012. 3 Things to Fix if You’re Not Getting Enough Sales

Episode Transcript

012. 3 Things to Fix if You're Not Getting Enough Sales

[0:58] I'm going to say something that I think might make some people a little bit uncomfortable we're in business to make money. Yes we want to change lives yes we want to make an impact but unless you're profitable you really don't have a business you have an expense a hobby.

[1:16] So everything else aside would it all boils down to so that you can do all of those bigger greater things, is that you've got to make money in your business and there's nothing wrong with saying that you want to make money or that that's an important part of running your business money doesn't buy happiness we know that. But it does create options and opportunities it's really a method of fuel that allows you to better serve your community the same way that a car needs gas to run and a light bulb requires electricity to light up your business needs money in order to continue moving forward now unless you're also earning Commission of some kind maybe through a direct sales team or network marketing company or as an affiliate for somebody else's business that means that you're going to need some sales but if you're feeling like your sales are stagnant or maybe you're not getting as many as you want or each sale itself isn't as big as you would like it to be, it can be a little bit hard to know exactly why that's happening, what's not connecting or what's not working. So let's go ahead and pop the hood open and take a look at what contributes to sales so that you can start checking and see what isn't working right where you need to be a little more intentional.

[2:40] So first and foremost before you check anything else you've got to check your confidence. Confidence is really the backbone of everything that you do. If you do something and you don't do it confidently it's never going to be as impactful as it.

[2:57] But when you can step into your role when you can step into whatever it is you're doing with confidence to back it up. The impact is going to be so much greater and that goes for sales as well. You can have the best product on Earth that everybody who uses it absolutely loves it. But if you don't have any confidence when you're asking for the sale when you're promoting that product no one's going to buy it and that's because buyers and consumers reflect whatever you show them so here's the problem if you show them confidence and excitement that's how they're going to feel.

[3:36] But if you show them uncertainty if you show them fear or doubt. That's what they're going to feel so somebody who feels uncertain or fearful or doubtful definitely isn't going to buy. Think about some of your favorites. You probably got interested in them because maybe a friend shared it with you and I'm going to bet that that friend confidently shared it, they were so confident that it worked or that it was awesome or that it was cool or fun or whatever it was they had confidence backing up the testimonial that they gave you. Or maybe you got it from a commercial well I'm going to bet that in the commercial whoever was talking was exuded confidence they believed in their product Left Right Center front and backwards. That confidence translated to you so that even without having necessarily used the product yourself. You could feel confident in it and then you bought it.

[4:39] So if you're checking your confidence here are a few things that you can look at. Think about how you feel about yourself. Does it feel like you maybe don't know enough does it ever feel like you don't have enough details or information about the product like maybe you're worried if somebody asks you a question you won't be able to answer it.

[4:59] If that's the case you can gain confidence by arming yourself with the information, do the research learn about your product gather the information absorb it and also practice saying you know I don't know but I'll find out.

[5:17] If you can practice that if you can arm yourself with information and get comfortable saying that you don't know but you'll find out that is going to allow you to walk into any sales situation with so much more confidence because you never have to worry that you're not going to be able to actually have a conversation with the customer that sitting in front of you and then follow that by asking how you feel about yourself if you're not feeling worthy of the sale of your business if you're not feeling ready if you're not feeling smart enough or like you have enough experience to be doing whatever it is that you're doing or selling the products that you're selling take a moment to recognize that worth is decided by you.

[6:01] And you alone if you feel unworthy it's because you decided that it's so change yourself talk when you find yourself saying anything to yourself that diminishes your credibility or your worth literally stop in the moment just stop what you're doing pause and flip the script whatever the opposite of what you just thought is say that to yourself and say it out loud if you can make it real and eventually you're going to start believing it and when you can walk into sales situations believing that you are worthy of the sale believing that you're ready to share this product that you're smart enough to do this that you have exactly enough experience to be in the moment that you're in right then in there you're going to start to see things shift and you're going to see them shift in a really positive really incredible way.

