When you start your own business you might not consider the fact that you technically also have to become a salesperson - no matter if you sell a product, or offer a service. If you want to have a business and work remotely to make money online, you will need to sell your products and services with confidence. But that might not always be comfortable, especially at the beginning.
You might be thinking “people are going to think I’m selling out”, “what if someone doesn’t think I’m a good person once I ask for money?” or “what if I put something up for sale and no one buys it and I look like a complete fraud?”. I have to admit - I felt the exact same way. Out of the four of us, I might have been the worst - I hated selling anything. I was so afraid to release our first-ever products because I didn’t want people to think I was a dodgy salesman who just wanted to make a profit.
But after the first few sales, I noticed that this is not what selling is about at all. People that bought our products (presets, clothes from our fashion brands, and later our courses) started to reach out and told us how grateful they were for the inspiration, content, the work we put in, and the value we were providing. I realized that selling isn’t about being mean or unfair - it’s about receiving money in return for your work. It took a while for us all to realize that any sale is just a transfer of value from one person to another. You produce something of value for someone else and they give you value back in return in the form of money. It's really that simple! The only thing you need to worry about is if the thing you create is truly valuable.
But why is it that so many of us have this “fear” of selling something? Well, the main two reasons are either you might think that “someone else does it better, so why would they buy it from me?”, or you may just feel bad about taking money from people.
“Why would they buy from me?“
If you believe that what you could be selling isn’t going to be good enough, then you are wrong. If you only focus on the possible rejection - you will never get anywhere. But if you know that what you have has value, and even if it can benefit and help only one person, then you already have your reason to sell it! You just have to find a way to present your product or service and make it as appealing as possible.
So, stop thinking “what if they say no?”, and concentrate on thinking “how can I provide a great product with the best value to my audience?”.
“I feel bad taking money from others”
Now, if you are afraid to sell and make money from people, that’s totally normal. You might be afraid of coming off too pushy, and we get that. After all, asking people for money isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. But think about it like this: this is your business. This is your way to make money and survive. This isn’t just a fun hobby anymore. The money you make allows you to pay your bills, buy food, and have a roof over your head. If others can’t see that, then they are being selfish. Just because they might go to an office and don’t work from the comfort of their home (or anywhere in the world for that matter) doesn’t mean that your work is any less valuable than theirs. Never be afraid to receive payment just because you don’t have a typical job. It’s still your job and it’s your way to make a living.
Additionally, you shouldn’t think about selling as just taking money from others. You are basically sharing something with them. You have a solution to their problem, and if you don’t put it out there, if you’re not telling them about it - then you’re being selfish. At the end of the day, it's up to them to decide if they will buy it or not. You’re not forcing anyone to do it. Also, if it’s not from you, they will probably end up getting it from someone else.
And if you still feel like you shouldn’t take other people's money and just offer them all your value for free, then you need to know that you might not even be doing anyone a favor. This is especially the case for people that are interested in creating their own course or want to offer services like a logo, blog post, a website, or anything else. Yes, you can give all of this out for free. You can tell your clients that you’ll create a logo as a favor for free, but why? This is your time, your effort, your work. If you don’t get anything in return then you’re just wasting your resources, and you will run out of resources to continue giving value.
Secondly, you need to understand that a lot of people don’t pay much attention to free products or resources. They need to have this financial push to value the work. If people get things for free then they simply don’t value them as much. But if they pay for something it’ll have a different meaning to them.
Once you change your mindset towards these misconceptions about selling to people, you will see that you are actually doing people a favor and that you should be selling! Don’t let the fear of sales stop you from reaching your full earning potential.
Some key points for your first sales
In order to help you with your first sales let’s go over a few crucial key points that you need to keep in mind:
- Demonstrate how your product or service will benefit your customers, and how they will get value from it. What problem is your product or service going to solve for your potential customer? Did it solve that problem for you? Explain and demonstrate it, and more importantly - make it relatable. Remember that the more people see that you are passionate about your product or service, the more people will want to have it too.
- Show how you differentiate yourself from others. What is unique about your product or service? What do you do that others don’t? What’s your angle? If you don’t have one yet, I suggest you find one - otherwise it’ll be hard to stand out. Tip: It’s usually something your potential customers will point out to you, which is why you should always have an ear for them.
- Create urgency: when you create urgency you will be able to increase your sales. It’s essentially based on the FOMO concept. If they don’t act now, they’ll miss out on something. You can do that by offering limited discounts, an open and closed launch (like we do with our courses), or a limited number of sales (like we do with Mirah Maja). These create urgency and scarcity and will motivate people to make a purchase. It can also help you set a deadline for when an introductory price will end, or prevent you from overproducing a physical product. Do not, however, say something is “only available for the next week” and then people can still find it for sale a week or month later. That’s bad business and will hurt your reputation.
- Always get feedback: asking for feedback can be uncomfortable but it’ll help you in so many ways. On the one hand, you will be able to improve your business and on the other, you will be able to use those as testimonials to encourage new potential clients to hit that “buy” button.
- Last but not least: don’t just sell - build relationships. You’ll never sell anything unless you’re willing to get to know the person you’re selling to. Listen to your customers, communicate with them, hear their needs, and solve them. Give your customers the best experience ever - they are the most important people for your business, so make sure they are well looked after and they will look after you. And don’t forget that building a relationship is not a one-way street. You also need to share your experience. People love to hear stories, especially ones they can relate to.
And there you have it, you’re ready to do your first sale! Again, don’t forget that this is going to be your business, not a hobby. So don’t make the mistake of not selling. You will invest time, effort, and money into it. Also, remember to celebrate your small wins. Even if you only sell a small quantity at the beginning, be proud and reward yourself! I know you can do it, you just need to believe in yourself and take that step.
Cheers,
