How to Sell in a Way That Feels Natural and Authentic
I often hear from female entrepreneurs that selling is uncomfortable. Asking for the business can feel “salesy” and pushy, and unnatural especially if you are trying to do like a typical “sales person”.
If this sounds familiar, this article is for you…
I am going to break down the belief system that selling has to come from this pushy mentality. There is a natural, authentic and more connected way to sell.
Why does selling make you feel so uncomfortable?
Because many believe that when you ask for the business you must become the pushy and aggressive salesperson. No worries, this belief is super common and I am going to put it to rest for you right now…
The reason this approach is uncomfortable is because you know this is not you. When you feel inauthentic you become out of alignment. When you are out of alignment nervousness and anxiety creep in and of course discomfort.
You CAN sell naturally, here is how…
The most successful salespeople do the opposite of what you would think. They sell THEIR way and not by the book. They don’t use the fear based, sales tactics or cheesy sales scripts.
Throw what you have been told you “SHOULD” do out the window and reflect on what you want YOUR process to look like.
People are craving real, vulnerable, and honest interactions in life and in business. The days of the smooth talking sales guy, are O-V-E-R!
How to rewrite your sales process for YOU…
Let’s look at how to connect with customers and sell naturally. The main focus here is the connection.
Seek to understand before being understood
-Steven Covey
The truth is, there are plenty of people out there that can help the customer you want to help, so it is YOU and the CONNECTION YOU make, that is going to set you apart. Customers are buying you, your energy, and their emotional response to what you have to offer. Customers want to relate to you on a deeper level. They want to feel that you care about them. This cannot be faked.
If you believe in what you are doing (serving others), connection to those you can serve will come naturally. If you are struggling with this, it could be more about self confidence and less about sales…Click Here
to read about developing true self confidence
Always remember your WHY…WHY you are doing this…
The very best advice I can give you about how to sell authentically, is to make your #1 goal to establish a genuine connection and keep your “why” front and center throughout the discussion.
This will do two things. It will alleviate the pressure of needing to “make the sale” and it will keep the sales process in perspective. It is when you lose perspective on why you are doing what you are doing and get caught up in the fear of dollar signs that really takes sabotages the sale. When we get in that desperate, “salesy,” energy everyone feels uncomfortable.
The authentic selling model and the natural close…
Instead of treating the sales conversation as an opportunity to tell the customer ALL the ways you can help them, make it conversational. You can do this by:
Asking questions: Get to the heart of what their needs are and THEN decide together if this is a good match to move forward.
Don’t be pushy or aggressive: This is what makes you feel uncomfortable so why do it? Share what you have to offer as if you are talking to a friend (since you have established a genuine connection,) It can feel that natural.
Then when it is time to close, it can be as simple as…
“I have shared a lot of information here and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you better. What do you think about moving forward here?”
When the question leads to the next logical place, there is nothing pushy or aggressive about it. It just makes sense to ask for the business.
The number one reason selling makes you uncomfortable is because you believe they have to become someone else to do it.
The most natural way to sell is the way you would WANT to Sell and the way YOU would like to be sold to. So do yourself a favor and take the time to figure out what that means for you.
The more connected and authentic you can be, the more people will know, like, and trust you. When you can connect with another on a deeper level, you have a customer for life, that is, if you deliver on your promises, but that is a story for another day.
Selling no longer has to be uncomfortable for you. If you would like more guidance around getting connected with your own unique sales process, check out “The Connection to Close”. My online course where we cover this and SO much more!