Sales Challenges: When You Don't Feel Like Selling

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I hear it more than you’d think: “I can’t sell. I don’t want to sell. I hate sales ...” followed by the inevitable kicker. “... but I need to grow my sales. What do I do?” So, just so I understand this: You need to grow your business. You need more sales. However, you don’t want to have to sell. OK, after a deep, cleansing breath and a serious eye-roll, let’s talk about how to thread that needle.

Though we say we might love the job of sales as a whole, that does not mean we love the act of selling specifically. It is confrontational. We are, more often than not, interrupting people when we call. Not every customer is nice to us. Not every deal goes our way. There is no shortage of frustration and anxiety. And you’d better not be into instant gratification, because that’s not going to happen, Skippy.

While the job of a salesperson provides freedom to run your day, income in proportion to one’s success, and the chance to solve a problem with a creative solution, there is still a seemingly endless amount of rubber-meets-the-road work required to get to the top of the mountain; work which is less than fun.

But the definition of what constitutes “selling” has widened over the years and we are no longer bound to the traditional approach of cold calling, door-to-door, relying on phone calls, client lunches, and, of course, golf. In fact, those acts are far less successful now thanks to locked doors, Caller ID, and voicemail protecting buyers from those pesky salespeople, and thanks to corporate policies regarding wining and dining. So, then, what is a non-sales-type to do in a world where even if he or she wanted to make sales calls, they would likely be ineffective?

OK, I accept the challenge of writing about how to succeed in sales without the traditional sales approach. Let’s talk about two alternatives:

Email

When I ask, “If you are not comfortable selling, what are you comfortable doing?” the answer typically comes back: “email.” While a sales phone call could end in a terrifying way (e.g., if the customer picks up the phone and says, “hello?” and now you have to actually speak to someone), an email is like slipping a note under a door.

You might still get rejected, but that door keeps you separated and gives you a feeling of safety. Email is, for all intents and purposes, like the written transcript of a voicemail message.

If you are absolutely, positively, and under no circumstances going to pick up the phone and make a cold call, your next best bet is to use email. However, the same rules apply here as they would with a phone-based approach:

• There must be a strong message.
• Your email will likely go without a reply.
• You can (and should) make it personal, remarkable, and memorable.
• And, finally, if you are thinking email, you need to be thinking emails (with an “s”). That is, create a prospecting campaign of multiple messages over several weeks.

Biggest upside: You can carefully craft your words.

Biggest downside: Being a lemming (95%-plus of all emails are SPAM). Hard to differentiate yourself from the other trash.

LinkedIn

Harnessing LinkedIn as your sales tool requires first curating a compelling and interesting profile page. After all, potential customers are going to check you out more thoroughly than they would a Match.com date. Part of that profile must include testimonials from others. Get some people to say nice things about you. Show social proof, and the next customer will think, “Well, if others had a good experience, so will I.”

Then finally, you need to start posting content. Regularly. Your goal is to build a brand. You want to be seen as an expert. If there is one particular vertical market you’re interested in, then the goal is to come across as an expert in that field (aka a “Subject Matter Expert”). There are three ways to make this happen:

1.  Case Studies — You’ve probably seen others do this. A sign company shows pictures of a recent install. A printer displays a particularly successful mailing campaign. Each is designed to demonstrate competence and impress upon others the thought, “If you, too, have this issue or need, we have experience and have done it successfully.”

2. White Papers — A White Paper is a how-to. It’s like those reports we wrote back in high school science class where we’d describe a project. The idea is to write a helpful document answering the questions a potential customer might have.

For example, let’s say you are hoping to attract more companies that have trade shows coming up. You want their signage and graphics business, and can help with the lead follow up. Then write a White Paper called, “5 Mistakes Companies Make on Their Trade Show Booth.” Essentially, you need to think backward. First, what problems do you solve? Then, what are the lessons learned that you can share?

3. Education — OK, so you are not a sales-type. But while you might not know sales, what you do know is your industry. So, then, share your knowledge with others. Think about the nuances of your world that you can talk about as a way of educating the masses. Why does a newspaper rip easily one direction but not the other? What’s a diecut? Why is adding a UV coating important in outside signage? You might think this kind of thing is boring and maybe so, but it can be of interest to others. And it sends out a powerful message: We know our stuff!

There is a common theme amongst LinkedIn posts. Do you remember the movie, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”? Well, you want people to believe you have experience in their world and have solved their problems for others. Your main message needs to be, “We get you. We’re the best choice to meet your business needs. See? Look at what we’ve done already.”

At the end of last year, I went all-in with LinkedIn, committing all of my Sales Vault marketing to this one social medium. My brilliant head of marketing said, “Dad (OK, it’s my daughter), this is going to take a while. Figure on at least a year and probably more like 18 months before you see any results. Fortunately, she was wrong since we saw an uptick in new subscribers in the late winter, but her point is well-made: Sales is immediate. Marketing takes time.

I wish I could make a sales rep out of everyone. For me, it’s the best job in the world. But if you are not the sales-type, take heart that this changing world does not take in information like it once did. Choosing an approach that is more reliant on email and LinkedIn might just get you sales faster than the old, traditional approach. That means you’d be trending and a pioneer. Soon, people would want to know your secret, and would ask you to come present to their group. Without thinking it through, you’d agree. That would mean you’d need to give a speech.

OK, so let’s talk about public speaking ...