Adopting a Sales Mindset: Why you won’t get better at sales until you start believing in yourself…
You probably didn’t get into business for yourself to spend your days selling. But the hard truth (that you’ve probably heard us bang on about) is that when it comes to building a business, having a positive sales mindset is really, really important (yup – double really).
And over the years, one of the biggest issues we’ve seen holding small business owners back is their negative mindset around selling.
Rather than seeing it as an opportunity, they see it as a necessary evil 😈 that they shy away from and hope they don’t have to do.
But the reality is that if you don’t sell…you can’t expect people to buy, and you won’t have a business. Ultimately, sales are imperative to your success.
So why are we all so ick-ed out by the thought of selling?
It comes down to mindset – and a lot of it hinges on your money mindset.
How can you alter this mindset and start feeling excited about the prospect of selling to people rather than shying away from it?
As always, we’ve got some tips and insights to share that come from years of experience working in our own business and thousands of small businesses across the world.
Busting the sales mindset myths holding you back…
Why do so many of us cringe at the thought of actually having to sell our products or services?
It’s something that we’ve seen across the board, across industries…A lot of people think of sales in the wrong way, having a negative sales mindset. And we want to start by deconstructing some of the myths holding people back from giving their all to selling.
Firstly… It’s not manipulative to sell!
The first thing you need to do to smash those small business sales is to remember that selling is not manipulative. Sales should never be considered a dirty word. In fact, done well, it can enable you to grow your business and help you to achieve your goals.
There are loads of resources out there about the psychology of selling, telling you how to use mind tricks to get people to buy. But the reality is that we can’t make people do something they don’t want to. They are only going to buy something that solves their problems and is valuable enough to part with their money.
It could be argued that you’re doing people a disservice by NOT selling. Imagine you have a HUGE problem that you’ve been struggling with for ages, that’s absorbing all your time and money, only to find that your best friend knows how to solve that problem super fast and has tons of experience in it. How annoyed would you be with your friend? That is how you should view selling.
When is selling manipulative?
Selling isn’t manipulative if you’re going to do the best job you can to give your customers the results they want.
The only way it’s manipulative is if you don’t have something you think will genuinely help people and are trying to scam them into buying something – and we’re pretty sure isn’t you, because you’re a lovely sort of person.
Most business owners aren’t like Harry Wormwood (a.k.a Matilda’s Dad), duping unsuspecting customers into buying used cars for more than they are worth!
So start believing in yourself to start oozing confidence…
Confidence is key🔑
A lot of us suffer from imposter syndrome (even us sometimes), but this is holding you back from oozing the confidence you need to close the sale.
If you have low confidence or suffer from imposter syndrome and really don’t believe in yourself, then arguably, selling your offer will feel manipulative – at least to you. You need to believe that you are “worth it” and that you are delivering a great product or service. If you don’t, this will come through in your sales offer.
Remember, you’re not manipulating potential customers by delivering something that is going to have massive value for them.
Always be positive and encouraging in your tone to give people confidence in your abilities.
The only thing you should avoid is promising something you can’t 100% guarantee to deliver on. For example, an SEO company promising the top spot on Google – it will be counterproductive and ultimately dent your confidence and your clients.
Think of sales as an exchange…
You aren’t schmoozing an unsuspecting victim out of their hard-earned cash in exchange for a scam (at least we hope you aren’t; if you are, stop reading and go away – this isn’t for you).
Sales is essentially just a mechanism that allows you to exchange services for money. Your audience wants what you are offering, so it’s a mutually beneficial exchange…they aren’t doing you a favour by buying your product or service. We repeat: they aren’t doing you a favour by buying your product or service.
So, instead of thinking about selling, think about how you are helping your potential customers. Selling allows you to help as many people as possible, and the more you sell, the bigger impact you can have.
Now we’ve got that part covered; let’s get to the second and teensy bit more tricky part to solve – your money mindset…
Having a positive money mindset is going to be your new best friend to make selling easier.
What is your money mindset?
A healthy money mindset is the key to knowing when to invest, when to save, and how to grow your money in a way that works best for you (and your family).
