Instead of selling, work on understanding and helping.

​You may have heard the idea that "sales is a numbers game"... you just have to make the pitch for your services to many, many people and some of them will become your clients.

"Every 'no' means you are closer to a 'yes'!" ...says a sales trainer.

This process is unnecessarily painful. Trying to sell a bunch of people is an intimidating and inauthentic way of connecting with others.

What if there was an alternative way to think about it, that felt much more human and heart-centered, and may be even more effective?

​Try this instead:

As you talk to people who might -- or might not -- be your ideal client, put yourself in the mode of understanding and helping them in the short time you have together.  

Try to find out the issues and challenges they're struggling with.

You probably know some person or resource that can be helpful to them.

In some cases, it may turn out that your service is actually perfect for them right now.  If so, simply suggest that you talk further about the possibility of having you help with that problem/issue they have.

"This is actually the work I love to do with people in my business/practice. If you're interested, I can give you more info on how I work with clients."

First, come from an attitude of helping, being unattached to whether it's you who helps them further. This way, when it becomes apparent that they actually want your help, it becomes an honor, a pleasant surprise, and an authentic way to offer them more information about your services. 

"I would be honored to have you as a client!"

When sales is only seen as a "numbers game," you may have to talk to 100 people, and maybe you only get 3 new clients. Imagine all of that time spent trying to "sell" to 100 people, to have to keep vigilant in those conversations for a bridge to start talking about your business and services.  It feels inauthentic and exhausting. It's grasping. 

Instead, when sales is seen as process of Understanding and Helping, then you might talk to that same 100 people, but the feeling is very different. You are genuinely curious about what they're going through, and what kind of help they are needing, whether it's some idea, resource, tool, or referral that you can make for them.  

Or, as you may be delighted more frequently than you expected, what they most need at this time is your service. Let it be a surprise, rather than a planned, ulterior-motive, "I'm pretending to help you but I'm actually trying to sell you."

Just help people.

As a result of your perspective shift, you'll no longer be churning through people, but instead, you are serving 100 people, bringing more light into their lives. And into the lives of the people you refer them onto.

​Serve, rather than sell.

It is a much more enjoyable, loving process, and not surprisingly, some of those will come back to you as a resource for them.

Whether or not they do, you will know that you are embodying the Golden Principle: Treat others with the kind of understanding and helping that you would want to be treated.

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