What To Do When You Don’t Like To Sell


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Independent retailers with one location represent 95% of all retailing in the US; yet many don’t like to sell their own merchandise.

If that’s you, unless you embrace selling, you’re going to be at the whim of customers who would just as soon order online or go to a big-box competitor.

But it’s easy to understand your aversion to selling...

As I present retail sales training across the world, I find the following to be the five most common reasons people say they don’t like to sell:

1. You believe selling is sleazy.

Whether it was a movie or a joke, or some guy in plaid pants and a green jacket in a sitcom, you've probably seen millions of examples showing the sleazy salesperson taking advantage of some good-hearted person. In short, you’ve been conditioned to believe someone has to lose if someone gets the sale.

That’s just not true.

2. You were sold something and regretted its purchase.

The more expensive an item is... and the more attached you become to it during the sales process... the greater the possibility that you’ll feel you shouldn't have spent the money when you get home.

If you made a poor choice, shame on you... not shame on the salesperson.

3. You believe if someone wants something, they'll buy it without your help.

Customers have myriad choices lined up in front of them, and you think they would rather be left alone to decide for themselves.

It might be true for some, but certainly not for all, and particularly not for those purchasing premium items.

4. You believe selling is not a noble profession.

You've said it countless times, "He's a salesman," as if he dropped out of elementary school, and this is all he could do.

Get over it! Everybody sells. Everyone is selling, from your CPA to your doctor, from your roofer to a student trying to get into Julliard.

5. You are embarrassed by your pricing.

Having a merchant mentality is different than having a customer mentality. You may feel you are taking advantage of customers - especially your friends, by charging so much. But remember, it’s about making a profit to survive.

You need to make friends with selling to get more out of life.

How?

It's easy... watch what you say.

No more, "I'm not trying to sell you something..."

No more, "Oh, I'm not a salesperson. I'm the owner..."

No more "Selling is hard..."

Many retailers feel wrong about selling because they haven’t looked at their attitudes toward a skill they need to use to put food on their table each night.

Selling doesn’t happen without actively choosing to serve someone; it is the key to retailers who are making it and those who aren’t.

You need to own the idea that selling is good. You need to make a choice that attributes good things to being a salesperson.

If you’re still struggling with selling, understand the messages you heard long ago don't serve you well. Monitor your internal dialogue about selling and what you tell others.

Use your choice muscle to find more pain in holding on to those old feelings about selling than choosing to find new feelings about selling that help you live the life you want.