Everyone Is In Sales!

Everyone Is In Sales!

Every entrepreneur and business owner knows that sales = revenue! Sales = income! Everyone Is In Sales! Even armed with that hard cord truth people deny, resist and avoid the only aspect of their business that keeps them in business. They create a diversion and work on other parts of their business they don’t generate income and close sales. Selling is often the last skill they learn, instead of making it one of the first.

I hear people claim, “I’m not a salesperson. I don’t like to sell. I didn’t go into business to sell.” Some try to disguise what they are doing by proclaiming, “I don’t sell, I serve. I am not selling, I am educating.” Those statements are unequivocally inaccurate and utterly debilitating. Many businesses fail every year because people can’t sell, don’t know how or flat out refuse to learn to sell.

These professionals tell themselves a story that if you’re good at selling it means you have to be good at controlling and manipulating people. If you’re good at selling you need to be phony, aggressive and use pressure tactics. They choose to stay stuck in a story that keeps them safe. They choose to feed their ego instead of fuel their success.

Many people don’t want to admit they have to sell so they don’t develop that skill. They refuse to admit they have to sell. Some believe that printing business cards, launching a website and attending a few networking events will be enough to attract new business.

Selling is one of the most important skills every business owner needs to develop. Whether you’re selling an idea, delivering a business proposal, conducting a sales presentation or offering a product or service – it’s all selling. If you can’t sell with some degree of consistency, it doesn’t matter how great your product or service is it won’t be enough to survive. Get over it. Everyone sells something!

Sales are the one area where many people reveal their greatest deficiency. It’s not that they don’t know what to say, it’s that they’re unable to deliver the information in a structure that’s engaging, polished, professional and most importantly persuasive.

Most likely you started your business because you had a particular talent, skill, ability, product or service, not because you wanted to sell. Then you quickly realized that if you didn’t sell, your business wouldn’t be profitable. Promoting and selling is just part of doing business, so why to do so many people choose to ignore this critical step in growing their business?

Call it a belief or a mindset but just a mere mention the word “sales” brings up fear, dread and anxiety to the hearts of many. If business owners want to perform at their optimum level they must change their mindset and way they think about “sales.” How much is your mindset getting in the way of your income?

I never fogot a statement one of my mentors said two decades ago. “People who refuse to sell or can’t sell have skinny kids.”

These day’s smart and savvy professionals are refining and upgrading their skills and sales approach to the uniqueness of each customer so that the customer experiences a custom fit, not a one size fits all approach.

Serious and smart business owners don’t blame the marketing, they don’t blame the competition, they don’t blame the customer and sure they don’t blame the economy.  They all know one thing — they win or lose the sale because of one thing and only one thing, themselves!

In order to step up your game and your life, you must master the art of selling. You must change your mindset by believing in yourself and believing deeply in the value you’re offering your customer. When you do, you will attract more business, increase sales and be a magnet for success.