Calling all entrepreneurs. Don’t feel like you are an entrepreneur? Side hustler? Maybe you have been wanting, looking, needing, or praying for a way to make some extra money for your family. You have been looking for a way to make a little extra money so you could free up some time to spend with your family. I don’t know what your story is, but I know what my story was.
I haven’t always been an entrepreneur, but I do believe I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit about me. The first four years of AB’s life I worked for an escrow company. Working long hours was common especially at the end of the month. I missed so many moments of her life. I don’t think I ever got her dressed for Halloween because it always fell on the last day of the month. Those are memories that I will never be able to get back.
When the opportunity arose back in 2010 for me to embrace the concept of entrepreneurship. I embraced it big. I cannot lie, I was SCARED to death. Anxiety doesn’t tend to like change. Trying new things make me extremely uncomfortable.
One of the talents that I have been gifted with is connecting with people and connecting with them fast on a pretty deep level. Connecting with people has served me well over the last 9 years. People buy from those they like and trust. I am also highly competitive. Sales is ideal for competitive people because there isn’t an environment that is more driven by competition.
Struggling to connect with people, try Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means we may garner a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to make a purchase. I am not an affiliate of any product or service that I do not trust for use in my business or on my own websites. If I don’t use it, I do not promote it. This is the only way I can jury product quality, service and support levels, which are so important to those who trust my recommendations.
So, let’s talk about some of the secrets that have kept me blessed with time freedom over the last few years.
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM AND PROVIDE A SOLUTION
I never wanted to be one of those sleazy salespeople. I took on the role of a servant from the start. At the end of the day, my definition of sales is simply defined as identifying a problem and providing a solution to the problem. The more times you can do that in a day, the more money you will make. People do not want to be sold, but people always welcome help. It does not matter what your product is. This is a timeless sales formula to me.
NOT EVERYONE IS MEANT TO BE YOUR CUSTOMER
Y’all, can we go ahead and say it now, not everyone is meant to be your customer. Early on, I was trained to believe that if I missed a sale, that I was lacking in my abilities to serve the customers. I can now realize that was the biggest bunch of bs I have heard in my life. Perhaps there isn’t a problem that needs to be solved with a sale. Sometimes, the problem simply was lack of education, and it was solved with you educating them. After almost a decade of beating myself up many times when I have walked away without a sale is… NOT EVERYONE IS MEANT TO BE YOUR CUSTOMER. Be okay with that!
BELIEVE IN YOUR PRODUCT
I had tried to sell many different products along the way, but I never had any success. The reason being is I cannot sell anything that I don’t truly believe in. When I got my insurance license, I had no problem talking to people about insurance. I wholeheartedly believe that people need life insurance to protect their families. It was one of the first things my husband and I had purchased when we got married. When I was introduced to the happy coffee, and it helped tremendously with my anxiety and assisted in me losing 40 pounds, I have no problem talking to people about it.
You have to believe in what you are trying to sell or promote. The belief level has to be in the product before it is even in yourself in my opinion. If you are simply chasing comp plans or commission levels, I don’t believe you will be as successful as if you simply stick with a product you believe in.
DO WHAT IS RIGHT EVEN WHEN IT DOESN’T BENEFIT YOU
The final secret is always doing what is right even when it doesn’t benefit you. That would be having integrity. For some people, that can get a little blurred when it comes to making money.
New product launches doesn’t mean that they are for everyone… Yeah I said it. If you are “convincing” people to trade out something that is working for the new product with only your commission in mind… in my humble opinion that is not serving the customer. You offer the new product and educate the customers on the benefits. You leave the buying decision to the customer. They are already your customer. Why jeopardize the relationship and lose the customer you have? Please, just go back to the simple sales practice. What is the problem and is the product providing a solution. If so, leave it alone.
I’ve learned a lot over the last decade on this roller coaster of entrepreneurship. These four tips have been the basis of why I have been free of a 9 to 5 for almost a decade. I remain a student of the business by studying and learning more. I am really diving into the digital marketing world, and I cannot wait to teach you what I know over the next few weeks.