“Selling Stuff”–What to Do When You Aren’t a Sales Person

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERAToday I saw a post that made me think of this issue. An excuse I often see that prevents people from becoming entrepreneurs:

“I am not good at selling stuff!”

Want to know a secret? Neither am I!

Sure, I know branding, graphic design, publishing, and marketing techniques, but I am not a natural salesperson.

And I’m glad.

Why?

Because the world is full of slick sales people! The world is full of advertisements and hokey messages and unpleasant, high pressure telemarketing phone calls.

Doesn’t that just make you go, “ick?”

Think about that last sales call you got that drove you crazy. I can definitely remember a few times professional sales people tried to cram their product or service down my throat. It was not pleasant. I did not buy from them. I ran from them.

But when you offer a product or service based on your passion in life, your calling, your unique skill set, and you make yourself available to serve a target market that has a desperate need for what you have, you don’t have to sell!

Yes, I know that sounds impossible. How could that be true?

It’s all about your mindset. It’s about deciding to show up to serve, to help fulfill a need. After all, isn’t that what free market economies is all about? You find a void, create or offer a product or service that fulfills that need. It’s called supply and demand.

So how can you change your thinking? Look at your sales as conversations. You’re just trying to find a fit for you and your potential customer. If it isn’t a fit, that’s great. If it is fit, that’s wonderful! It’s about dialoguing, and it’s about listening more than anything. And the more nos you get, the better! You are just making room for more yesses!

Be there for those who are experiencing pain. Offer them a solution. It’s that simple. Then ask boldly. “Is this something you might want to hear more about?” “If I could help you with that (problem), would you like to hear more?” “Is this something you would like to get started with?”

Let me give you a real life example. My husband. He is not a sales person. Far from it! He is an architect. And furthermore, he is an engineer. He doesn’t like sales. He even thought of getting a job at one point because the idea of doing sales was overwhelming to him.

Then I mentioned that if he was to get a job, he has to market himself. He has to perform in a sales meeting. That’s called an interview. He has to negotiate for his salary. And if he gets the job, he still has to do sales and marketing. He has to continually convince his employer to keep him as an employee!

He saw my point, and now he’s actively engaged in sales and marketing (okay, with my help, but you get the picture). Last night, he came back from a networking meeting excited. He had connected with the speaker. He resonated. That’s the thing. When you resonate with others, it isn’t about selling. It’s about offering a valuable product or service that people need, want, and desire.

This is the dirty little secret: we ALL have to learn how to do sales and marketing! Whether you are looking for a job or become an entrepreneur.

But when you build a brand, you attract customers to you rather than trying to force a prospect to buy from you.

Doesn’t that sound promising? If you’d like to know more timeless principles of business, take my free mini course, 5 Secrets to a Wildly Successful Home Business! Click here now! The sooner you get started on this valuable knowledge, the sooner you will get that successful business you’ve been dreaming of!

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Business Success–5 Essentials You Need to Succeed!

IMG_0069Last Saturday, I had the honor of being a guest on a local radio show. The topic was how to make a business wildly successful. Here are some ideas to help you succeed beyond your wild imaginings!

1) Integrity.

This is the number one factor of success in business. Truly. Don’t take shortcuts. Strive to have integrity in your business, in your client relationships, with your vendors.

When you take shortcuts, you will be hurting yourself in the long run. And it will come back to haunt you sooner or later. If you do not walk in integrity, your reputation will suffer and this will damage your brand.

2) Come through with your promises.

This kind of goes along with integrity, but this is so important. Increasingly, it seems like the work ethic is lost to business owners. The path of least resistance seems to be the modus operandi. This can encompass not returning phone calls promptly, missing deadlines, and performing shoddy work. You do not want your customer to be dissatisfied, you want your customer to be dazzled, so they’ll come to you over and over again. Because the best customer is a repeat customer.

Under promise and over deliver. That is the sure way to dazzle your customer. And your brand will sizzle as a result!

3) Support from your family.

I would say this is one of those nice things, that would be icing on the cake, but sometimes not always realistic. It is great to be on the same page with your family members, especially your spouse. If you are not, then I would devote some serious prayer to the matter and explain to your spouse or loved one your vision and ask lovingly for concrete ways they can support you.

God has worked amazing circumstances in our lives because my husband and I have the same vision. He thoroughly supports my business and I support his. The result is incredible. And most importantly, it has brought us closer together as a couple. I have never been so in love with my husband. And he knows I have full respect for his talents and a desire to see him succeed. This has helped him in the process of launching out on his own. And conversely, his belief in me has given me courage to stretch myself in new ways.

