I hear it all the time. From smart, creative entrepreneurs and corporate executives alike. "I can't sell." "I am not a salesperson." "There are a lot of things I am good at - but selling is not one of them." "I could never do that!" The unfortunate news for them is that in a very noisy 24/7, interconnected world in which everyone has a voice and a platform on which they can be heard and in which the skinny on who you really are or what your business is about is nothing more than a Google search away - the truth is we are all selling - even if we don't want to admit it. But before you can hone those skills, my advice is to look to reframe the word "sell" into something that sounds more appealing. If you are one of those people who say they "can't sell" or for whom the mere mention of the word makes them break out in hives, try one of these alternatives.
invite
enroll
educate
influence
captivate
inspire
seduce
engage
persuade
entice
solve a problem
tell a really good story
If you can do any one or combination of the above, you can sell. In fact, you've been selling all along - you just didn't realize it.
Have you noticed how it seems everyone is trying to sell you something? All day. Every day. It gets tiresome. Especially this time of year.
Email solicitations.
Sponsored Facebook posts.
Interstitial ads that you have to sit through before getting to where you wanted to go.
Commercial breaks on TV and Radio that include five advertisers in one pod.
Direct mailers stuffing your mailbox.
Pop up ads at the bottom of that FREE phone App.
It's hard not to shut off and stop listening to the noise. Which is what most of us do. According to McKinsey until some trigger sets us off on the path to purchase we are pretty much not paying attention to anything. Which is the big challenge for marketing in the digital age. To create that trigger so we start paying attention. Content marketing is today's first pick to set the customer journey in motion. As Jay Baer, author of Youtility Marketing says "Content is the fire. Social media is the gasoline." That's how today's word of mouth referrals work. But you need to be careful. Content is not a sales pitch. Yes, a call to action at the end of a blog post is a good idea. But a call to action is not necessarily a sales pitch. It could be something as simple as asking people who like what you wrote to share it. The danger occurs when every blog post starts out as good, useful, perhaps even thought provoking content and quickly turns into a pitch to get you sign up for something that costs money. The result - your message as an authority gets diluted. The one we get is that what is most important to you is making money. Your message is merely the vehicle. I will never dispute that making money is important. It is after all, the end game to all this marketing. But when everything sounds like a sales pitch it's not content marketing. It feels pushy. It gets annoying. It sounds inauthentic. It creates distrust. It's so last century. It's not even a very good sales pitch.
Life is so funny. You set off to do one thing and that leads to another and yet another. Still uncertain of the circuitous path you are taking you learn to say yes to what feels right and no to what does not. And then one day you find yourself standing on stage in a ballroom in the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood Shores just down the street from the offices of companies with names like Oracle, Salesforce and Electronic Arts, speaking to a group of entrepreneurs who are all part of the largest women's online community, BlogHer.
Your topic is selling - that part of you that you thought you left behind when you closed the door to your corporate office for the last time. What is even stranger is that it feels so right. As if all the energy centers you had invested yourself in had suddenly joined together to create your very own perfect storm. When I think about it I can't help but giggle. Me. The shy kid who literally clung to her mother's skirts - afraid to be seen much less heard. Who grew up amidst the noise, laughter and constant chatter of a big, fat Greek family that I was sure would never hear me even if I tried. So I didn't. I kept my thoughts inside my head - finding safety only in the written word and a few very close friends, until the day my tenth grade English teacher, Mr. Keyes picked my essay to read aloud to our class. I tried to crawl under the table. I don't recall what I wrote about but I still remember my surprise afterwards when my classmates told me how good it was. And that I wanted to believe them - but I didn't. As it was - I was far from ready to be heard. Really heard. Over time, I stopped hiding. I learned to speak with ease. I learned not to be afraid to hear my own voice. I taught. I sold. I managed people. I gained confidence. But what I really thought, my views and perspective on what I thought important - that I kept inside the pile of journals that were quickly accumulating. Until one day - November 18, 2008 - I started a blog. And just like that I had readers. Readers who gave me assurances I could write and should - more and more of my truths. About life. About business. I had a place to share my stories. That's when it started to shift. I've spoken many times before. In conference rooms, classrooms, to groups of varying sizes. But last Tuesday was the first time I spoke in a real hotel ballroom, on a stage with one of those mikes that clips on to your clothes. The funniest thing was I wasn't afraid. Not really. I had just the right amount of fear. The kind that I told the audience you use to propel yourself forward - not the kind that makes you stand still. I felt something shift - yet again. I'm still not entirely clear on what that was but I do know that the nugget of an idea I've had for my next book took form. A week later and I am still surprised how much I enjoyed it. How right it felt to share what I know about business, about selling, about digital tools and marketing on a stage to a group that was mostly women sprinkled with a few good men. And when people tweeted nice things and told me after how much they enjoyed my talk I didn't second guess them. Like I said. Something shifted. Life is so funny.
