Does the mention of selling make you break out into a cold sweat?
Subscribe to the podcast here
Today we are talking about the emotions of selling as a service provider. I have five years of selling as a service provider under my belt, and have sold well over 120 women into my Director of Operations Certification Program over the last year. I know a thing or two about selling, but that doesn’t mean it comes natural or that it’s exciting. In fact, it brings up a lot of emotions that can stifle me. I’ve had to do a lot of work around the selling process because it’s uncomfortable… but it’s part of business.
As a service provider, sales look different than in a product based business since buyers can’t actually see or touch the product.
“When it comes to selling a service you need to be able to articulate that service with a ton of confidence. The ultimate goal is to be able to do this with ease.”
When you are selling a service, it’s less clear than when you are selling a product because you are selling a transformation, a solution, or intellectual property. It’s not physical, and because of this there will be a lot more emotion tied into this. At the end of the day we are selling ourselves…people are buying you.
I mentor operations experts, and so often they are scared to actively sell themselves because service providers are selling services that come with a healthy price tag. And along with the larger price tag, comes the worthiness question. You think:
- Am I worthy of this?
- Should I be doing this?
- Should I really be getting paid for this?
- Who is really going to buy this?
As you step into your zone you will work with larger and more visible clients, and you’ll start to question your genius… you worry about providing the outcomes that people may expect.
When sales and marketing slow you down from getting to the point of having a sales conversation, you don’t generate the revenue you need that will make you proud of the work you are doing.
Is this something you feel like you can overcome? Are you ready to do the work to have sales come more naturally with you?
Preparation
Sales create emotional blocks for me, so I have to prepare myself. This is especially true when I do launches because I will be having a conversation with hundreds of people at once. When I am asking someone to partner with me, I have to look back at the transformation that I’ve had, and the transformation that I have helped others have in order to equip my emotions to be able to feel bold and confident to sell my offerings.
I ask myself:
- Am I addressing their concerns?
- Am I the right solution to their problems?
- Do I want to continue to do this work?
- Am I partnering with the right people?
- Am I selling this for the right reasons?
You may have different questions that relate to the service you are selling, so adjust as needed.
Once you interact and gather the information, the pitch comes. It is completely normal to stumble, to over-process, to overpromise, and to have awkward pauses… these are all reactions related to the fear that comes with selling and sharing your brilliance.
Tips For Any Selling Situation
1. Prepare for each and every sales call
Think like an athlete, and get in shape. You need to practice and do research. The more research and data points you have, the easier it is to have an organic informed call. At the end of the day you’re looking to have a conversation, and you should mentally make the shift to thinking of it as a conversation rather than a sales call.
2. Ask a lot of questions
Questions allow you to understand if you are the right person to move forward. It also allows you to shine and offer solutions, whether they are going to buy from you or not. Guide them through a framework and provide value to them. Take leadership over the call and put yourself in a position to determine if you are the right person to work with them. If not you can redirect them to other service providers.
3. Map your process
What is your sales process? Whatever you are selling, have that process completely mapped out and be able to rattle it off as second nature. This displays confidence. Your gift is in process, and when you can couple that with your leadership and experience… you will rock a sales call.
“Selling is always about communicating the value, and anticipating their needs.”
4. Create a Visual
A visual will give you confidence. Plus, people learn in multiple different ways. Sometimes it is difficult for people to imagine the process you are selling through verbal communication. If you can create a visual on a slide and then walk them through it, their ability to say “yes” or “no” will happen much faster. Make it crystal clear for them.
5. Validate Understanding
Validate that the potential client understands your service. If it has been a one sided conversation, expect follow up because both parties want to feel like they have spoken and been heard.
Ask:
- How does this feel to you?
- Do you have any questions?
- What are your experiences?
These are all questions to validate that they understand.
6. Only offer services that you fully own
Don’t oversell, overpromise, or change your offer and couple it with things that sound interesting or that are in your wheelhouse. When you allow the client to create offers for your business, you’ll find that the work is not exciting and it has a massive negative effect on the services you are delivering to them. Be honest if there is something in the role that you don’t feel equipped for and understand that turning away people is healthy.
7. Model your solution in the sales process
If you are selling systems or processes, make sure they are buttoned up from the beginning. There is no better way to get buy in than to model it throughout your process.
8. Journal your emotional blocks
Listen to the blocks that come up, and equip yourself to overcome them. Take the negative emotion, journal on it and find the facts that supersede the emotion that is not rooted in any truth.
Weekly Ops Activity
Document your offer process. How do you do what you are selling? What are the steps? What are the outcomes that the buyer can expect? Put it into a list, then a visual, and practice it over and over again. Share it with us in the Facebook group!
Stay Connected:
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app.
Join the Ops Insiders Facebook Community:
Share with your biz bestie