Most of us have a sour feeling about “selling”. If we are great designers, doctors, lawyers, composers, architects, or coaches, we want to do those things. We want to serve our clients—we don’t want to sell!
I know I’ve had dreams of just being SO good at what I do that I would NEVER have to sell! I thought ‘why should I? I’m so good people will just “find” me!’
Well, I am good. And in the past I’ve been the “best-kept-secret” kind of good. The “if you only knew” kind of good. The problem with that kind of good is you can’t eat it. You can’t deposit it, or use it to pay mortgage.
Change your Thoughts
Selling, it turns out, is a critical part of what we all do. The problem, at least in my case, was what I THOUGHT about selling. My thoughts got in the way of my progress at every step.
I always thought:
- Selling is SEPARATE from serving clients
- Selling is ASKING FOR (or begging for) stuff for me
- Selling means manipulating
- Selling is wearing a plaid jacket and hiding the dents in the used sedan I’m trying to unload
The problem in my thinking was I had it all wrong. When I perform my service, I am helping people. I help businesses, teams, relationships, profit, operations, and many other things.
Selling is, in fact, SERVING.
And service is the highest form of consciousness. We are the best of who we are when we serve. And there are no rules that say we can’t be paid for serving.
The Truth about Selling
The truth about selling is this:
- Selling is OFFERING the best of what you have
- Selling means EDUCATING
- Like a beautiful ballet, selling and serving are one, integrated thing.
- Selling is being exactly who you are
Nothing has ever been sold outside of a conversation. A conversation that is based in service. Many clients tell me that they get nervous in “sales” conversations. I encourage them to look at EVERY conversation as a “sales” conversation. And if it helps, think of them as “service” conversations. After a while they aren’t nervous any more. Serving, after all, is FUN! It’s uplifting! Serve people ALL DAY LONG and you will have all the business you want.
If we are in SERVICE in our conversations, we can’t go wrong.
