for others.
Again, solving a client’s problems first comes down to understanding what those problems, struggles & pain points are in the first place.
It’s only when you understand this with clarity, that you can then create an offer that sells itself.
When I say this, I’m referring to an offer so good that the client would have to be a complete moron to say “No”.
That involves understanding your ideal client down to a tee, climbing into their heads and knowing their current pain points, goals, obstacles, likes, dislikes and what they were doing at 8 pm last Saturday.
It’s only when you can get into the psychology of your core audience that you can deliver an offer that can’t be refused.
To the client, this offer will solve their core problem(s), easy to understand, is of ridiculous value, low risk and… a complete steal!
An offer so good, they just can’t say “No”.
If you’d like to know more about how you can create an offer like this, you are more than welcome to book a free, 30-minute consultation with me here.
You can say “No”
So you’ve made an irresistible offer that can’t be refused by the client, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to work with them.
Selling is a two-way street.
You are sizing them up as much as they are you.
Remember that not everyone who jumps on a call with you will be a good fit for you, even if they are willing to pay top dollar.
You must know that before you take on your next client.
Otherwise, you could end up working with someone who has you pulling your hair out and reconsidering the meaning of life itself.
Do yourself a favour and do your due diligence first.
It’s okay to say “No” if the client isn’t a good fit for you, in fact, they’ll probably respect you a lot more for doing so.
BONUS: Stop Selling, Again
No, this isn’t a copy & paste of my earlier point.
This won’t actually help you with your fear of selling, however, I feel like it was a point worth making anyway.
But anyway, another common mistake that people will make is to keep on selling, long after the prospect has already been sold on the offer.
If you’ve already clinched the sale then please, for the love of God, just shut the f*** up.
Anything that you say at this point could ruin all the hard work you’ve done, and have the client pulling a U-turn quicker than Vin Diesel in Fast & Furious 28.
When the client says that they like the deal, just smile and let the meeting come to a close.
If you need to add anything further then do so via email or text.
At least that way you can carefully word what you say, as opposed to getting cocky and saying something stupid in the heat of the moment.
get Help
If you’re still struggling with a fear of selling though, you may just need that extra nudge from someone to push you past your comfort zone to do what’s necessary.
There’s no shame in saying that you do need help to achieve your goals, as even the very best coaches have coaches.
So if you want to overcome your fear of selling and start converting leads into paying clients (or getting leads in the first place), you’re more than welcome to book a free, 30-minute consultation with me here.
SO, HOW DO YOU OVERCOME YOUR FEAR OF SELLING?
Selling doesn’t have to be an anxious experience for you. As long as you can remember that the client actually wants you to be the solution to their problem(s).
You can reduce the fear of selling by not selling at all. Instead, you should ask purposeful questions that get right to the point of uncovering the client’s pain points (and goals).
From there, you can make an educated judgement on whether you can in fact help this client or whether it’s best to refer them to someone else who can.
Did you find this article helpful? Let me know in the comments if so!
