Most business owners begin doing what they do out of a deep love or passion for the work.
But as I’ve written here, it eventually sets in that your business’ continued growth relies solely on you. And, as I’ve written here, this is especially difficult for those who have an innate fear of charging for the work they do.
In fact, my wife is learning this first hand. She has recently started a business building and designing crafts and signs. She began the business out of a love for the craft, but she is also beginning to get a taste of the “business side” of things.
Unfortunately, many small business owners (mostly women entrepreneurs, statistically speaking) have a difficult time with the sales process. Sales is often seen as “slimy” work. Wealthy business people are often portrayed as villains on the big screen, and our culture has become increasingly hostile towards the idea of success.
This is actually a fairly new concept! For much of our time on earth, cultures around the world have looked highly upon the idea of success and building a life around your family’s business. This is especially true of the Jewish people group.
What I want to argue is that it is not only not slimy to sell your product or service with confidence, but that it would actually be slimier not to!
Here are five good reasons why you should sell your products and/or services with confidence:
1. Your Family Depends on your Business
The Bible says, in 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” Clearly, in these verses, the Apostle Paul (who wrote this particular passage) was not against the idea of work. In fact, he was adamant that a man must work to provide for his family. It would also be helpful for you to know that Paul was an entrepreneur by trade—a tent maker. There is nothing—I repeat, nothing—more important than providing for your family. And there is certainly nothing slimy about it. If your motives are right in business, there is no reason to believe anyone else will perceive you as a slimy business person.
2. Businesses Thrive on Good Sales
There is not much in business that can be guaranteed. But one thing for sure is that without sales, your business will die a horrible death. Businesses thrive on good sales numbers. So if you want to continue doing what you love to do, you have to accept the necessity of sales—even if it’s not your favorite thing to do. As I have argued in the past, there are other ways to bring new customers into your business than old-school methods such as cold-calling. But depending on the financial needs of your business, you might just have to dive in and get to work!
3. Prospects are Looking for Solutions
It’s important to realize that whether you have a physical product to sell or you are providing a service, you are actually providing a solution to a customer problem. If someone buys a head of cabbage from your grocery stand, it’s because they have a problem—they are out of cabbage! If you mow lawns for a living, your customers have a problem—they need their lawn mowed! So you see, you are never—or should never—be selling to someone against their will. That signifies that you are in the wrong business. If you are in the right kind of business, your customers already have the problem that matches your solution. Now, it is not always that clear. Sometimes, you may have to educate the customer about their problem. But you should always remember that what you are selling is simply the solution to a customers problem. Remembering that will help you sell more confidently, and in many cases, can help you charge more confidently.
4. Sales Success Boosts Self-Confidence
I suffer from imposter syndrome. If I’m right, many of you do as well. One of the things that can help us to overcome this is seeing success come from our sales labor. Yes, in the sense that you offered and they bought, but also in the sense that you were able to provide their solution. It’s a double-whammy! On my personal blog, I offer a free, 6-day email course in exchange for email addresses. This is a double win every time I see a new subscriber! When I see the email notification, I’m not only excited that I have a new person to communicate with on my email list, but also that they will be able to get educated using the course I spent hours developing. My self-confidence skyrockets every time, and there is not even any direct financial benefit involved. This is the true feeling of success.
5. Helping Others is Spiritually Satisfying
There is more to life than just 1’s and 0’s. In other words, we are all aware of something deep and unexplainable inside of us. Those of us who trust in the God of the Bible know that it is your “spirit.” God has placed within each of us a desire to do and be more. We can certainly apply this to our business! Remember—business is about serving others. And, this is very satisfying to our spirit because God has built this into our spiritual DNA. Even those who want nothing to do with God generally still like to help people. It’s inescapable. So by shifting the focus from “pushing sales” to “offering solutions,” sales success starts to look like helping people rather than accumulating finances. The good news is that the financial benefit will still happen—it’ll just be a side-product! Jesus said, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Finances are good, but they are not everything.
[bctt tweet=”By shifting the focus from “pushing sales” to “offering solutions,” sales success starts to look like helping people.” username=”northmacsvc”]
Though this type of mindset shift is not easy, it will drastically change how you feel about your business.
Take some time this week to reflect on what I’ve written here.
As you gear up for 2018, be thinking of new ways to market, sell, and present your business to others. It might just be the best year you’ve ever had.
Discussion Question: How have you overcome the hesitation to sell your product or service?
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