4) Take care of yourself.

Now, full disclosure. I don’t do so well with this. I am trying to change that one little goal at a time. But adequate sleep, nutrition, exercise, fun, relaxation, and quiet time for yourself is so important. If you are not taking care of yourself, there is no way you can take care of your family and your business.

It’s like what the flight attendants tell you before takeoff: if there is an emergency, first YOU breathe into the oxygen mask BEFORE you give it to your child!

5) Don’t let relationships suffer.

It’s easy, as an entrepreneur, to work all the time. And when you work at home, it’s even easier. There’s no barriers, no fences to say this is the time to work and this is the time to be with my family or to spend time with your husband or to spend time with friends. You have to set those boundaries yourself, boundaries that will work for you and your family.

My husband and I struggled with this early on in our relationship. He would wait to spend time with me until after whatever project he was working on was done. I would get resentful. This became a vicious cycle. Finally, we learned to spend a few moments together before he spent time on his project so I was able to let him go for his “cave” time–his projects. Then he had more energy later to be with me later.

And now, a weekly date night is a MUST on our calendar. We almost paid a very steep price for neglecting us and letting busyness get away. Make regular date nights with your spouse a priority, even if all you do is go out for coffee.

May these ideas help you have a sizzling brand and a dazzling future!

Want more ideas on how to have a wildly successful business? Take my free mini-course, 5 Steps to a Wildly Successful Home Business at http://www.WildlySuccessfulHomeBusiness.com

Photograph by Sam Beasley.

Business Success–Keep on Swimming in the Face of Challenges

Somehow while I was thinking of a title for this blog entry, I had a picture of Dory from the movie Finding Nemo. She kept on swimming in the face of huge obstacles.

I’ve felt like Dory a lot lately. Like I’m swimming against the tide. Exhaustion and confusion sweeps over me and I become lost.

That’s the realization I’ve made. I’ve got to keep on swimming no matter what.

And like Dory I will find success.

Because quitters don’t win prizes. Giving in to defeat is not an option. I may toy with the idea for an hour or a day, but I always come back to this truth:

Success in life is found in the intersection of persistence and desire.

I found that idea today while reading Napolean Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. You see, before I picked up the book and started reading, I wanted to give up in defeat. I felt useless, worthless and like all my efforts of late are futile.

Frustrated, I decided to rest and eventually I picked up the Napolean Hill book and started reading. It immediately caught my attention because it talked about not giving up when you feel defeated.

He told this incredible story of a miner who gave up his dreams of striking it rich after not finding anymore gold in the vein he was working. If he had dug a few feet deeper, he would have struck gold beyond his wildest imaginings!

The man who bought all the miner’squipment found this out because he got the knowledge necessary to become wildly successful!

So the lesson to me: I’ve got to keep on digging. Or, like Dory, keep on swimming!

Would you like key knowledge that will help you be wildly successful? Sign up for my free mini-course today! And you, too, can keep on swimming!

© James Hearn | Dreamstime Stock Photos

 

Why You Should Never Quit and the Secret to Being Wildly Successful Instead!

It seems like in today’s world, we are all looking for that magic pill.

That one program that will make us automatically rich at the touch of a button. Or that diet that will easily make us super-model thin. Or the exercise video that will give us rock-hard abs in only minutes a day. Or that curriculum that will easily make our children advance two grade levels.

The problem is, these are delusions.

I know, we all want to avoid the pain. We all want it to be effortless.

But anything worth having is worth fighting for. It’s worth the pain. In fact, without going through the pain, we will not truly come to appreciate our successes!

Believe me, I’ve wanted to quit time after time. Perceived failures led me to want to throw in the towel sometimes and just walk away.

Some days I have cried in agony and could only sit before my Heavenly Father, soaking up His presence.

But then, a little sunshine breaks through and I get a fresh perspective. God keeps encouraging me onward and upward!

I heard it said once that, “It took me 10 years to be an overnight success.”

Everyday my job is to plant seeds and trust that God is going to bring the harvest in His time. It really is as simple as living out what He has called me to do on a daily basis.

It’s a journey of faith. You see, even last fall I was not confident enough to call myself an entrepreneur. I didn’t think that I was worthy of the title. How could God use me? After all, I’m just a homeschooling mother!

But something changed inside me. I began to cast aside the lies that were holding me back. I began to step out in faith like never before. I embraced God’s calling on my life, to be an entrepreneur. I have something of value to share with the world and what I do can make a real difference in the lives of thousands of families. I am invigorated by that vision!

And I discovered that what God’s really after is a change of my heart before He will change my pocketbook!

