The Five Words You Should Never Say as an Entrepreneur

The Five Words You Should Never Say as an Entrepreneur

Believe it or not, you are a salesperson.?Now, you may be scratching your head at that saying, “Wait a minute, Tracy, you don’t even know me.?How do you know I’m a salesperson?”?The simple answer here is that we are all salespeople.?Have you ever convinced a toddler to put on a coat when it’s freezing outside??You’re a salesperson.?Have you ever convinced your friends to go to the restaurant you want to go to even though they’re all craving something different??You’re a salesperson.?Have you ever helped a friend or family member solve a problem, referred them to a trusted specialist or a favorite hangout??You’re a salesperson.?So, why do so many of us fall into the trap of trying to convince ourselves we are not??Why do we repeat those dreaded five words over and over again, ”I am not a salesperson”??We say this because we don’t truly understand what a salesperson is, so let’s take some time today to destigmatize it.?

Be a Problem Solver

Being a salesperson means that you have the uncanny ability to problem solve.?Being a salesperson is not a bad thing.?In fact, it simply showcases that you are a giver and that you are enthusiastic about sharing what you know in order to help others alleviate their pain points.?Being a salesperson means that you’re willing to do what it takes to understand your client so well that any product or service recommendations that you make to them are certain to be a good fit.?After all, you’re not trying to create more problems for your clients.?You are finding the solutions from a place of integrity.?That’s not to say that there aren’t those salespeople out there who might be approaching their sales tactics a bit aggressively, but they don’t have to overshadow the rest of us who are truly in it to help people problem solve.?

Let’s look at an example of how this idea of being a salesperson can get skewed.?I have a client who works at a health clinic and she contacted me the other day a bit upset.?She was discussing treatment options with a patient and offering some recommendations and, ultimately, the gentleman signed up for their program based on what she had shared with him.?Following the sign-up, he told her what a great salesperson she was and instantly, she felt as though she had done something wrong.?I immediately stopped her in her tracks and reminded her to take this as a compliment.?What did he actually mean by this comment???

When my client engaged with this patient, she listened deeply enough and asked enough of the right questions that she was able to find a solution that worked for him.?He wasn’t insinuating that she had been sneaky in getting him to buy something.?Rather, he was complimenting her because she didn’t take the opportunity to try to sell him things that he didn’t need.?She simplified the process for him by being in integrity and finding a viable path forward.?How might it shift your relationship to the word salesperson if you were able to look at it through this different lens?

The Key to Sales

The truth behind sales is that you don’t have to rely on schemes or sales tactics that feel aggressive or make your skin crawl.?In fact, the more relatable, human and compassionate that you are in your interactions with your clients, the more that they will trust you and want to take your advice.?Actively listen, ask follow-up questions and trust that your client will tell you what they need.?Make it less about “closing the sale” and more about knowing your audience.?If you make your pitch sales-y, your client will smell it from a mile away and it will off put them.?Focus, instead, on reminding them why your service or product is valuable with the understanding that, even if you don’t close the sale that day, you’ve created the potential for them to reconnect with you later down the line or that perhaps they aren’t the right client for you, which leads me to my final point.?

Perhaps the most important thing to remember about being a salesperson in a non-sales-y way is to be honest, at all costs.?Tell people the truth, no matter what!?If you’re product or service is not the best fit for somebody, tell them that!?You may even go as far as to point them in the direction of a product or service that would be a better fit.?After all, your job as a salesperson is to provide a solution, remember??Even if it means bypassing a sale in the moment, your integrity will stick with the client and it will come back to you somewhere later down the line.?Think about the encounters you’ve personally had with salespeople.?If you think back on it, you can probably remember at least a few times where you didn’t purchase the product or service, but you ended up recommending it to friends and family anyway because you trusted the integrity of the person you discussed it with.?Put your clients needs before your own bank account and you will always remain in integrity.?

So, where do you stand now with the idea of being a salesperson??Hopefully you’ve agreed to banish that five-word sentence we mentioned earlier from your vocabulary based on what we’ve shared with you today.?If you’ve enjoyed these tips, don’t forget to keep checking back for our latest blogs.?You can also join our Facebook group, “Be a Confident Entrepreneur: Gain Confidence and Grow Your Income”?to join a whole community of like-minded individuals who are equally as committed as you are to growing their business in integrity.?You may also choose to contact me directly via DM or through my website, www.tracybeavers.com, and book a discovery call to see how we might work together or check out my other online offerings.???