You say sell and people think sleazy. They picture Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman or Herb Tarlek of WKRP in Cincinnati. They remember Alec Baldwin's classic performance in GlenGarry Glen Ross. They think used car salesmen in plaid pants and a mismatched tie attempting to sell them a lemon. And if they are not old enough to remember any of that - they still scrunch up their faces and scowl. The word 'sell' continues to conjure up images of inauthenticity and old school marketing tactics. But not for me. I know better. I know that learning how to sell - especially in today's new economy - is essential if you want success.
Selling is the cornerstone of commerce and has been since the beginning of time. Without something to sell, we have no economic model. Without someone to sell it there is no money earned. And last time I checked - that is the currency we use so we may put food on the table and a roof over our heads.
There is no doubt that how we sell (like just about every other profession and industry) is in a state of disruption. Customers are more educated than ever before. And in the age of noise, we all hate - more than ever - to feel as if we are being pushed. But the truth is that in today's brave new digital world - whether we want to admit it or not - we are selling every day. All of us. If not a product, we are selling ourselves. Through social networks and at cocktail parties. To our bosses, our employees, our husbands or wives. To that guy who might be the new boyfriend.
Selling only becomes sleazy when - you don't believe in your product or service - you don't believe in yourself. - there is no real value to what you are selling. - you try to convince someone to buy before you know if it will solve their problem. - you don't know what their problem is and/or don't care. - your product or service has no real use - to anyone. - your "spin" has become so far spun that it is no longer authentic. - you are so busy talking you have forgotten to listen.
Selling is not just about taking the order. It's about understanding people and their appetites. It's about creating need and filling that need. It's about understanding problems and offering solutions. It's about learning to tell a story that engages.
Nothing sleazy about that in my book. Note- I will be speaking on why sales is a critical skill at BlogHer Pro in San Francisco October 22-23 ! BlogHer Pro is for professionally-minded online influencers interested in taking their business, marketing and technical skills to the next level. If that's you - sign up today!
Any sales person worth their paycheck will tell you that negotiation is the most fun and exhilarating part of the sales process.
Two sides meet. We assume they want to reach a deal, one they can both feel good about. They go in knowing what they want, in order of importance. They'd like to get everything on their wish list, but they know that a good deal is going to involve compromise. So they come prepared knowing what they are willing to give up. Good negotiation is about building relationships, so if they're smart they leave their egos at the door and try to find something, even when it's hard, to like about the other side.
I've always been a big believer that if you know how to sell and you get really good at negotiation you can be successful in almost any endeavor. Because really, all of life is about compromising and striking deals, whether it is how to not fall off a "fiscal cliff" or deciding with your significant other where to go for Thanksgiving Dinner.
With this "fiscal cliff" looming before us, not to mention lots of holiday events worthy of serious compromise on the horizon, I thought it appropriate to offer a quick refresher on the subject.
Your job is get a deal done. It is a reflection of you. In the world of sales, if you don't know how to get a deal done you don't get to keep your job.
Keep things simple. The more complicated things get the less people will be willing to concede, mostly because they don't fully understand or will worry you are trying to pull something over on them.
Always think Win-Win. No need to get greedy. The best negotiations are when both sides feel good about the outcome.
Negotiation is compromise. A good negotiator will always ask for more than what they want. Expect that. Know your boundaries in advance. What's most important to you and what you are willing to concede on.
Be reasonable. Don't bring your ego to the meeting. As hard as it might be, try to understand the other side's perspective. Part of good selling is building relationships
Negotiation is a game. Don't get so serious that you are have blinders on to possible solutions. Bring a little levity into things. Laughter breaks up negative energy and is often just what is needed to break through a tough spot and get back to the business at hand.