[6:58] And finally when it comes to your confidence ask yourself how are you asking for the sale. Are you using words that are confident or are you using words that are wishy-washy instead of saying would you maybe like to try this product say you're absolutely going to love this product did you want to use PayPal or cash today. Instead of giving an open-ended question that the other person can respond to emotionally or with an opinion ask a yes or no question. This is going to help them get into the mindset of yes I'm ready to buy this or no it was never going to be for me anyway so let's go ahead and stop wasting time. And that's not to say that if someone doesn't buy from you that you're wasting time or that they're wasting time. But it's important to know that you are the fork in the road that decides which way this conversation is going and when you can ask a yes or no question with confidence you're going to pass that confidence right onto the person that you're talking to.

[8:01] So after you check your confidence let's go and check your follow through if you're judging your sales based on the first interaction with a potential customer or even the second or third or fourth interaction, then you are not getting the full story it actually takes a minimum of seven interactions with someone.

[8:22] For their in a buying mindset so if you're asking on the first second or third interaction for them to make a purchase from you, then you're cutting your chances of making that sail into fractions, making a sale really isn't about asking for someone to buy and getting them to say yes it's really about building a relationship with that person so that by the time you ask for a sale they've already said yes in their head they're already a hundred percent on board. Selling should not be hard it should not be a process of trying to convince someone to buy your.

[8:59] It should feel easy and natural, but that only happens if you give it enough time if you put the time into building a relationship with your potential customer so that when the time comes they're already on board and ready to buy your. No convincing involved no trying to get someone to understand why your product is amazing you've already done that in a natural way that built a lasting relationship, they're ready all you have to do is offer it to them and here's the thing if you're judging your sale on whether or not they buy right away you're actually not working with complete data you're working with incomplete data because that sale is more likely to happen after you've interacted with that person six seven or even eight or more times you're not going to be able to get the full story to see the.

[9:56] After the first or second or third time that you're interacting with, person it's just not statistically reasonable to expect most sales to happen within that short of a time frame. And the truth is numbers don't lie the numbers are there telling you you've got to wait it out you've got to build the relationship so take a step back focus on how you can connect with the people in front of you and that is going to make a massive difference. And once you've put in the time once you've done the work to build that relationship you have to specifically and directly ask for the sale if you're not specifically and directly asking for the sale and you're just waiting for your potential customer to come to you I guarantee that you're missing out. If you want something you need to ask for it so if you don't ask then you really can't blame the customer or potential customer for not giving it for not making that purchase, so if you want sales you've got to follow through consistently with patience and you've got to follow through fully all the way to the end well beyond the time that you meet the potential customer and into the relationship that you're building with them.

[11:10] And speaking of relationships the next thing that you've got to check if you're not getting as many sales as you want or your sales aren't as high as you'd like them to be is you need to check your relationships. Sales is really all about give and take and you've got to give a whole lot more than you take. So how are you providing value to your audience before you ask for a sale you could be doing things like teaching on a Facebook live. You could be sharing a free download or a lead magnet that gives your customer an answer to a problem that they're having in their life. You could be educating through posts on Instagram or delivering an email newsletter to their inbox every week or even every month, that gives them value and teaches them something or helps them overcome a struggle that they're going through. These are all ways that you can show your potential customer that they can trust you and you can give them an idea of what they can expect from you. You're showing them hey this is what I'm all about this is the quality of content that you can expect from me, so if you're giving someone a lead magnet if you're teaching them that is your opportunity to say. This is what my business is here to give you this is the level of content and quality that you can expect from me.

[12:36] It's sort of like you're setting your own standard and because you're giving this value for free before you ask for the sale it's your way of giving people a sneak peek behind the scenes of your business so that they are clear on exactly what they're going to get from you when they actually do say yes. And when they're looking at you versus maybe a competitor or somebody else in your industry or company they're going to know what sets you apart.

