3 Sales Tips for Reluctant Sales People

Would it come as a surprise to you if I said we're all sales people? It's true. Every time you have a prospective client on a discovery call, you're making a sales pitch. Every time you send an email or write a blog post with an offer, you're making a sales pitch. Every time you write an opt-in page, you're making a sales pitch.

And you're probably pretty good at it, too, or you wouldn't be where you are today, would you? So why do we continue to think we're so bad at sales?

Sales Feels "Icky"

I hear this one a lot. You feel pushy or uncomfortable when talk turns to money. You don't want to force anyone into a decision. You secretly think your rates are too high (or maybe you don't deserve them!). So how do you overcome the reluctance to sales? Here are 3 tips:

1-Practice Makes Semi-perfect

I'm going to be honest with you. Sales conversations are one of those things that gets better only with practice. But the good news is, you don't have to be on the phone with a prospective client to get that practice time in.

Instead, use the technique self-help gurus have been advocating for years: Look in the mirror and talk to yourself. Practice saying your rates out loud. Practice your segue from discovery to sales pitch. The more you do it, the more natural it will sound, and the less uncomfortable you will feel when on a real call. Great salesmen practice their pitch!

2-Fix Your Mindset

What if you weren't selling anything, but instead were simply chatting with a friend about the incredible new product that was going to change her life? You're helping your friend to improve herself by sharing your experience with this new product.

That's exactly how you should think about selling your coaching programs. You're not trying to get your prospective client to spend money. Instead, you're offering a solution to his or her problems. You're genuinely helping them to overcome some obstacle in their life or business.

When you can turn your thinking around from "sales" to "helping or serving" you'll find it's much easier to have the sales talk.

3-Don't Be Afraid of the Follow Up

Most clients won't say yes with the first call, and maybe not even with the second. But good coaches know that many sales can be closed if you simply take the time to follow up. If you think you don't have time to follow up, just remember that a warm prospect is 10 times more valuable than a cold one.

You've taken the time to warm them up with the initial phone call. So unless they aren't a good fit at all, keep in touch with them. But you need a system for doing it, or it won't get done. Here's one you can incorporate into your marketing process:

Send a quick email and invite your prospect to:

Schedule a follow-up call to answer her questions
Read some of your testimonials
Review your coaching program outline or sales page
Or even join a different program of yours that might be a better fit

Don't let that old "I'm not good at sales" thinking get in the way of making a real difference in people's lives, and in growing your business and your profits. With these tips, you can quickly turn your sales blocks into a system for landing new clients consistently.

As marketing guru Dean Graziosi says, "If you don't get your prospect's credit card, you're doing them a disservice." Be of service by helping them become your client.

About the Author: Jeannette Koczela, Founder of the International Association of Professional Life Coaches, provides business and marketing resources, tools, and training life coaches so that they can run their business more profitably.

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