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16 Steps
to Overcoming Sales Phobia
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If you're like most business owners and
self employed professionals you started a business because you have a
particular talent, skill, or ability; not because you like selling. And
although some sales people do start companies, most business owners have no
experience or training in sales.
by
Susan Martin
Contributing Author
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If you're like most business owners and self employed professionals you
started a business because you have a particular talent, skill, or ability;
not because you like selling. And although some sales people do start
companies, most business owners have no experience or training in sales.
(article continued below ...)
Let's face it, no-one likes hearing the word no. The mere mention of the
word sales conjures up all kinds of negative images like the ubiquitous used
car salesman or the bait and switch tactics that television news shows are
so fond of featuring. With all of these negative images around, it's no
wonder that so many people don t like selling.
You may be naturally shy or lack self confidence. Or perhaps you never
learned how to speak about your business in a way that compels people to buy
from you. Regardless of the reason, if you run a business or work for
yourself you'll find it much easier to be successful if you sharpen your
sales skills and get comfortable in this role.
If the situation I'm describing rings a bell, here are some steps you can
take to turn your fears into success:
1. Get clear on your market positioning.
What does your company stand for
in the eyes of your prospects? What makes you different? Who's your ideal
client? What pain or problem do your customers have that your product or
service solves? Once you're clear about the benefits and results you get for
your ideal customers, it will be easy for them to realize that they should
buy from you rather than the other guy.
2. Pinpoint what it is that you re really afraid of.
Sometimes it s not
the sale per se that we're afraid of. Look for the reasons behind the fear,
and then come up with solutions for dealing with them.
For instance, sometimes a fear will develop when you know there's a
problem with the product or service. You may have had some recent
complaints, or are having trouble meeting deliveries or deadlines. It s hard
to convince people to buy if you re worried about what you re selling. If
this is the case, be proactive! Fix the problems. Make your product or
service the best it can be.
Other times a fear can stem from an emotional issue, such as fear of
success or fear of failure. Often, we get in our own way with negative
self-talk or beliefs we have that sabotage our efforts. If so, get in touch
with these feelings and implement strategies to deal with them.
3. Use the things you don't like about sales to form a better approach.
Then, do the opposite! If you hate being pressured to buy, develop a
strategy that doesn't use any pressure. Make a list of all of the things
salespeople do that you don t like. From there, develop strategies that don
t use these tactics.
4. Examine the styles of those who do it effortlessly.
We've all met
them, people who don t seem to be selling at all, but know just the right
things to say to get people interested in their offering. They don t employ
any of the selling behaviors that turn people off. Study them. Analyze what
they re doing. Then adapt it to suit your situation.
5. Develop an authentic selling style that you feel really good about.
I
believe that anyone can be successful in sales as long as they feel good
about themselves while doing it. You may have to think differently. Look at
what's not working with your current approach, and why. Be creative - if the
words sales or selling make you cringe, call it something else!
6. Understand that selling is a numbers game, and that no-one closes
every sale.
Not every prospect is a qualified buyer and that's OK! It's just
a normal part of the sales process. Try thinking of it as selecting the
customers that would benefit most from your offering. Naturally, in order to
select the best, you ll have to reject those that don t fit.
Keep track of how many qualified prospects you need to speak to before
closing a deal. Then, set your sales goals, multiplying the number of sales
you need to close by the number of qualified prospects you'll need to speak
to in order to close each deal. If you close about ½ of the qualified
prospects you speak to; and you need to make 4 sales a month, you'll need to
be speaking to about 8 qualified prospects a month in order to do so.
7. Learn to look at sales rejection as an opportunity for learning.
Instead of letting yourself be discouraged by a no use the experience as an
opportunity to learn from instead. What went right? What didn't work that
can be approached differently the next time?
8. Don't take it personally!
There are lots of reasons people say no.
Many of these reasons have nothing to do with you. It may be that they don t
really need what you re offering, the timing isn t right, or they re busy
and preoccupied with other things.
9. Pinpoint common objections, and address them.
You can turn more
prospects into paying customers by thinking about logical comebacks to
common objections. Is your prospect is focused on price? Then focus on
value and return on investment. This way you meet their concerns head on,
instead of avoiding them.
10. Boost your self-confidence and motivation.
Think about all of the
wonderful results your product or service has gotten for your customers. Don't confuse your selling abilities with the value customers get from buying
from you. Remind yourself often about the positive benefits your customers
receive. If you re not sure, ask them what they like best about doing
business with you.
11. Think out of the box:
You don't have to use pressure or become the
stereotypic used car salesman to get customers. You can learn to close deals
without using pressure, in your own way and with integrity.
12. Set realistic goals.
Although setting goals is important, be careful
not to set the bar so high that you can t reach it. This only leads to
discouragement. Instead, start by setting a realistic goal. Then, break it
down into all of the steps you ll need to take to get there. Get real about
the time, energy, money and any other resources you'll need to have in place
in order to achieve it. Next, add a timeline and benchmarks to measure
progress.
13. Consider practicing on your "safe list" first.
Practicing really
helps. A great way to do this is try out your presentation in a comfortable
setting first. A client of mine did this recently by compiling a safe list
of people in his industry that he knew well and felt comfortable with. He
contacted them and asked if they would listen to his presentation and give
him constructive feedback. This allowed him to work out the kinks and gain
the confidence he needed before going out in the real world. Want a
different approach? Practice on a group of prospects you don't know who
you'll never see again. You'll soon learn what works!
14. Celebrate your wins!
Congratulate yourself whenever you make a good
presentation or feel you've improved, even if you haven t closed a deal yet.
It doesn't help to be hard on yourself if it doesn't go as well. Those who
keep focused on the positives find it easier to be successful.
15. Realize that often a no means not yet or maybe
. Find out the reasons
behind a no by learning to ask a lot of questions. Perhaps they need more
info. or they've got a lot on their plate right now. If they see the value,
and have a need for what you offer they may be interested in the future.
Make sure to get to the bottom of the no and to follow-up with them later as
necessary.
16. And finally, just allow yourself to do it!
Be willing to step outside
your comfort zone. Psyche yourself up to try it and get out there - it
really does get easier each time you do.
About the Author:
Susan Martin created Business Sanity to help business owners and
independent professionals who struggle with sales, marketing, management and
productivity; and want to increase profits, avoid burnout and run their
businesses most effectively. To find out how you can make more money with
less effort and stress; visit Susan on the web at
http://www.business-sanity.com/sales.html
and subscribe to Business Sanity Tips or set-up your free consultation.
May 2005
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