Your money mindset is your own, unique set of beliefs and your attitude about money. It forms the basis of the decisions that you make about saving, spending, and handling money.
Like Henry Ford said: “Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.”
A study from Ramsey Solutions found that 97% of millionaires simply believed that they could become a millionaire and that it was within their control.
Imagine that! 🤯
Having the mindset focused on success is half of the battle. And so it goes without saying that how you feel about money can have a huge impact on your life, and when it comes to your business, it can impact the decisions you make – including how you approach sales.
How is your money mindset formed?
Believe it or not, your money mindset is formed very early in life…. In fact, a 2018 study concluded that the fundamentals around how to think about your money are formed as early as age seven 😱
So, while we don’t want to say it’s all your parent’s fault, in this case, it really might be down to how your parents talked about (or didn’t) and interacted with money. So think about how money was handled in your family home growing up, and this will help you understand how and why you might think the way you do about money.
Another major influence may be your spouse, as they probably have drastically different money mindsets as they grew up in different households – and you can positively or negatively influence each other.
Signs that you have a negative money mindset…
So, what are some of the signs that you might have a money mindset that is not conducive to success?
Well, there are loads of things going on in that head of yours, but some of the things to look out for are:
- You worry a lot about money
- You believe you’ll never have enough money
- You bury your head in the sand when it comes to finances
- Bills cause you to panic (and you leave them unpaid)
- You don’t have an emergency fund to deal with unexpected costs
- Your plans are always short-term instead of considering future needs
- You think you will have to work all the hours of the day to make money
- Making money takes money away from others (It doesn’t work like that)
- You think being rich is negative and being a millionaire makes you evil
Now you know what impact money can have on your business success, what are you going to do about it?
Overcoming your limiting beliefs about money…
The first thing to note is that you are not alone.
As we said, people struggling with selling is one of the biggest challenges we see small business owners face, and that’s often down to a money and sales mindset issue – they don’t see themselves as financially abundant.
These feelings of entrapment around money are often linked to your limiting beliefs, so overcoming these money myths can change your life.
And no, we’re not being dramatic when we say that…change your beliefs, and you can change your life.
To overcome limiting beliefs, we need to first understand what our limiting beliefs are…
Limiting belief 1: I can’t make money doing what I love
How often have you thought: “I can’t believe I get paid to do this”
We get it; doing what you love can feel like a dream come true. And even though being your own boss is hard work, it can still be difficult to believe that you deserve to be paid for doing what you love.
But, you are amazing at what you do, and you’re offering an incredible service in exchange for money.
It’s a modern world, and it’s time to start believing that anything is possible, and that includes doing what you love and making money.
New belief: “I can do what I love and make money”
Limiting belief 2: Money can’t buy you happiness
Ah! That old chestnut…
It’s true, money is not the be-all-and-end-all. There is a lot more to life than being rich💰- just ask Ebenezer Scrooge.
But… Money does make it a lot easier to create the life that you want – whether that is in the form of holidays, big houses or financial security.
No, money by itself can’t make you happy, but it’s incredibly stressful when you don’t have enough money – or you’re desperate to do something but don’t have enough funds for it.
Money really does give you the basis on which to build a happy and comfortable life.
Plus, the more money you have, the more good you can do in the world. Wouldn’t it be nice to help out the family? Start a charitable foundation? Donate? The more money you have, the more you can help others, significantly more.
New belief: “Money can help me create a life I love”
Limiting belief 3: You need money to make money
If you came from a humble upbringing, it can be hard to imagine a reality in which you ever make more than enough money to be comfortable.
And yes, money does make it easier to make money, but it’s certainly not the only way.
Just look at some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world who came from nothing and have built an empire. Start… And build!
It won’t happen overnight, but you are in control and have the ability to create wealth. It’s never too late to start saving, investing or budgeting. You can create a future that is very different to your current reality.
New belief: “I can start with what I have right now”
Limiting belief 4: Money is evil
You might have started your business with the intention of helping people… So, to you, money is just a by-product. And we get that! One of the most exciting parts of owning a business is being able to share your product or service with the world and change the lives of your customers (whether that’s in a big or small way).