[13:05] For they ever make a purchase from you all of this is about building a relationship with them building that Rapport and Trust. But you have to do a combination so you can't just sit down and say I'm going to share lead magnet and that's the only thing I'm going to do to connect with them. If you're giving them a lead magnet.

[13:24] Probably have an email follow-up sequence that happens afterwards to continue nurturing and you should probably show up on social media so that when they interact with your page or business or a scrolling through their own social media you're right there in front of them this goes back to those connections that you need to make the seven interactions that you need to have before you can reasonably expect someone to make a purchase from you. And the higher value those seven interactions are the less interactions you need beyond the seven or maybe you can even cut it down from seven, but you really get what you give so you’ve got to give great quality content and value upfront. If you want the same in return.

[14:12] When you ask for a sale without ever building a relationship the potential customer is going to do one of two things. They're either going to completely dismiss you because they have no connection to you, they've got nothing to lose, it's really a neutral loss on their part. You could maybe get them back later but it's going to be harder because you already showed them that they really weren't valuable enough for you to actually build a relationship. And that it wasn't really worth your time and therefore wasn't worth their time.

[14:45] Or if they take the time to really think about it they're going to feel used, they're going to feel like you only care about them for your money and they're going to write you off and why wouldn't they. If you don't build a relationship if you aren't willing to put that time in well, what were they to you right so it's easy for them to fall into that hole that mindset where they're looking at you saying. Oh my gosh all she cared about was my money. And then they're going to write you off and this is A- loss for them you're probably not going to get that person back. If you do it's going to be a lot more difficult than it would have been if you had taken the time to build that relationship with them right off the bat, so before you ever get to the point where you're asking for a sale you've got to take the time to connect with the people that are in your audience you've got to take time to provide value to them to build that relationship. And give more than you take, think about what value you provide other than your products, what do you as a human as the business owner bring to the table that makes you unique from other people that are selling the same thing. Is there something that you can teach your audience that compliments yours.

[16:07] For example maybe you sell essential oils and you could teach about leading a more natural based lifestyle. Or maybe you sell photography Services as a photographer and you could teach about how to pose in photos and find your best angle.

[16:23] Maybe you sell bags and bins and other similar items and you could teach about home organizing. Maybe you sell skincare products and you could teach about the types of ingredients that are used in skin care and how to be more conscious of them. See how all of these things have a product but then they also have a related subject that you as a person can. Share your expertise in this is what's going to set you apart from other people. This is like the added bonus that people get when they work with you and I'll tell you right now anytime I can work with someone who's going to give me more for the exact same price I'm definitely going with that person.

[17:08] Now next up we're going to check your messaging Donald Miller the author of story brand says if you confuse you lose.

[17:18] And that is one of the most true statements I have ever heard when it comes to marketing and messaging, your messaging needs to be clear you cannot jump all over the place or you're going to confuse your customers or your potential customers and you're going to block them from ever actually becoming customers for example here at anchor design Co we provide marketing tools and systems to women in direct sales and small business owners my messaging is centered around social media skills systems and marketing and I'm not going to create content for my business around things like cooking or photography or Sports it just doesn't make sense and it confuses the message that I'm trying to get out there if those are things I'm passionate about maybe they'll show up in some small way when I'm bringing my personality to the table but they're not a big part of my content because they're not crucial to my message.

[18:20] My messaging is 85% focused on social media skills and systems and marketing only, fifteen percent of my content is totally unrelated to that. The rest ties back in in one way or another. And because my messaging is really consistent and really clear people know exactly what to expect from me and when they think marketing they think anchor design.

[18:47] But if I flipped the script and I talked about marketing only fifteen percent of the time and shared random unrelated content 85% of the time. They would really have a muddy image in their heads of what I actually do and the value that I can provide, so when they think marketing they probably wouldn't think of me first and even if they thought of me they probably have trouble remembering my name or really, associating any type of value with my business so your messaging really has to be clear and this is so important. What is your business all about? What three to five topics support that message. And how can you bring more of that into your marketing.