One of my most favorite parts of the journey I've taken in the last several years is all the great new people I've gotten to meet, on-line and off-line, who share similar interests.
One of those people is Lori Randall Stradtman who I heard speak last year at BlogWorld. Lori is an expert on social media and is currently writing a book entitled, Online Reputation Management for Dummies. Who won't want to read that?
I was honored when Lori invited me to be on her radio show, Literary Social. Which is where I am today. So stop over and listen for a bit. I get to dish with Lori about self-publishing, selling, The Secrets They Kept and going for what makes you happy.
p.s I dare you to be able to figure out which voice is from New York City and which from Georgia!
Every day I read about all these people who know so much. Tweets in 140 characters or less, Facebook posts and Blogs. Newspaper articles and television feature segments. Many refer to themselves as experts, some promising miracle cures that used to only be found on late night TV. It's hard to discern the ones who are real from the impostors.
I've no doubt that many really do know what they say they do and just as many have the experience to back it. But I also know there are just as many spinning tales and trying to convince you that they know more than you do.
Sometimes they succeed. Sometimes they have persuaded you that maybe you don't know all that much.
But what do you know?
When was the last time you took a personal assessment?
I'd forgotten all I knew about sales and marketing. After 25 years I knew I was good at it. I'd enjoyed a lengthy and successful career, but I had taken for granted just how much I knew. It's what happens when we spend our days surrounded by people who do the same thing. We take our knowledge, our skills and our expertise for granted. Especially in today's corporate environment where accolades from above are few and far between and the focus is on what you don't know or should have known.
It wasn't until I was far enough away that I could look in the rear view mirror and take toll of all I had stored up in my brain and what of that had value to me moving forward. That my sales background made the marketing aspect of writing easier. That my teaching and sales management experience was essentially years of coaching expertise. That life itself, if you are paying attention to what is happening affords you insight and intuition that you cannot put a price tag on.
Sometimes you don't know what you know until you step away from it. And it is only then that you can use it moving forward.
What do you know? Have you taken a moment to reflect on what it is and its value? Can you make a list? How will you use that?
My next Selling is NOT a 4-Letter Word, The Basics course starts April 20 at the specially reduced price of $225! Designed for all those entrepreneurs, writers and professionals looking for their next gig who want to take the scare out of the word sell, it is based on what I know!
Having spent twenty-five years selling I learned to embrace the word sell a long time ago. I've called it an art, a skill, and a game. To me selling is really the telling of a story with the intent to persuade someone to do something. Our economy and our livelihoods depend on selling.Without selling there is no buying and therefore no exchange of money.
Which is why I find it surprising in my post corporate life the reaction I get from non-professional salespeople when you suggest they need to sell. They react as if I have just uttered a 4-letter word.
Entrepreneurs who have brilliant ideas, are starting new ventures, and are full of passion and enthusiasm become terrified when they hear the word 'sell'. Writers who say they want to write but live in denial that in today's day and age the responsibility for their books getting sold rests with them. And then there are the people re-entering the job market or looking for their next position. When I suggest they need to prepare to sell themselves to their prospective employer they cringe. A look of panic washes over their face. Some physically recoil or break out in a sweat. They see it as sleazy or manipulative. Something they don't want to do, maybe even something they think they don't have to do.
We all sell.
Even when I explain that we all sell, every day whether or not we are aware of it they tell me they think selling is sleazy and manipulative and not fitting with their character. They think Herb Tarlek from WKRP in Cincinnati. Use the word marketing and they rest a bit. Now they're thinking Don Draper in Mad Men. That sounds sexier to them. But the truth is marketing and selling are all intertwined.
Can it be taught? They will argue as many will that selling cannot be taught. That it is an inherent attribute. You either know how to sell or you don't. You either have a talent for it or not.
To a degree they're right. Being a really good salesperson is being a really good storyteller and requires a gift. And just as some are more predisposed to having a killer tennis serve or playing Beethoven's Fifth, some are more so to selling.
But that doesn't mean you can't learn how. People who play tennis are not limited to those who make it to the US Open nor are piano players limited to those who play at Carnegie Hall.
Selling is NOT a 4-Letter Word
If you have ever persuaded someone to do something or ever gotten someone excited about something you have sold them. There is nothing revolting about that. In fact it can be a lot of fun !