But how did I keep this mindset amidst what seemed like fruitless effort at the time?

I always keep my “why” before me. This is the secret to great success as an entrepreneur!

And it’s not just to make money. Yes, that certainly is a goal, but there’s a reason WHY I want to make the money!

To have economic freedom! To be completely independent. Able to do what we need to do for our family.

Especially when it comes to our Asperger son. He is my “why.” I can’t just “go out and get a job.” I am my son’s teacher and primary caregiver! He is counting on me to be at home teaching him. Besides, there’s very few jobs to find anyway!

Failure is not an option! I realized a few years ago it’s either be wildly successful or file for bankruptcy and give up our house and send our son to school. That is how serious things had gotten for us. I will not go there!

Because so often it is the fear of loss that motivates us rather than the hope of gain. We want to stay in our comfort zones where it’s safe. We are willing to just survive because it seems far more safe than risking it all in order to thrive.

But anything worth having is worth the risk!

So I keep pushing, I keep praying, I keep learning, and I keep getting my name out there, my brand, over and over again. Maybe people are sick of hearing about me, but I’ve got to get my brand out even more! To do that, I have to make a plan to get it out and I have to build a team!

A few years ago, I made a plan and I set an intention, a desire–to be a wildly successful entrepreneur. God has assured me every step of the way, mostly through a daily reading of the Psalms. It truly is a journey of faith as He reminds me that He is going to do it, not me, and that everything is going to work out. I can be confident in Him and that as my CEO, He is going to prove trustworthy.

He reminded me the other day that I am beautifully, fearfully, and wonderfully made. I need to step into His plan for my life and not look back!

What about you?

Think about Thomas Edison. He failed time and time again to get the light bulb working. But he never quit and think how he changed the world!

As I saw on one of my friend’s Facebook status awhile back, “Failure is simply feedback. Notice, learn and try again.”

It reminds me of my experience last fall. I had tried an online writing program for my son, thinking it would free up some of my time. But it actually took more of my time and my son was so frustrated he couldn’t even get past the first assignment. I told him that he was not a failure, we just needed to try something different. So I stepped up and did what I knew I needed to do all along–create a writing exercise based on visual learning using magnets and my freezer! The lesson went so much better and I can see that this method is going to be successful!

Never quit! Allow these times of frustration to be times where you build perseverance into your soul. Cultivate patience. I think we as the microwave generation could use a whole lot more of it!

If you have this attitude, then your brand will sizzle and your future will dazzle! And you WILL be wildly successful!

Do you want to create a wildly successful business? Sign up for my free 5-day ecourse and discover how you can build a lasting business and be freed from economic hardship.

Photo by Sam Beasley

Brand Identity Design–Announcing My New Online Brand Development Course!

Brand Identity Design ImageTired of living paycheck to paycheck? Want to create your own economy to truly make money online?

Well, here’s a way you can REALLY create a dazzling future for yourself–learn how to create a sizzling brand identity design that gets noticed!

I am excited to announce the launch of my Brand Identity Quest Online Study Course!

Create Serious Profits and a Serious Life for Yourself with this Brand Identity Design Online Course!

Plus, get marketing ideas for small business and brand positioning strategies!

This comprehensive step-by-step course on brand development, design, and marketing will show you every facet of a winning brand identity design marketing program. Through 24/7 and lifetime access to my membership site, discover your authentic identity and Unique Selling Proposition. I will explain what is branding, where it came from, how to create a brand marketing plan, and so much more. Plus, you can learn how to write an elevator pitch, tagline, and slogan! Create a vision for your life and business and develop a brand identity design that you will be thrilled about.

A brand that is going to sizzle and make your future dazzle!

Purchase today! I am dribbling out the 14 modules over the next few months so you can get in on the development phase! That means savings for you!

 

 

Want more information? Click here to find out how you can create an effective brand identity design!

Because the sooner you get started, the sooner you will skyrocket your business success! Because you will have a brand identity design that gets noticed! That will truly give you a dazzling future!

Brand Identity Design Webinar Course Created by Homeschooling Mom

Here’s a little sneak peek of the press release I am sending out tomorrow!

Homeschooling mother Dana Susan Beasley took her years of experience as a graphic artist and publisher to create an extensive brand identity webinar course that starts on Apr. 10 and runs through May 24. In this course, Mrs. Beasley will teach participants how to build effective brand identity design that helps them succeed as aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners, giving them foundational tools to make money online so they can overcome financial hardship.

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To sign up for my Brand Identity Quest Webinar Workshop Series and secure your economic future, click here!