Ask for the Sale
Question: “I am constantly helping others and never receiving any payment for it. No one even thinks to ASK if I charge and I’m not sure how to tell them that I do.”
It is not the prospect’s job to ask if you charge. It’s your job to tell prospects and potential prospects about your services, describe the benefits clients receive from using your services, and to state the fees for those services. If you want to be paid, you must ask for the sale.
Sales and Selling
Selling involves a set of skills that can be learned. To the extent that you decide to learn and respect the sales process, you’re more likely to sell. It’s a mindset that is virtually impossible to do successfully until you change the way you think about it. Business owners who want to earn more will learn more about sales and selling.
People who are uncomfortable asking for the sale tend to be uninformed about selling. I know I was. I had no clue. The thought of selling used to scare me big time. I didn’t know how to ask a person to buy from me. And as a business consultant, I found selling my services personal, as if I was selling me and not just my expertise. It was painful. And not selling was expensive. I decided to learn.
Don’t limit your perception of sales to high pressure tactics or unethical manipulation, for that completely misses the point. How you sell is up to you. However, the bottom line is we all have to sell. No sales means no revenue. Your cash flow — the money you have available to spend on and invest in your business — is a function of your willingness to market and sell. The only way for an entrepreneur to sustain her business is by becoming skilled at selling.
Learn to Sell
The more I sell, the better I do, and the easier it becomes. Now I enjoy selling. I like meeting new people, listening to their stories, hearing their wants and needs, asking questions, probing, and discovering how we may be able to help each other. I enjoy assessing if my services will benefit the prospect, thinking of who I can introduce or refer them to, looking for the win-win while appreciating the fact that I’m building relationships that are as important as the sale. And I frequently get both - the sale and the relationship. How cool is that!
Sales is a mindset that once developed will put dollars in your pocket and confidence in your heart. You can network with thousands, but if you’re unable or unwilling to initiate and close the sale, your business will fail.
Read books on selling. Zig Ziglar has several popular titles. Subscribe to newsletters by online sales professionals Tom Hopkins and Jim Meisenheimer. Build your knowledge base. Discover different sales closing techniques. Find a role model or join a mastermind group to learn and be inspired.
Ask for the Sale
Develop a written script if it helps you think through your presentation. Then practice your sales talk or presentation until it’s committed to memory. And commit to continuous improvement.
Some examples: “I would love the opportunity to work with you. One of the services I offer is XXX. Some of the benefits my clients receive as a result of my services are …”
“The fee for what we’ve discussed is $XX per hour, or $XY for Phase 1 of the project. When did you want to start working on this? Shall I email you a project schedule (or whatever)?”
“Did you have a chance to visit my website? Would you like me to send you more information on my services? When would you like me to follow up with you? What’s a good time for you? Great, let’s schedule that time.”
Sales Is A Numbers Game
Some percent of the people exposed to your service will buy from you. Your plan should be to expose more people to your product or service, and close more of those exposed. Then you won’t get bummed when one prospect doesn’t sign on to your services.
Give more people the opportunity to get to know you and what you offer. And, of course, the opportunity to buy it.
Follow Up!
Follow up is crucial. People usually don’t buy the first time they hear about a product or service. We need multiple exposures before we buy. You will want to contact your prospects and express your desire to work with them. Look for opportunities to interact, to keep your brand at the top of the prospect’s awareness.
I loved the comments shared in part one of this series.Tell me what you think. How do you ease into your sales talk? Have you practiced your presentation in front of a mirror? Have you ever used a script to prep for sales phone calls? In what ways are you honing your sales skills?
Warmly,
Judith
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October 28th, 2008 at 10:25 am
A great aha moment for me was whilst listening to Christen Mickelsen who said that we touch far more people with our marketing than we ever will through our coaching so every time I market I attempt to give some value. This really made me rethink my marketing and I now attempt to market as I coach. This means that I am able to leave a strong impression of my coaching style with my marketing activities.
Katherine Reschkes last blog post..The Passion Project Presents Getting a new mindset: an update
October 31st, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Hi Judith,
I really like the Sander Sales Training Institute which I have been attending here in Portland. Their approach is to see if there is a match between customer needs and the product or service you offer. They assume that there will be many “no fits” and that is ok. They help you uncover the “no fits” quickly so you can spend time on the ones that do “fit.” It also helps you to not loose confidence throughout the selling process. Highly recommended.