Growing your Small Business

By Connecting with People who Need what you have to Offer

Selling with SoulSparker, The Coaching Company

Selling with Soul

"When a career counselor first recommended I consider a job in sales, I looked down at my tailored suit and mentally reviewed my make-up and jewelry, trying to pinpoint what

made him think I was sleazy.”

• Sales people are viciously stereotyped and we carry that stereotype inside our hearts.

• The result is a feeling of being disrespected and mistrusted, producing severe stress.

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The Importance of Small Business

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Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Stasticis.U.S. Small Business Adminstration

Selling with Soul

• Everyone sells, regardless of title• No one likes to be sold • No one wants to seem “salesy”• For entrepeneurs, failing to sell is often the

fatal flaw that brings down a valuable and important business idea.

• “Low Sales” consistently appears on the U.S. Small Business Administration list, “The Top 10 Reasons for Small Business Failure.”

• Overcoming sales-phobia is a prerequisite to business success.

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Selling with Soul

• Nobody benefits, nothing can happen, until something is sold.

• Your great idea, excellent product, and outstanding customer service can and should be sold.

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REMEMBER:

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• Why do you want to offer this product or service?• If your first answer is “to make money,” dig deeper to

understand what that money means to you:• An emergency or college fund? • A family vacation?• Recognition?

• If you dream of being self-employed, why? • Freedom from corporate pressure?• More time to spend with your family?

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It all starts with your WHY

Selling with Soul

Write your Mission Statement, including your commitment to:• represent only quality products and

services; • deliver the best possible service to

your customers, • and to do your work with integrity.

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THEN

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Next, Understand Your Customer’s WHY: What are they hoping to achieve?

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As Harvard Marketing Guru Ted Levitt said, “No one wants to buy a ¾ inch drill. They want a ¾ inch hole!”

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Don’t look at your product or service as features and benefits. Understand

how it is actually used.

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• Do you sell jewelry? Why do people buy jewelry? Are they buying confidence? Prestige? Can your expertise in accessorizing help your customer feel great about that big presentation, job interview, or first date?

• Why do people buy health care products?Are they buying energy to keep up with their kids or job demands? A sense of well-being? Can your products help your customer have the energy and stamina to pursue their dreams?

• Why do people buy coaching or training? Are they buying confidence and motivation to help them achieve their own personal best? Do you help your clients achieve their goals?

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Examples:

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The Steps of Selling

• The basics of selling are a series of steps executed in the correct order to build and maintain an understanding between ourselves and our customers.

• Skipping steps feels pushy.• Each step plays a role in the emotional

buying process our customers experience. • We buy because we want, not because we

need.

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• Getting the first appointment and establishing the human connection.

• Finding the why, need or goal.• Developing a mutual vision of

a solution or a plan.• Negotiating based on the

value you bring. • Following-up to ensure your

customer is satisfied.

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• Getting the first appointment means picking up the phone and having your 15 second introduction ready—and practice!

“As a coach I’ve helped people advance in their career, bring their work and home lives into harmony, and achieve their financial goals. Are any of those things you’re concerned about?”

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Making a Human Connection• Share your story with your customers, why you do this,

how you have helped someone.

Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. 

Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. 

But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever. 

Indian Proverb

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Help the client put the pieces of the puzzle together, not by telling, but by asking.

Statements invite contradiction; Questions invite conversation.

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Don’t give away your power or try to take away theirs.

Forget about “closes,” overcoming obstacles, or persuasion.

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Negotiate with confidence in the value you bring.

Quid Pro Quo

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Reach out!

• Join LinkedIn, Facebook, and groups and social media.

• Develop an email list for announcements, events, promotions.

• Ask for referrals, “likes,” and introductions and use “quid pro quo.” For example, please like my Facebook business page and I’ll like yours.

• Ask people to pass your newsletter, website link, and articles or blogs on to one other person.

• Make “shameless requests” for endorsements.

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Make sacred space and time or it won’t get done.

As Stephen Covey says, “Don’t prioritize your schedule. Schedule your priorities.”

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