How to Sell Yourself Like a Pro

Oct 10

There is only one truly key item you need in order to run a successful business: the ability to get your product in front of your customers and sell it to them. But selling yourself, your products, or your services doesn’t always come naturally. So how do we train our brains to know how to do this without sounding awkward, without feeling pushy, and without turning the customer off? Follow these easy steps to find out!

Step One: Mindset
It’s one thing to know why our products are the right fit for a client, or how they will benefit from them, but it’s entirely another to help them see the value. The first step is to make sure that you’re selling a product that you truly believe in. Don’t let fear get in your way! If you’re worried about going into a consult session or sales call with a client, refresh your mind with all the great things about the product you’re going to sell, and get yourself hyped up about it. Your energy will show through in everything you say, and you’ll get your client excited about it as well.

Step Two: Lay the Foundation
When selling, you want your customer to understand why your product will make their life easier/happier/more beautiful/etc. So the best way to get them to believe you is to make them feel like you understand where they’re coming from. Get clear on what their current situation is and what their future goals are. Once they’ve shared this information with you, clarify it out loud back to them. For example, if you’re trying to sell them a new vacuum, you’ll want to understand and verbally express the difficulties they’re understanding right now: “So you’re saying you’re tired of sweeping the floor daily to get it cleaned, and your current vacuum is broken, correct?”

This will show the customer that you understand them, you want to help them, and you care about them enough to have fully listened to their explanation.

Step Three: Show How You Can Help
After you’re able to understand exactly what their situation is and why they need your help, it’s time to connect their obstacles to your solutions. Explain to them exactly how your product will fill the need that they have. “I totally understand how frustrating it is have to sweep an entire home, and it sounds like you need a way to clean the floor that doesn’t take up a lot of your time. Have you tried the Roomba? It doesn’t need you to be there to run it, and you can even schedule it so it runs on its own!” Explaining exactly how you, your product, or your service helps their specific situation will make your sale feel personal, authentic, and appealing.

Step Four: Finish the Deal
At this point, your customer already knows that your product will definitely help them. The only thing that will stop them from purchasing at this point is fear: Fear of spending time/money on themselves, fear that there’s a better option out there, fear that their life will change too drastically (and uncomfortably) if they choose to work with you. This is when you need to step up and be their guide through the purchasing process.

For my business, during this phase of the sale clients are either already on board and we’re scheduling our first meeting, or they tell me they’ll have to let me know. If it’s the latter, I ask this simple question: “If you choose not to work together, what will be the primary reason?”

This offers me two big advantages: If they’re still unsure my service will fulfill their need, we can take about that further and I can either show how it would or would not be the best decision for them. And if they’re letting fear get in the way, I’m forcing them to admit it out loud. And once someone admits it out loud, they realize they need my services more than the did in the first place. Helping them face their fears and make the best decision for their life is the final step in transforming a potential client into a dedicated one.

The final thing to remember when selling your product is to remain as honest and genuine as possible. If they have only carpet and you’re trying to sell a broom, it's not a great match, and you shouldn’t force it on them. You want to make sure that your customer is the right match for you, too! Don’t lie, push, or trick anyone into buying what you’re selling, because it will only reflect poorly on your business as a whole.

Do you have any other selling tips or tricks? Share your thoughts with me in the comments below, or join the party on my Instagram and share there: https://www.instagram.com/katrina.widener/

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