Want More Sales? Stop Selling Your Product

It's not working for you.

Actually, it doesn't work for anyone, but if you're a small business owner, it'll stop your sales dead cold. But it's hard to resist. Because it's almost like we're programmed to do it.

By the end of this article, I want you to commit to stop. But we'll get to that in a moment.

I have some bad news for you first: Nobody cares about your product.

Don't take it personally. Nobody cares about mine either. In fact, nobody cares about anybody's product. They care about the outcome the product creates.

And if you're a service business and think you don't have a product, you actually do. Your service is your product. Program. Course. Mastermind. Project. Whatever, it's your product.

But your client doesn't care. Your client doesn't wake up at 2 o'clock in the morning thinking, "if I just had so-and-so's product, all would be right with the world."

Nope. Your client wakes up at 2 o'clock in the morning worrying about their problem...and trying to find someone to solve it. What they care about is being on the other side of the problem - when it's solved.

There are only 4 reasons anyone buys anything:

• Make money
• Save money
• Stay out of jail
• Have a better life.

That's it. No more. And usually, your client is interested in just one of them. That's what you're selling. One of those four outcomes. Not your product.

But during the sales conversation, how much time do you spend talking about one of those outcomes versus all the bells and whistles of your product? Or how many hours you work? Or how many modules there are? Or when that live event is scheduled? Or even what kind of payment plans and discounts you offer?

Think about where you spend your time during the conversation. Is it on the outcome or is it on the nuts and bolts of your product?

I think you know what the answer should be. 

I get it. Sales conversations can be nerve racking. You get worried about what you're going to say. What if they have questions or objections? What if they don't have the money? What if you can't pay the bills next month?

It's all very stressful.

I know. I spent the last 20 years helping Fortune 500 and multinationals sell 6-, 7- and in some cases 8-figure services on 5 continents. Over that time, I've developed a few techniques that I use each time I have a sales conversation. I even put a little cheat sheet together for myself.

Seriously. Even today, when I'm in a sales conversation and "lose my way" (hey, it happens), I go back to this formula and things get back on track.

There are 7 important tips you need to remember in your sales conversations.

1. When you explain who you are and what you do, describe it in terms of the outcome you create for your client. You're not a "web designer." You're a lead generator.
2. Describe your prospect's fears. The more vivid and specific, the better. Your prospect needs to understand that you understand. They should think you've been reading their diary or been a fly on the wall of their conference room.
3. Tell your prospect what's possible. Stretch their vision beyond what it is today. Good service providers are able to build on the momentum and desires of their prospect and turn it into something they never imagined.
4. Have a "secret sauce." There needs to be something special about how you do what you do. Even breaking down your process into 3 - 5 stages you identify and name will help you differentiate yourself.
5. Include "prizes" along the way. As you describe your process, make sure you build in little "wins" every so often so your prospect sees value during the entire engagement. No one wants to wait until the end to get what they want.
6. Resolve objections with stories. Even better, do it before they come up. If you've been selling for any time at all, you probably have a good sense of what objections you'll hear. Get out in front of them by telling a story about a client who overcame that objection.
7. Don't close; invite. You're the prize, not the client. You have the solution to their problem. Invite them to join you on the journey to resolve it.

I built my cheat sheet around these seven principles. Use them in your conversations and you'll see a marked difference in the experience - and in your ability to enroll new clients.

Oh, and that promise I want you to make. Promise to stop selling your product during your sales conversations. Commit. Right now. Just stop it.

Start selling the outcome. Talk about one of those four bullet items above. And just one. Get good at that, and you start selling high-ticket services consistently.

Frank Bria helps service providers consistently and successfully earn 5- and 6-figures for each and every client. He does this by helping clients create a High-Ticket Program. That's a scalable service offering that doesn't box you into custom projects or selling your time. His 12-week High-Ticket Program Mastery mentorship program helps entrepreneurs create their High-Ticket Program, validate and pilot it, and begin to market it in order to generate an additional 6-figures of revenue. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and Facebook or follow him on Twitter.