Most people choose a field to work on, apply and develop their skills and live happily ever after. The surprise comes when they realise that they need to also sell their services and capabilities.
We are not taught how to sell at university, we are not even told that this is a skill we will need. The need to sell ourselves, our services and our skills, is thrown on many people as they enter their careers, leaving them vulnerable, confused and financially worse off. The bad reputation that selling and salespeople have has travelled through the decades leaving many with a bad taste in their mouths about even the idea of selling.
Selling is a necessity and ‘everybody lives by selling something’.
There are a lot of good untold stories about ethical selling practices out there. They often don’t make the mainstream media or general conversations because they are happening everyday in millions of ways. It’s a bit like IT. We never celebrate or talk about the fact that our IT system hasn’t crashed, we only hear and complain about it when something goes wrong.
To become masterful at selling, you need to want to sell. Your beliefs, not your abilities, could be holding you and your career hostage. If you can harness the right attitude you can become a skilled salesperson and win deals. So consider the following:
- Why do you need to sell? Who will benefit from you being able to sell competently?
- How will ethically and proactively promoting and selling your capabilities help you and your clients?
- What is your current view of selling? Do you hold onto a view that makes you feel ashamed of selling? How is that view affecting your ability to keep your business healthy and viable?
- Can you reframe your thinking about selling? See it as a way to make what you do visible to the people who need to know about you so they can benefit from your skills and talent.
- How do you feel about the statement ‘everybody lives by selling something’?
- How can selling be incorporated into your business and align with your ethical values and desire to run an honourable business?
- Do you feel worthy of being able to earn what you are worth?
Limiting beliefs about selling are a significant issue for many people but they are something that can be overcome with patience, clarity, and persistence.
