The single biggest mistake I used to make – and that I still see tons of people making – is what I’ll call apologetic selling.
As someone who has struggled with depression, anxiety and self-hatred, I know what it’s like to feel worthless and lack confidence. When I’m in that state, I feel like I’m bothering people, like I’m selfish to ask them for money, like I’m a bad person for trying to sell them my product or service.
More important, when I’m in that state, I don’t attract buyers.
In fact, I repel them.
Because nothing (and I mean nothing) turns off a potential buyer like a lack of confidence.
The #1 Way to Make More Sales
By the same token, the more confident you come across, the more appealing you – and, by extension, your product or service – become to your prospects.
Now there needs to be an important caveat here: You have to love what you’re selling.
You have to believe in it and feel with every fiber of your being that the product or service you’re offering can help someone else with some aspect of his or her life or business.
Even better, you should feel like someone who has discovered the cure to a terrible disease, or who can supply cool water to a person dying of thirst.
When you get to that state of emotion and feeling about your own product or service and the value it brings others, it becomes contagious:
Why People Buy
The #1 reason people buy from me is always the same: “John, you’re passion and enthusiasm for LinkedIn is contagious. You’ve got me all fired up to do this!”
So you’ve got to have enthusiasm, and (more important) you’ve got to believe in your product.
Because if you’re selling something you don’t believe in, it’s going to be hard to fake it.
If anything you’ll come across as one those fake-smile people that are way too enthusiastic and way too phony. We don’t want that. We can see through it, anyway – smell it a mile away, in fact.
So, hear me well: I’m not calling for false bravado, fake confidence or pretend excitement.
The Preteen Approach to Sales
What I am saying is that you better be the biggest fan and biggest believer in your product or service.
I want you gushing about it like a pre-teen girl promoting One Direction or Justin Bieber to her friends on social media.
If you don’t believe in what you’re selling right now, then go somewhere else. It’s time to leave. Instead, find a product or service you would die for before you’d stop telling others about it.
Otherwise, you’re not going to sell nearly as much as you could, and that’s going to cost you or your employer dearly.
Nobody wins.
So, if you need to, dream bigger. Find a bigger purpose or passion for your life:
And if you sell something that isn’t necessarily going to change lives or save starving children, you can still find purpose in helping someone else in everyday life.
There’s still value in solving someone’s problem – no matter how minor – or improving the quality of someone’s life or business. Your personality, your smile and your attitude can always improve the lives of people you come into contact with each day.
Never lose sight of that!
And above all else, never apologize for trying to help someone else improve his or her life or business through your product or service!
As Zig Ziglar said, “Stop selling. Start helping.”
When you can re-frame your whole approach to encompass that belief, and realize how your particular product or service can serve that end, amazing things will happen!
About the Author
Since 2012, #1 Bestselling LinkedIn Author and Trainer John Nemo has helped hundreds of professionals in more than 35 different industries generate nonstop sales leads, clients and revenue using LInkedIn.
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