Sales can be tough, no doubt about it. Rejection sucks, and many entrepreneurs hate sales.
Take heart, though; even seasoned sales pros sometimes struggle to turn a “no” into a “yes.” Some of the old-school sales pros resort to high-pressure tactics to close deals, tarnishing the reputation of sales in general. But selling doesn’t have to feel awful. In fact, most people prefer to be “sold to” by people who take a more laid-back approach. No need to pull out the thumb screws.
If you hate sales, here are some actionable tips to help you embrace your inner sales monster and unlock your full potential.
Have an Offer
I’ve written hundreds of business plans, and it always amazes me how many entrepreneurs start a business without having an actual product to sell. They might have a big idea, but they haven’t turned the idea into a service they can monetize. It’s one thing to say you want to cure the world’s climate challenges, but it’s much harder to find a way to make money doing that.
Without a core product, selling becomes infinitely harder. In essence, you start doing an exploratory session (“What do you need?”) instead of an actual sales pitch (“Here’s what I can do for you.”) Clients generally want to know what you do before they meet with you—they don’t have time for a sales therapy session.
Create Your Signature Offer
Create your signature offer. Right now. Price it. Post it on your website. Will you get this offer wrong? Yes. Do it anyway. Once you start meeting people and getting feedback, you can start tweaking the offer. But you can’t get better until you start. So, stop waiting until you have the perfect idea and get started with the idea you have now.
Lead With Confidence (or Fake it Till You Make It)
You don’t need to be “Joe Charisma” to excel at sales. And, anyway, charisma is really just a by-product of confidence. The first step on the road to confidence is believing in yourself—no small feat, right? But If you don’t believe in yourself, your lack of confidence will shine through, which will hurt your ability to close a deal.
With time and practice, your confidence will grow. In the meantime, act as if you’re already the leading expert—believe that you’re the best at what you do. Over time, you’ll see you mindset shift from “faking it” to “believing it.”
Your Product is Amazing
Write the three top reasons why your product is amazing. Keep this list handy – better yet memorize it – and remind yourself of your awesome sauce before you start any and every sales pitch.
Find Your People
“Who’s your audience?” This is a phrase you’ll hear often during your entrepreneurial journey. You must find the people who need your product or who believe in the idea you’re selling.
For instance, I could write the most amazing Math for Dummies book ever, but if I promote it to Gen X entrepreneurs, it’ll flop. I need to decide if I’m committed to the idea of the book or if I want to keep helping my current audience. I can’t do both at the same time.
Start by creating an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), also known as a Buyer Persona. This is essentially a profile or bio of your perfect customer. It includes an overview of who they are and what their needs are. Also, complete an Audience Value Matrix to ensure your content strategy addresses their needs. Completing and regularly reviewing these documents, will make you more confident when you go into any sales scenario. Because now you have an idea of what your prospective clients need and you being prepared will shine through.
The Most Amazing Person You Ever Worked With
Stuck? Think of the most amazing person you ever worked with, write down why you liked working with them, and how you were able to help them. Tap into the feeling you get when working with them when you go into any sales setting.
Leverage Your Experience
Your unique experience has made you the amazing individual you are. Never doubt that your journey and your successes are powerful. They are the reason people want to work with you.
Never doubt that your experience is a powerful motivator. This is the reason people want to work with you.
Collect Testimonials
The best way to demonstrate your experience – and build your confidence – is to collect testimonials from satisfied clients. Use them to showcase your expertise and to remind yourself of your impact.
Embrace Rejection
No means no. Until it doesn’t.
Not everyone will say yes the first time, and that’s okay. Rejection is part of the game. The more you face rejection, the less personal it feels.
Also remember, people don’t always buy what they need or want on the first viewing. Think about what happens when you buy a car. Even if you did all the research and know exactly what you want, you will likely test drive the car first. Then go home and think about it. Check out a few other models. It may take a while to actually buy the car you want.
Similarly, “no” from a client often means, “Not right now.” So even if you get a no, ask if you can follow up. Most people will say yes if you ask.
Three Questions
Think of three questions you can ask, on the spot or as a follow up, if you get the no. You could ask if the decision was about price, or if the prospect felt missed something in your analysis. Send the follow up questions at the same time you ask for a future meeting.
