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How can you promote your products/services when selling makes you feel icky?
This is the dilemma of one of my readers–whom we shall refer to as “Anna.” Anna says she's uncomfortable about approaching prospects and even offering them free content, because she feels like she's taking advantage of their pain.
Here's my video response to Anna:
To overcome this icky feeling towards selling, I suggest you:
I like Lisa Sasevich's advice to be “committed but detached” to the selling process. She says, in a sales conversation, be committed to providing all the information your prospect needs to make a decision about your offer. At the same time, be emotionally detached to your prospect's decision, whether he/she accepts or declines your offer.
Does this help you feel better about promoting your products and services to the world?
Or if you're an experienced marketer, what advice do you have for Anna and those who, like her, feel uncomfortable about selling?
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Lexi Rodrigo is a communication and marketing professional for multimillion-dollar businesses, co-author of Blog Post Ideas: 21 Proven Ways to Create Compelling Content and Kiss Writer's Block Goodbye, and host of "Marketing Insights LIVE!." Connect with Lexi on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
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Good advice! I really like the committed but detached idea, it would save a lot of heartache and also make it feel less like begging for work.
Another reason someone might get the icky feeling is modesty. Especially when the product is a service you do for your client, it feels like selling yourself and therefore promoting yourself can feel like bragging. I am working on overcoming this feeling by giving my business a name and promoting it/my business rather than myself. (Although I still don’t use plural nouns because it’s still just me, not we, but that might help!)
Your advice in this video will also help overcome the show-off feeling by focusing on solving the problems the prospect has and the value THEY will receive, rather than the “look what I can do” approach.
Thanks, Lexi, for another great post.
@Emma – You’re welcome, and thank you for sharing your thoughts! Good point about being too modest to show off about your product/service. I think as time goes and you’re able to demonstrate the results of your work objectively (for example, through specific clients/customers) then it feels much less than bragging. Also, by letting happy clients tell their story, then you avoid having to brag or show off your results. Let them talk you up — it’s also more effective than saying nice things about yourself ;-D
I hear this often too Lexi. And here is the “a bit tough to swallow” truth: If we don’t believe that what we are offering is of value, no one else is either. So I would say tell Anna to work on her product or service until she knows, deep down inside, that it can truly help people and that it has value in this world. All the strategies and techiniques in the world won’t help until those two things are true. 🙂
xo-
Sarah
@Sarah – Thanks for posting your advice. That is so true! Selling loses its ickiness when we know 100% that we’re helping others through our work.
Great point Sarah! I think the most important thing in sales is to provide value. Regardless of whether we’re involved directly in sales or not, we’re all selling something. When I meet with a client, I “sell” them my ability to perform the work they need. Every interviewee sells their interviewer on their skills and ability to do the job in question. You don’t have to feel bad about it if you approach it with honesty and integrity and deliver what you say you will.
@Michael R. Murphy – Good point: we’re always selling something, one way or another.
Great post! It’s my mindset that holds me back. I hadn’t thought of it in this way,it’s given me a new way of thinking.
Thanks so much for sharing!
@Tina – You’re right, it’s all about changing our mindset 🙂
I know for me it is all about the value of the product or service. If I believe I am offering a product or service that has value to the end user I’m filled with confidence – on the other hand over the years I have been involved with products and services that I did not believe in and I felt like I was scaming the customer. Now I will not sell or promote anything I don’t believe in no matter how much money is involved.