You're Losing Sales to People You Haven't Even Met

Let's talk about the sale you didn't make.

It's the one you never pitched at all. Why? Because pitching is salesy and that's one hat you don't like wearing.

Have you ever entered a networking event and kind of just stood there at the edges of the door? Hung around for 10 minutes and felt so out of place that you left barely recognizing someone else? I hope that you are not THAT uncomfortable, but I have to admit that I have done that before.

However, most of us are actually avoiding the salesy part of the sales conversation. We may answer their question and tell them what we do. But from there, we deflect and talk about something else. If we ask about them, that's great. But do you ever get back to you? To the value that you offer?

If you recognize that in any shape or form, then you might be a Nice Guy Entrepreneur. You meet people. You share what you do. You may even educate them on how it works. But you never really get INTO a sales conversation. Not really.

Why? Because it is scary stuff. Your business is your baby. You gave birth to it. You named it. You've been trying to raise it to something respected in the eyes of others. You are proud of yourself for creating such a beautiful thing.

But when it comes to asking others if they think that it is beautiful in their eyes? And, even worse, will they back that up by handing you over a stack of cash to prove it?

Oh my gosh! That is so scary. So scary that you avoid that conversation.

Here's What Tends to Happen Instead

You lean on the passive stuff. You post. You send emails. You hope the content does the convincing so you don't have to. And when someone new does show up you're happy to talk to them, but you rarely go looking for the next one. You wait for them to come to you. You hope that it is as simple as them approaching you and saying, "My, what a beautiful baby that you have there. May I hand you money to show you that I mean it?"

Of course, I jest. But I am really not far off from this. We cannot expect our business to thrive or even survive if we do not get past this discomfort or fear.

Here's the Good News: This Is Fixable

First, you already know that what you offer is of unique value to a unique group of people. If that sounds foreign to you, check out the Nice Guy Entrepreneur YouTube channel.

When we recognize the unique person (or organization) that our offer is for, not only can we look specifically for them, but we can also avoid ALL of those others in the room, the phone list, the row of doors, etc. that our offer is NOT for.

If sales is a numbers game, let's at least not make it a game of volume. I don't have the heart to hear a thousand "no's" before I finally get my yes.

Second, we don't have to pitch to them. Not only is that uncomfortable for many of us to verbally vomit and brag about how great our baby is, but the buyer also doesn't want to hear it either.

Third, our buyer doesn't want to be sold to. But they are more than happy to talk about themselves. Call it ego or call it something else, but I will gladly answer your questions all day long if it is about MY baby and not yours.

When you realize these three things, initiating the conversation, not as a sales conversation, but as a conversation about THEM, things get easier.

This is just the first half of the process, but it makes the process easier to enter because it is NOT salesy at all. And the more conversations you enter, the more potential you have for someone seeing the beauty in your baby.

Where N.I.C.E. Comes In

This is exactly what the N.I.C.E. method is built for. Not to make you fearless, but to make that first conversation with a stranger feel manageable enough that you actually have it. Once it feels manageable, you stop avoiding it. Once you stop avoiding it, the revenue that was sitting on the other side of those conversations starts showing up.

This week, don't wait for someone new to find you. Start one conversation with someone you haven't talked to yet. See how it feels the second time. It's always more comfortable than the first.

This article first appeared in my LinkedIn newsletter, Approachable Entrepreneurship.

Want the whole conversation, not just the first half?

How to Sell When You Hate to Sell picks up right where this article leaves off. It walks through the full N.I.C.E. conversation, from that first question about THEIR baby to the moment they decide for themselves whether yours is the right fit.

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