Is the Fear of Selling Killing Your Business?

When you're in business, revenue depends on generating sales. No income and your business quickly heads downhill.

The business model doesn’t matter – product, service, selling once or ongoing.

What matters is the level of your sales skills. Moreover, if your confidence is low in this area, your customers are going to know.

Consider it from a different angle. When we are achieving new goals, don’t we want to have someone come alongside us and sell us those products or services that are in our best interest?

For instance, say I take my dog to the vet’s office for a checkup. While I’m there, I welcome suggestions and recommendations that will enable my pet to live a longer, healthier life. Many of the procedures may be routine but I may not be aware that they are necessary.

How does this apply to your business? Ask yourself these questions:

• When it comes to my products or services, which ones solve a problem potential prospects may have?
• If I don’t offer the solution provided by my product or service, who will?
• How can I update or change my offer to make it the best and preferred solution available?
• What are the different ways that I ask for sales every day?

You can sit in your office alone and try to answer these questions thoroughly. Another option is to form or join an innovation or mastermind group. Among all the topics you can explore, fear of selling can be valuable for everyone in the group.

Many valuable opportunities are available to give fear of selling a shove out of your life.

One option is to check in with yourself as you are getting ready to close a sale. How are you feeling? What can you learn from this to give a better idea of how you can improve your sales record? When your goal is to obliterate the fear of selling, it will dissipate fast.

Another tactic is to practice role-playing.

Years ago, I sold cars. The dealership would bring in sales professionals to walk us through the most common scenarios we might run across. They taught us how to overcome objections, how to ask open and closed-ended questions, and how to speak with authority about the products we sold. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t fix a carburetor. I could confidently show it to the customer and explain its superior features.

Think back over the course of your career. What jobs have you been in that taught you sales techniques?

I remember waitressing at the IHOP in high school. My products were my vivacious personality, my ability to work quickly and efficiently, and the knowledge of the food we served. By leveraging my “products,” I was able to earn more than my co-workers.

Or take my time selling Toyotas. I learned to use my willingness to follow up on leads and knowledge of the product. Soon I was the top salesperson. Finally, as an elementary school teacher, I sold my empathy for others, my excitement for learning, the value of an education to help students and teachers to be their best.

What was the common denominator in each instance?

It didn’t matter if it was pancakes, cars, or education, I was confident in what I sold. I carried this over to my online business as well. Now, I sell success through my ability to teach people different concepts and systems that help them achieve their business goals in whichever model they choose.

Instead of holding on to the fear of selling, choose to view sales as your opportunity to help others from your area of expertise. When fear does creep up, imagine what would happen if they didn’t buy from you. What would they be missing out on? How will their lives be enriched by purchasing from you?

Move past the fear of selling and serve those people that can benefit from what you have to share with them.

Connie Ragen Green is a bestselling author, online marketing strategist, and international speaker working with newer online entrepreneurs on six continents to help them build lucrative businesses on the internet. Find out more and download a Special Report on Online Entrepreneur Blueprint and get started right away.