Tip 86) Understand how your own beliefs around sales may be holding you back

"But I'm just no good at sales!" 

Have you ever heard yourself say this? If you are like most small business owners, I can pretty much guarantee the answer will be a definite YES!
The good thing is that this is just a belief. Are all our beliefs necessarily true? Absolutely not – your current beliefs about yourself and the universe are just thought systems that are based on the best available evidence that you have right here, right now. For example...

• At one point, you believed in Father Christmas, until some annoying older sibling or friend told you that this wasn't true. 

• At one point, we believed the world was flat. (And that the Earth was the centre of the universe!)
• It was believed up until around 1850 that doctors didn't need to wash their hands between patients! 
• Believe it or not, until 1999, it was commonly thought that babies didn't feel pain, so most medical procedures were done completely anaesthetic-free!
• Smoking is good for you! This one seems almost unbelievable, given that smoking has been linked to a host of cancers, but there was a time when smoking was considered not only benign but actually beneficial. Mad I know! Luckily, as new evidence became available, our beliefs changed. 

So what are your beliefs around sales? 
What are the first words that come to mind when I say the word 'Sales' or 'Salesman'? 
Often when I do this exercise with clients, I'll get answers like...

• Pushy
• Manipulative 
• Slimy
• Arrogant   
• Deceitful

If you believe that to be good at sales, you need to be any of the above – is it any wonder we don't want to sell to people? We don't want to come across as pushy or manipulative! 

Let's get one thing straight. Being great at sales is a positive thing when you are simply helping people to buy the right product or service for them. Not for you. For them. Selling is just helping people to buy what they need, want and can afford. It's not about pushing them into something or selling them a product or service they don't want. If your 'stuff' is right for them, why shouldn't they buy it?

Let me give you an example...
I passionately believe that every small business owner should have a business coach. Someone to help them to see the wood from the trees, to bring great ideas to the table that will improve not only their business but also their quality of life, to cheer them on, support them and hold them accountable. So when I am in a sales situation with a prospect, and I think we are a great fit for each other – I will do my best to take them on as a client. Likewise, if we are not a good fit, I'll happily walk away without even thinking about trying to persuade them. It has to be right for us both. I'll still add as much value as I can during our time together, but I won't sell them something they don't need or can afford. 

So... what if your belief around your sales ability wasn't true? What if you approached every new sales opportunity with the belief that you were great at sales? And that if your products or services are right for the client, you owe it to them to sell your stuff. If you are passionate about what you do – why wouldn't you?

How to change your beliefs around sales

1. Start telling yourself that you are getting better at sales. Your subconscious does what you tell it to do. 
2. Start telling yourself that you enjoy the sales process, that it's exciting to bring on a new client or sell a product. 
3. Visualise yourself feeling relaxed and positive in sales situations and feeling great afterwards.
4. Start asking for the sale. The more you do this, the easier it will become.
5. Have a strong positioning statement (see Tip 88).

If you do the above you will start to collect new evidence around your sales ability, and your beliefs will gradually change.

Keeping you selling :-)

Jo x