I remember two sales conversations I had with prospects, both of
them several years ago. One was "successful" and one was
"unsuccessful," meaning one person hired me, and the other person
didn't. But, ultimately both were unsuccessful. How can a sale be
unsuccessful?
When you make a sale to a new customer, whether it's for a $2000
service, or for a $15 product, you are beginning a new, and
deeper, relationship with the one who buys. And, successful long-
term relationships, which happen to be both the most satisfying
and the most profitable, can only happen between equals.
My "unsuccessful" sale was easy to diagnose. I was in a needy
place- I "needed" them to buy because my eye was on the bottom
line- to put it frankly, I needed the money. And, obviously,
they ran far away.
First lesson: don't bring your neediness to your prospects.
But, when you are needy, how do you keep from doing that? Keep
reading.
Now, with my "successful" sale, I did everything right. I said
the right things, they liked what I said, we moved forward. Then
the fun began.
As we began working together, this client wasn't following
through with their commitments from our sessions. They had
trouble making decisions for themselves. They wanted my advice
on everything. It was not only exhausting for me, but as much
as I wanted to, I just couldn't deliver all of what they wanted.
Although I got paid, I felt depleted, and they felt unsatisfied.
What happened?
When I sat with the whole situation in my heart, I realized that
the roots went back to the sales conversation. I had positioned
myself as the "expert" who would take care of everything. And,
that's what happened....
In both situations, an unequal relationship had been set up-
either I was one up or one down, the prospect was either one
down or one up.
A sale is an agreement. And a healthy, sustainable, functioning
agreement can only happen between equals.
In order to reach a successful sale, where you and the person you
are selling to feels taken care of and happy, you must be equals.
On the face of it, this doesn't seem to make sense- your prospect
has a problem, and you have the solution. But, that's only half
the story. For anyone in business, it's really obvious that you
have a problem, too: Your business needs customers in order to
thrive. So, in any sale, you have two people with needs, and two
people with the solution to the need. A meeting of equals.
Now, hold on, we're going to get a little bit more subtle here.
If you just see yourself as two people with needs serving each
other, it's very easy to get attached to any particular prospect
as the answer to your need. This is a common trap for a business
owner, but it's a little more rare for a customer to get attached
to a particular business as the solution for their need- they
just look elsewhere.
So, how do you acknowledge the need you have, stay confident in
offering the solution, and yet not get attached? Lots of people
talk about not being needy on your prospects, but when you are
needy, what then?
To be an equal, you need to acknowledge your own neediness, but
without making your prospect the source of your help, they
are only a possible channel. You also need to stand in your
confidence, but not by making the prospect smaller than you,
merely by realizing yourself as a potential channel for
delivering help.
The only way I've found to consistently catch this balance is to
find true humility. True humility is to bow to your prospect,
both in the strength of being of service to them, and in the
vulnerability of your need.
True humility is found in your heart. It is an incredibly
powerful place to stand, it is incredibly effective for your
sales process, and it feels great. Actually, it feels more than
great. It feels sacred.
Practical Keys to How to be a Humble Equal... And Make the Sale
* The very first step is to acknowledge your own neediness.
If your business needs more sales in order to feel thriving,
acknowledge it. Drop the 'fake it 'til you make it' approach,
and instead be gentle and compassionate with your heart as
you allow yourself to feel needy for more money and more
sales.
It probably feels terrible- that's okay, it's normal for it
to feel terrible. But breathe into your heart, remembering
that there is more available than you can see. Take the need
out of the hands of your prospective customer, and place it
into the hands of the Divine.
* The second step is to acknowledge what it's like to really
know your stuff. Whatever your product or service, you are
probably really good at it, even despite any self-doubt you
might have. Using the Remembrance, or other heart-centering
practice, ask your heart to show you the reality of your
expertise. My experience is that when my heart shows me my
expertise, it doesn't inflate my ego, but brings me into an
incredibly powerful feeling of humility. Try it, you'll like
it.
* The third step is to use your heart to see your prospective
customer as they really are, even before you have a
conversation with them. With your attention resting in
your heart, ask to be shown the truth of who your prospect
is, of their heart, and what they really need. Let yourself
be willing to be surprised.
The free workbook on my website describes in detail how to be
in your heart with a powerful, simple practice. If you need the
workbook, links are at the end.
These simple steps may take some practice, but if you allow
yourself to slow down and go through them before your sales
conversations, you will find yourself in space of just wanting
to serve, and, in the process, closing more sales.
My very best to you and your business,
Mark
|