[19:31] Now the other thing is that when you're talking whether it's on social media or it's in person or it's in an email whenever you're talking to your audience be really cognizant of using industry lingo just give yourself a check are you using words that your audience understands or are you using terms that only other people in your company or your business would actually know only terms that people in your industry would understand. You really got to think of yourself as a translator if you want to share something from behind the scenes in your business or something that's really industry-specific. You've kind of got to translate it into words that someone who's not in your business or industry would actually get because if you're not speaking the same language then they're definitely not going to understand your message and when people don't understand what you're saying they feel like your business isn't for them and they move on.

[20:27] No one wants to feel dumb no one wants to feel like they're not in on the story so just make sure that you're using words and phrases that everyone would understand that makes it really easy to understand what your business is all about and what the point is that you're trying to get across and last but not least if your sales are not where you'd like them to be maybe they're not big enough maybe they're not happening often enough you've got to check your image. How are you showing up when someone sees your business or your brand how does it make them feel.

[21:02] To some extent this really relates back to confidence because when people look at the graphics that you share on social media did they see you as confident and established and trustworthy. Or did they see you as a DIY hobbyist who's probably not going to be in business a year from now. You've heard the phrase that you should dress through the job that you want not the job you have right so if you heard me ask if your images look. Those of an established business and you instantly thought well mine don't look that way because I'm not an established business or I'm brand new. Then I'm going to challenge you and say that doesn't matter at all. You've got to show up as the business that you want to be and that means leveling up what you post online and the way that you show up within your business.

[21:55] Especially in today's world where we pretty much have to do everything online and nothing is in person anymore you've got to be able to paint a picture of your business without using words and that comes from the photos you use and the graphics you use and the way that you write social media posts or emails or the copy on your website.

[22:15] All of this contributes to your image as a business. Getting sales is so much more than a transaction it's a relationship it's a work in progress and it's a privilege not a right if you want to make a sale you've got to do the work to make it happen and if you're not making sales then there are four main things that you can be more intentional about. First your confidence level how do you present yourself what are you feeling and intern making your audience feel.

[22:47] Then check your relationships. How are you nurturing your audience, how can you provide value to them, and build that relationship.

[22:55] Third check your messaging. Is it clear what your business is all about or do you jump from topic to topic confusing your audience. How can you streamline your messaging so that when people think about your industry they instantly think about you and finally check your image do people see you as a hobby or as a business how can you level up the photos that you use the graphics that you use and even the words that you write when you're sharing social media posts or emailing your audience. How can you show up today as the business you want to be known as tomorrow.

[23:32] Now if you're struggling with sales right now these are four areas that every business owner needs to pay attention to. By being intentional about your confidence, your relationships, your messaging and your image you can set yourself up for more sales and higher sales Because by the time you ask your audience is already onboard excited and ready to say yes. I hope that you found value in this episode and that you're feeling more confident looking at your business and your sales process so that you can start being more intentional and getting more sales as a result in your business.

[24:09] And if you enjoyed this episode and boosting your sales is something that's important to you in your business right now I would just love to invite you to join The Savvy social tribe. The Savvy social tribe is a membership for direct sellers Network marketers and online business owners that helps you level up your messaging your image your confidence and build lasting relationships with your customers through high-quality engaging social media content as a member of The Savvy social tribe every month you'll get 30 social media post captions designed to deliver value to your audience build trust and help them see you as an expert.

[24:46] You'll also get 30 professional photos to go with each of those captions so that you can stand out as the professional established business owner that you are. Or are growing into and you can officially ditch the hobby image that's keeping your followers from becoming customers. So you can learn more about the Savvy social tribe at anchor design co.com Savvy I hope that you have an amazing rest of your day thank you so much for hanging out with me today and I'll see you back here at the same time same place next week bye for now.