We all sell. Everyday. We sell our products, our services, ourselves. Which is why in today's noisy environment it is more important than ever to understand how to take the basic tenets of sales, apply them to our 24/7 social media crazed world and still be authentic.
That was the reason behind designing my four week webinar. And it is why I think that if you want to be a success today you have start by learning that selling is NOT a 4-letter word.
Do you think selling can be taught? Does the word sell make you cringe? Do you believe selling is more an art or a game?
Have you ever caught yourself doing that? Wanting to ask a question but not sure it's OK so you preface it by asking permission?
I have.
It's ridiculous if you think about it. Asking permission to ask a question as though you were kneeling before the Queen of England.
But at least it's asking. It's a start. Some of us don't even get that far.
We really want the cookies with the chocolate sprinkles but we only see chocolate chips. We just take what we see and we never ask for what we really want.
We'd like to know why our cable bill keeps going up, but we don't question the new service charge. We just continue to pay.
We're curious about how long the construction next door will last.
We don't ask. We stay curious. We complain about the noise instead.
We think we have no right. We think we are intruding. We think even if we do ask, it will make no difference. Nothing will change. We are afraid of hearing no.
Yet if we don't ask we don't get.
If we don't ask we don't know.
I've been working on my first ever coaching teleseminar, Selling is Not A Four Letter Word (details to follow soon!) so I've been thinking alot about asking. When I first started selling I was told if I asked the right questions I would get all the information I needed to close the deal. I was also taught to ask for the order, early and often. If you don't ask you never know where you stand.
Sounds so simple. Yet still we hesitate, we waffle, we stall, we are reluctant.
Or we don't. We stretch past our unwillingness and we ask. As I did last week when I got my annual premium for my apartment insurance. I got curious. I called a few other agencies to get quotes. They were all lower. I called the broker I had been using and discussed the situation. I asked questions. I asked for a lower rate.
Turns out my policy had not been reevaluated in a long time and the way they assess premiums had changed. My premium went down significantly. All I had to do was ask. I wondered why I hadn't sooner.
But I knew that answer. I didn't think it would change. I didn't think my asking would make a difference. I had forgotten what I had learned years ago. Ask questions. Lots of them. Get information. Ask for what I want. I just might get it!
Does asking for what you want come easily or do you hesitate? What are you going to ask for today?
Stay tuned for details on Selling is Not a Four Letter Word. If you would like to be added to my mailing list please click here!
People dislike the word sell. It implies capitalism, bureaucracy, lying, persuading, untruth. Visions of sleazy, unfulfilled men with loosened ties, wrinkled shirts and worn briefcases a la Death of a Salesman come to mind. And for me, always, Alec Baldwin's classic tirade in Glengarry Glen Ross.
People tell me all the time that they could never sell. Which always makes me smile, because we all do, every day. And if we don't learn how to do it well, we'll never achieve all that we want to.
It's easier to sell when it is as I talked about yesterday from a place of truth and integrity. It's harder when you are selling a car you would never drive, a dress you would never wear or a house you would never live in.
But what we all have to get good at is selling ourselves. Ouch!
I can hear the winces, the stomachs turning.
Selling ourselves sounds so...so....like we're prostituting who we are.
But that is not what I am talking about. I'm talking about selling you as an expert in your field, the person best for the job, an interesting person to make a friend, a fun date. Yes, the selling is not always related to business. It shows up in all parts of your life. You are your own brand. And even if you don't like the word sell, if you want to make an impact in any arena of your life you need to learn how to do it well.
It's a noisy world out there and it's getting noisier every day. Everything we do has a chance of being recorded, on a blog, a Facebook post, a Tweet, or walking down the street and being caught on someone's iPhone video that they post on You Tube. You need to be paying attention. You need to be conscious.
I'm not suggesting pretending to be something you are not. That's exhausting! I'm suggesting the opposite. I think presenting yourself from a place of authenticity and truth is what catches people most. You can't pretend to have integrity. You can try but it's not long before people catch on and sand castle crumbles.
We get a little distracted in our on line world of commerce and information and we think the most important part of what we do is the interesting tweet or the high gloss sheen to our website. Yes, they are part of the equation.
But what is most important is us. Putting our best foot forward. Selling not just what we believe in, but who we believe in. Which in a perfect world is ourselves. At the end of the day everyone wants to have that cup of coffee.
Do you like the word sell? Do you believe we are always selling something?