However, if you want to keep doing that for as long as possible, you need to make money! And you need to accept that money is the means that allows you to continue your business, pay your bills, and ultimately help more people for longer.
Money in itself isn’t bad. What you do with it is what matters.
Unfortunately there are many people who are not very nice people who can sometimes give wealth a bad name.
Equally however, there are also many more people who are nice, AND rich… but you just don’t hear about them as much (they’re too busy being humble to draw attention to themselves!).
New belief: “Money is a resource that can be used for good”
Limiting belief 5: It’s too late to change my financial future
Yes, your money mindset is formed early – but it doesn’t have to stay that way. It’s just another thing that you need to be aware of and work to change to impact your future success.
Think of today as “day 1” – you can start now, and where you are in a year could be completely different from where you are today. Small changes have a huge overall compounding effect.
New belief: “It’s never too late to make a change to my financial situation”
Tips to improve your mindset: Start feeling good about sales and sell more
Building on overcoming those limiting beliefs, it’s time to start feeling positive about sales and seeing how tackling it head-on can help improve and grow your business like nothing else can.
What can you do to improve your mindset and make more sales?
1. Improve your confidence
You need to believe in yourself. If you don’t, no one else will believe you either.
When you feel more confident, your language and body language will naturally improve. But how do you do that?
Here are some easy and practical ways to boost your self-confidence:
- Be prepared for any questions potential customers may fire at you – make a list of all the potential hesitations and blockers, then write down your response to them. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will feel on a sales call.
- Schedule time before any calls – so that you’re not rushing to log on to a call or turn up to a meeting, make sure you schedule some time to get everything ready in advance. Don’t give yourself anything else to do before hand – set aside half an hour, fifteen minutes, or any amount of time that works for you.
- Celebrate your successes (big or small) – keep a success journal or a weekly wins folder, so you have something to look at when you’re feeling low. Another great way to boost your confidence is to look back at customer testimonials, nice emails, and other things you’ve collected over the years that tells you how great you really are. Some people call this a ‘smile file’.
- Show up feeling good about yourself – even if your sales calls are on Zoom, wear an outfit that makes you feel confident and the energy you radiate will show on the other side of the screen. It could be some funky socks that make you happy or even your lucky pants (no judgement here!).
- Manage stress and practice mindfulness – working on your stress levels and having even a few deep breaths before a sales call will help you to feel calm and more confident.
- Role play sales calls – if you’re super nervous about selling, try some pretend scenarios with a trusted friend, colleague, or team member. Record yourself and see what you could improve on. It’s a low-pressure environment that gets you used to the idea of sales calls.
2. Listen more than you talk
It might seem like if you want to sell, you have to talk, talk, talk… But as the saying goes, you have two ears and one mouth for a reason. So, it’s time to increase the amount of listening you are doing in sales calls.
Don’t go in all guns blazing. Ask questions and really listen to the answers, repeat back their answers, and offer a solution as to how you can help them achieve their goals.
Find out what questions we ask on every sales call to close the deal here.
3. Get to grips with rejection
Nobody likes rejection! But it’s time to accept that it’s part and parcel of running a business. Despite the fact that we’d love to have a 100% success rate, no one does (and that’s okay).
When you learn to handle rejection, you go into sales calls with a different mindset and approach. It’s good to not be emotional or hung up on the result – instead, consider it all as a learning curve.
The more you practise, the more comfortable you become which means naturally you will be rejected less. So it’s a win-win.
4. Visualise your success
Manifestation and visualisation might be a little bit woo-woo for you. But they are powerful tools for understanding what you want and achieving a better result with your sales process.
Instead of worrying about the outcome, imagine yourself closing the deal with ease, and suddenly your confidence will skyrocket, your body language will change, and you’ll attract the deals you want.
Start selling with confidence and grow your business
If you are harbouring a negative money mindset and limiting beliefs, then that will impact your ability to close deals and grow your business.
Shifting your money mindset is a powerful way to change your confidence levels. When you’re more confident (without being arrogant), it can improve all areas of your business – especially sales.
If you want to learn more about how to sell confidently, improve your money mindset, and grow your business, it’s something we help thousands of small businesses do in our Become Atomic Programme.