Three steps worth taking
For anyone in the service industry, starting out or even in business a number of years, the same issues come up as we talk about how they grow their business.
What happens at every sales pitch or when we meet new potential clients? We struggle when we get to the price conversation.
Can we value our time? Why do we have issues talking about the green stuff? What is it that holds us back?
Whether or not we like it, there comes a time in every business person’s life where we have to get comfortable talking about money.
We need to;
1 Overcome the fear of talking about money;
2 Find an opener that allows you to close a sale effectively; and
3 Practice your pitch.
Overcoming the fear of talking about money
This can be difficult for some. Eleanor Roosevelt said ‘Do one thing every day that scares you.’ If you want to get better at closing sales, you should face this fear as soon as possible. This is the one fear worth overcoming quickly if you want to grow your business during 2018.
Find your opener
This is a simple one-liner you practice. You might, perhaps, ask the client what their budget is. When you watch any good sales person in action, they listen. They wait for their opener and learn a lot from their prospective client before they get to the money part. This way they find out as much as possible about the clients reason for buying and what type of client they will be. You can learn how much time will be involved and more about how to price this work effectively from the conversation.
Finding your opener gives you confidence also. You get to control the conversation. Unless you find an opener and get comfortable talking about money, it will prove very difficult to close sales effectively (or quickly).
Practice your pitch
With any new skill we learn, the key is practice. Find a friend, colleague or even your financial advisor might assist (I know I would). It’s much better to practice your pitch on someone other than your prospective ideal client.
Only YOU grow your business. You may rely on others, you may receive referrals and don’t feel the need to talk about money. But IF this IS holding you back……
Overcome your fear, find your opener and practice your pitch.
Don’t let it hold you back any longer.
If you have any questions or feel anxious talking about money and would like to get some advice, please feel free to contact me.
