For most small business owners, you’re wearing a ton of hats and sales is often one of those. However, sales may be the thing you put off to the last possible moment. If you’ve found yourself doing that, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Sales is one of those things that we all need to do and do well, but it can feel daunting to start and maintain. It’s kind of like hiking a mountain; the hike up can be so hard. It can feel like your legs are full of lead and that summit feels so far away. You might be tempted to give up and go back to the trailhead. But, there’s more waiting for you if you keep going.
What’s holding you back?
- Fear of rejection. Many people don’t dive into sales because they are scared of rejection. Instead, you need to realize going into it, that you won’t probably close on the first sale. Most people WILL shoot you down at first. Wow…way to be positive, right?? We’re not trying to be negative, but we ARE trying to help encourage you to have a positive relationship with sales, knowing that most people will need to interact with you a few times. Often, the no (or simply lack of any response) is due simply to the time. It’s not personal; it’s just not a priority for the other person at this time.
- Sub-par Systems. You don’t need a fancy CRM and sales funnel in order to sell. While these can help you tremendously, you just need a system - even if it’s a simple one. Systems help you stay consistent, follow similar patterns, and learn what is working for you. A system could be as simple as your pen and notebook to record your sales activity and progress. It also could be much more complex with a database, automated triggers, and other processes. Either way, you need a system and one that will stick.
- Data. In order to be successful at sales, you are going to need to use some information to know how and who to reach out to. At Onemata, we like to keep things simple with the data, and make it easy for businesses to filter through lists of their exact ideal target audience.
- Consistency. Oh man! Consistency is one of the hardest things for us to do. It requires discipline, intentional habits, and doing the work even when it doesn’t necessarily feel “fun.” However, consistency in sales is going to keep your business moving forward.
What’s holding your company back?
Sometimes we need to take a hard look at our business and see what’s holding us back. Sometimes it’s ourselves; we are standing in the way of our success. Sometimes we have all the tools in front of us, but aren’t willing to take the next step in order for our sales process to succeed. Sometimes we need better tools; we need a CRM, a marketing funnel set up, a source of quality data, or a combo of all three. Sometimes we need a friend who will keep us accountable to actually doing the work.
Today, we encourage you to take a hard look at what might be holding you back. There is too much potential waiting for your business to sit back and let it all pass you by. We want to help you succeed. Just like when you’re hiking a big mountain, it can feel daunting and overwhelming at the beginning. But once you’ve reached the summit, the exhilaration is unmatched. We know your business can reach the summit of success and we want to help you get there!
