How to avoid anxiety around selling
Selling is a word that is dreaded and feared – even though we all know we need to “sell” our services and products, many of us feel anxious and fearful about actually doing so. This stress can cause a salesperson to come across as ‘pushy’.
We call someone pushy when they are trying harder than the client to move the sale forward, or when they have more at stake or more to gain than the client. It is easy to think you are being pushy with the client, and then minimising the value you are actually adding to the client’s experience.
Deliberate, focused, well informed, generous with your expertise, thoughtful – these are all good things. With this in mind, stop worrying about being pushy and focus on the added value your expertise brings to the client.
To shift out of fear and into excitement about selling:
- Know the source of your fear is an important part of overcoming your fear of selling. For example, fear can come from worrying about not being liked, or being perceived as pushy, struggling with the idea of being rejected, or lack of confidence in the product.
- Take action to address the source of your fear. For example, improve your product knowledge, find a way to bounce back after rejection, which becomes a lot easier if you don’t take the ‘no’ personally.
- Find enthusiasm for what you offer. Make a list of all the wonderful benefits and successful outcomes of past clients.
- Shift your perspective. Think of yourself as “sharing information” or “showing benefits” rather than trying to convince somebody to buy.
- Start small when you want to overcome your fear of selling. The most successful salespeople are those who interact with clients in an authentic, passionate way, so find a way that feels comfortable with you.
- Keep track of your successes. Sometimes we forget just how much we do right. By keeping note of this daily your confidence will begin to improve.
- Have fun with it. Rather than approaching selling from a “have to” perspective, find a fun and interesting way to share your knowledge and passion.
- Stay focused on your desired outcome. Most people take actions and reach their goals because they stay focused on the benefits of doing so. Sometimes, reminding yourself what you want and why you’re doing this can help you to keep going.
- Detach from the outcome. Very often we get really attached to “making the sale” or having the situation turn out a certain way. Instead, staying focused on your effort – doing a great job – the outcome turns out better than you might ever have imagined.
- Keep practicing. Like any other skill, “selling” gets easier the more you do it.
Pushiness is in the eye of the beholder. Generosity requires that we be aware of how the other person, the client, is feeling about the forward motion we’re trying to make.
Liz Mckeon is a business expert and the founder of the International Salon Business School.