Fear of Selling: Roadblock Two of Seven
The Fear everyone has and didn't realize they were already good at it.
Fear. You know, the word people turn into a simple acronym like:
False
Expectations
Appearing
Real
They expect that to mean something when you actually have to speak with a prospect on the phone and close a sale. The fear is real, I acknowledge that. I’m not going to brush it off and tell you it isn’t.
I know these Roadblocks will all sound like I’m speaking to salespeople, but if you are a business owner, that’s YOU!
I originally wrote this for sales teams, but I started learning to overcome these when I ran 2 martial arts schools, a personal training company, a real estate investing company, and sold therapy programs to doctors (all at the same time for 13 years!) … Not all high-ticket sales.
Reminder: Roadblock #1 was “Not Enough Offers,” which could mean how often you attract leads, make decisions to start a campaign, or present an offer to your list.
The reason you may be struggling with fear is more about the expectations you place on yourself:
“I gotta close this sale.”
“I can’t afford to waste another lead.”
“If I don’t start making money from this, I’m going to have to go get a job I hate.”
“What’s my family going to think if I don’t make a million dollars this year?”
Even when it’s your first couple of years in business, that pressure has been hypnotically placed into your brain by too many overly hyped promises and social media mavens pretending to be something they are not.
Just as roadblock #1 has a close cousin in roadblock #6, roadblock #2 has a close relative in roadblock #7.
Here’s what you need to know: You have to stop thinking of the “Hollyweird” portrayals of salespeople in sitcoms and movies.
You do need to start doing what you are already good at. (At least I hope you are if you’re a manager, coach, trainer, teacher, digital marketer, or info-product producer.)
That thing you’re good at already is listening.
Just have a conversation with the prospect. Pay attention. Listen closely without worrying about what you have to say next because someone gave you their super-duper seven-figure sales script, and you think you’re trying to get through a checklist to close a sale…
You are not. Have a conversation. Quit trying to close a sale.
The person on the other end of the phone, in a Zoom meeting, or across the table just wants to be heard and to know whether you can help them.
I recently coached approximately 750+ entrepreneurs and coaches every month for 3 years in another business.
When I get an opportunity to listen to their calls, I always hear at least 2 to 3 instances where the coach glides right past a vital comment from the prospect. Each time it happens, the coach is trying to move the prospect through the sales machine they’ve been trained on.
Fear can be controlled best when you decide to have a conversation and quit focusing on the sale. (Roadblock #7 will reveal how you can control those emotions with the proper coaching.)
Bonus Micro-Training: The 3-Headed Objection Monster and How to Tame It
The shadowy characters looking to attack you during your pitch aren’t real. Objections are often just gaps in knowledge.
In my 40+ years of selling, there are basically three objections:
Price
Decision maker
Certainty
The average business owner thinks that answering objections means they have to get “Pushy”.
So let me give you the #1 easiest way to handle 83.7% of the objections listed above (I just made that number up, but it sounds better than saying “most”).
When Objections #1 and #2 come up, I always say something like:
“No problem. Just to be clear, if money or having to talk to your spouse wasn’t a concern, do you feel that the program would help you get the results you want?”
Too many times to count over the years, I have heard hesitancy in their voice or seen them become overly agreeable.
“On a scale of 1-10, where are you?”
If they aren’t answering 9.5 or 10, then it’s Objection #3 that has to be addressed. They just aren’t sure your program is a fit for them.
You need to get them as close to a ten first. When you do, the other two objections will be much easier to handle, and you’ll never feel pushy.
I used to think of all that fear I carried with me on each call as walking into a dark room.
If I don’t turn on the lights, I never discover that my prospect may just be someone in the room who needs some assistance.
Help them see clearly, and don’t be afraid to give them some assistance to understand exactly how you can help.
Look for me to go live to ask any questions or comment below.
If a guy who was too shy to ever ask a girl out can sell millions and millions of dollars across multiple industries over the years, then I know you can.
You’ve already created a newsletter, a course, a coaching program; now you only have to help people know you have something that can help them and how you can help.
Roadblock 1: Not enough offers
Roadblock 2: Fear of Selling (think coffee date conversation, not selling)
Curiosity and good questions go a long way. Looking forward to more.