10 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Selling
Do you hate selling over the phone?
How about in person?
Wouldn’t it be great if you could sell your products and services over automated texts or an email?
Like many new entrepreneurs at the start of their business journey, I cringed at the idea of money talk.
I didn’t have enough belief in myself, my products and my prospects.
Earning money from an employer was a social norm that I had gotten accustomed to. I worked and traded my time in exchange for money.
Selling other people’s products and services felt a lot easier than selling my own.
In retrospect, I think it was my pride that got in the way of my ability to sell with confidence.
I didn’t have many good role models to follow.
In my personal experiences, those that did try to sell to me felt annoying, forceful or troublesome.
I was basing sales experiences on my interactions with the MLMers, the car dealership sales people and those that tried to make their quotas in local retail stores.
I noticed that many were operating from a place of scarcity and desperation.
After all, they had to sell to survive.
No wonder I felt icky, sleezy and burdensome when I tried to sell my own products.
On top of things, the imposter syndrome crept up far too often.
I would always question ‘why anyone would pay me for what I have to offer?’
The truth is, the fastest way to repel someone is to sell them something!
Even if they might need that service or product you’re offering, their innate instincts will have them on the defense quicker than a blink of an eye which will lead to inevitable rejection.
This rejection quickly turns into fear and stops so many amazing professionals from selling well-needed services. Trust me, I was once there too!
Here are 10 ways I used to overcome my fear of ‘selling’:
Don’t sell, build relationships — these can lead to conversions or referrals: Any great entrepreneur will know that it’s all about the long game, not the short-term wins. Someone might not buy from you after investing an hour on a prospecting call, however, you can leave an impact that can potentially last until 6 months or more later! It really helps to look at your relationship with the word ‘NO’. To me, N.O. is an acronym for NEXT OPPORTUNITY. A great way to approach a ‘no’ to ask is ‘Who do else you know that could benefit from this kind of product or service”. If you’re given a name, ask for a brief introduction and work your magic.
Focus intently on the person and not a script to quickly build rapport: People will buy from those they like, know, and trust. The fastest way to build that rapport is to listen with intent focus on what the person is saying. What you need to realize is that they are feeding you crucial information about what they really want and are willing to pay for. Once you have a good understanding of what they want, you’ll have a much better idea of how your offerings will fit their needs. The purchase quickly becomes a no-brainer when they see the fit, value, and potential return on investment.
Be 100% sure that your service/product can help others: Feedback is one of the greatest assets when it comes to building certainty in your product or services. As Zig Ziglar says “Help others get what they want, and they will help you get what you want”. The more results you produce, the more certainty you will develop.
Accept that you and your products may not be the right fit for everyone: If you are trying to serve everyone, you aren’t serving anyone fully. Once you come to terms with the fact that not everyone will want what you have to offer, you will be able to build the resilience needed to preserve in the face of fear and uncertainty.
Always have a pipeline of prospects: When you know you’re giving it your 100% every time, serving your clients to the best of your abilities during each interaction, there is no time for regret. You won’t be saying things like ‘Damn! I could’ve done this thing better” anymore because you knew you did the best you could. Take each interaction as an opportunity to learn if you don’t achieve your desired outcome and ask yourself 3 simple questions:1) What went well? 2) What didn’t go well? 3) What could I do better next time? And with a constant stream of prospects, you’ll continually be growing at an exponential rate that doesn’t have you scrambling to make that next sale.
Sell on value, never on price: It’s not about the price, it’s about the promise. People are willing to go to Whole Foods instead of cheaper grocery stores because they are willing to pay for the higher value. Whole Foods is committed to holding the value, they aren’t selling prices and you can do the same for whatever it is you’re offering.
Remember that the most valuable asset anyone has is themselves and their time: Time is a nonrenewable commodity that many place a lesser value on than money. When you help your clients build awareness around their personal value and time — investing in whatever it is you have to offer will pale in comparison to the potential returns.
Set achievable goals that would be fun for you: you’ll get good at what you enjoy and you’ll enjoy what you get good at. If selling isn’t fun for you, get creative and gamify the entire process in a way that will get you excited to pick up that phone over and over again. You can’t hit a target you can’t see so setting achievable goals and pushing slightly past your believed limits will help you build clarity around your approach and what will be required of you to achieve your goals.
Hang out with positive people who have the skill you are lacking and have achieved your set goals: We’ve all heard it before — you are the average of the 5 people you hang out with. Write down the names of the 5 people who are currently spending a significant amount of time with and ask yourself “Where am I now in regards to performance expectations?” It might just be time to build new relationships that will serve you better.
Figure out a ‘powerful why’ for selling, and let that motivate you to pick up the phone: A lot of people think that it’s their lack of confidence that’s stopping them from doing what they fear or hate. To me, confidence is overrated. Take a man who has stage fright. He would rather be dead than going up to speak to a crowd of 300 people, but tell him that if he goes up within the next 5 minutes, he will be rewarded with $10 million dollars — he’ll be pushing and fishing to get up there first. In this case, money is the motivator that will get a man to do ‘impossible’ things — what’s your motivator?
That’s it! Simple right?
Use all, some of the pro tips above and watch your confidence, income and impact skyrocket!
You can do this!
How do I know?
Because I was once a beginner too and know that you’re only a few repetitions away to mastery.
In your corner,
Alex
P.S. If you’re ready to overcome your fear, become a master of sales, and have people craving for whatever you offer?
Book a call with me today and let’s get started!
P.P.S. Here are 4 other ways I can help you increase your levels of happiness, peace, and freedom as a creator of your best life;
1. Join Project Elevate – for 3 months of capacity expansion, led personally by me. Plus, receive a complimentary ticket to the next Alexander Lin Intensive.
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