Being the Salesman

One of the hardest things about being a small business owner is the need to be your own salesman. I think what makes this aspect of the work so intimidating is "moneytalk". Have you ever had a great conversation with someone whether it be a colleague, customer or client, or even a friend, and as soon as payment comes into the conversation, the person becomes more rigid and very serious? Very seldom do I have a sales conversation with someone that is filled with light-hearted chit-chat during numbers-speak. I'm finding that by remaining as open and as casual as possible, people tend to be a bit more receptive. But are there any other tricks that might help? How do you handle sales tension?

The other thing I've learned not too long ago, is that no matter how much you advertise or no matter how great the deal, people won't bite unless they truly want or need too. Sounds like common sense doesn't it?

As one of my business goals, I try to take on one pro-bono client per year, so I can do my part and give back. A perfect candidate would be an organization that's heavly involved in the community, an interest that I might share, or a cause that I very much believe in. I called one such candidate one day (who's website was in need of an upgrade) and offered a free website re-design to them. All that was in it for me was community involvement and to get a little exposure. I thought for sure the spokesperson for the organization would say yes - how could anyone turn down a free website by a professional? My forecasted problems only included wanting too many free services, and wanting it completed too fast. I was wrong.

The person I spoke with became very angry and accussed my of hating her website she had worked so hard to create. As I am a professional, I hope you assume I would say nothing of the sort. I quickly scrambled to tell her I, by no means, hated her website. That, again, I was simply looking to help a cause I believed in by offering my craft and, if all went well, gain a little exposure in the area. Needless to say, I had a bad taste in my mouth after the conversation was over.

This is how I learned that even if something comes free, a person will not take it if they don't want it. That I shouldn't waste my time trying to sell people on something they're not looking to buy - I shouldn't waste time trying to change someone's mind. Maybe it's not so common sense after all.