Do you have a fear of selling and marketing? Does it make you feel like a low-life used car salesman? This article will help you get the right ‘marketing mindset’ so you can focus on value for your customer and be a solutions provider.
Before starting my consulting business,
I worked as a cable TV salesman, selling monthly subscriptions door-to-door in Portland, OR. Like many sales spots, this was a 100% sales commission job. What it meant in essence is that I "wrote my own paycheck each day", based totally on my efforts – regardless of the weather or any circumstance.
Prior to this job, I had worked for a large mental health agency where I had a guaranteed paycheck. Regardless of how hard or how little I worked, I always got paid. But now I was in a position where I was really the person deciding how much I earned or did NOT earn each day. To say it was a radical departure was an understatement.
While there were some days when I thought I was completely insane for taking this job as the sole supporter of my wife and 2 young kids, it turned out to be one of the best experiences for understanding and learning about sales and marketing -- particularly sales.
What I learned that really made a difference was the power of mental attitude or the "marketing mindset." This was important not only for me at that time, but also when I started to get into my consulting business.
Why so important?
Over my past 17 years of consulting, I’ve met a lot of gifted, wonderful people, new to consulting, coaching, or training. They’re passionate about what they do. But they’re absolutely terrified of sales, negotiating service agreement, and clueless about charging fees they RIGHTFULLY deserve!
They really get panicked and freeze anytime the discussion turns to sales and marketing.
As a remedy, I want to offer a solution that turned out to literally be a life-saver for me. It’s self-talk or that mental conversation we have with ourselves.
As a starting point, ask yourself these quick questions:
1. What is it that you say to yourself when you are approaching sales and marketing?
2. What past images or pictures go through your mind?
3. How do they influence you and your own sales and marketing efforts?
4. Can you squarely look in the mirror and ask yourself, "I am absolutely confident there is value in my service?"
5. Do your fees honestly reflect this value?
If you tripped, stumbled, and fell when answering any of these, try substituting negative for positive self-talk. Here are some examples:
"I never see failure as failure, but only as the feedback I need to change my course of direction."
"I provide a genuine value and benefit for my clients by focusing on their needs, not mine."
"I never see "No" as rejection but simply as an opportunity to learn what my client doesn’t understand about my service."
While the words can be whatever you want, the important part is to repeat a positive statement to yourself over and over.
Use them to reverse what you might see as rejection or "I don't like you" and turn it into a way to provide better service for your clients.
The more you focus on service and value, the less it feels like a sales pitch or a twist-the-arm of situation.
Think of yourself as an educator, who provides information to help your clients be more effective in what they do. That positive mental mindset can really make the difference in how you approach your whole business.