Practice Makes Progress
Selling gets easier the more you do it. You probably won’t be perfect when you start, but you do have to start before you can get better. Every conversation, whether successful or not, helps sharpen your skills. Sales isn’t about being born with a gift of gab—it’s about putting in the reps and learning along the way.
Take Your Cue from the Big Guys
What do major corporations have that you don’t have? Well, a lot, but in particular, they have a dedicated sales process that includes lots of training, testing and practice. Over and over again. Practicing doesn’t mean admitting you haven’t got it, it means you are committed to getting it right.
Network, Network, Network
You’ve heard the expression, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know?”
That’s actually not wholly true. It’s who KNOWS YOU. You may be painfully shy and hate one-on-one interactions, but networking can help you find amazing opportunities for partnerships, referrals, and so much more.
It is far easier to sell to someone who knows you (a warm lead) than a complete stranger (cold lead). Also, it is usually less expensive to market to warm leads than cold, because it takes less time to build trust. Getting acquainted with people at networking events is a great way to build your network and turn cold leads into warm ones.
Be Prepared
Always go to an event prepared to a) Meet strangers b) Be genuinely interested in everyone you meet, not just your prospects, and c) Make a short elevator pitch, and I mean short. After you meet someone at an event, send a follow-up note the next day to thank them for the conversation and to keep the relationship alive.
Connect, Don’t Sell
One of the biggest mistake I see entrepreneurs make is diving into their sales pitch too soon. Most people aren’t interested in hearing a lengthy spiel – whether they’ve known you for for years or for five minutes.
The real magic happens in the conversation. Take the time to get to know people. Ask them about their goals and needs. If you kill the conversation too soon, they may give you a hard, “I’m not interested,” which makes it harder to re-establish a connection later.
Let people tell you about themselves before you dive into your pitch. That way, they are more likely to give you valuable information so you can adapt your pitch.
“What’s Your Inspiration”
If you’re uber shy, memorize a list of five conversation starters and open-ended questions you can fall back on when conversations stall. When you ask open-ended questions like, “What’s Your Inspiration,” this gives you a chance to follow up by email and tell them how what they said really resonated and how you can help them grow that idea. Also remember, when you take the conversational lead, it makes it easier for other introverts to communicate with you
Always Be Testing
Large corporations spend millions on market testing because even they don’t always get it right the first time. Or the second time. Plus sales strategies are ever-evolving, as is human sentiment.
Corporations might spend thousands just tweaking the subject line of one email. You probably do not have the budget for this level of testing, but you must still test your pitch, even it is only on a small scale.
To Fail is Human
Don’t get down after one failure. Or even three or four. People fail. Even Mark Cuban admits to having a long string of failures before finding success.
It doesn’t matter how many times you strike out,” wrote Mark Cuban in his book, How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It. “To be a success, you only have to be right once. One single time and you are set for life.”.
That’s it! Sales shouldn’t feel pushy or uncomfortable. If it does, you are probably doing it wrong.
Not every sales pitch will convert, but if you focus on building relationships and finding the techniques that work for you, you’ll leave yourself open to future opportunities.
And remember, sales is a work in progress—don’t feel bad if it doesn’t click the first or even the second. The more you do it, the better you’ll get.
Let this be your permission slip to keep improving. Keep practicing, refining, and learning as you go—you’ve got this!
Gen X Junction
As Gen X entrepreneurs, we face unique challenges, from refining our business ideas, to staying agile in an ever-changing landscape, to gaining confidence in our sales and marketing efforts.
That’s why I built Gen X Junction—a community designed for entrepreneurs who want to grow their business with the support of people who get what they are going through.
TLDR: Hate Sales? Here are Some Outreach Tips
Define Your Signature Offer: Start by defining your signature product—even if it’s not perfect. Refine it over time based on feedback.
Build Relationships: Focus on connecting with your audience rather than pushing sales; genuine conversations foster trust.
Embrace Rejection: View rejection as a learning opportunity; follow up to keep the door open for future connections.
Always Be Testing: Test and refine your approach regularly, knowing that success comes from practice and feedback.