What is sales?

Seriously. Take a moment and ask yourself what you think sales really is. When you are selling, what are you doing?

I suppose there are a lot of answers to this question, but if you were to ask me, sales is simply about asking for what it is you want.

Of course, there are techniques to sales. You need good value propositions, and you need to build trust. You need to fulfil a need. There are also specific sales tactics such as anchoring, mirroring, and gap selling. Expert sales people know these tactics and I suggest you learn them.

But none of those techniques or tactics will get you to the point of exchanging money.

To sell is to ask.

Sales is not …

• marketing

• outreach

• copywriting

• sending well written emails

• posting on social media

• advertising

• networking

These are the things that people do in order to avoid sales.

At the end of the day, if you want something, you will eventually need to ask for it.

And asking is the part that everyone dreads.

Why Do People Spend So Much Time On Marketing?

If you ask for something, what you’re doing is making yourself vulnerable to be rejected. And rejection is arguably the most painful of all the human experiences. Most people would rather eat sand than get rejected, especially in front of other people.

But that’s why the sales people make the big bucks. Because they are the only ones who have built up the mental and emotional fortitude to withstand rejection.

So, what do most people do?

They post another picture on Instagram, or they make another outline, or write another newsletter. They do all these things and they call it marketing. But this isn’t business, it’s just work. Most of the time, it’s work with no result, because marketing is simply a means to an end.

Let’s imagine you build a following, you create a website, and you gain some success in creating your brand. Then what?

Hopefully you are able to generate a lead, which means you have generated interest in your product or your service.

Okay great, you are well on your way to making a sale. But the sad part is that most people get right to the finish line and then they quit. They do this all because of the fear of rejection.

You Got All The Way To The Very End, And You Stopped

Let’s continue with the example above.

You’ve worked hard and you generated interest in your product. You’ve even got your prospect on the phone. You spend an hour talking to your prospect about what you do, why you do it, answering the prospects questions, and maybe you throw in a couple jokes that are well received. You feel like the prospect likes you and you are starting to believe that you’ve achieved the impossible, which is to say you made a sale.

Of course, you get to the end of the conversation … and you freeze.

You don’t ask for anything.

The prospect says “Okay, this has been a lot of good information. Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you.”

Then you say “Yes of course. Call me if you have any questions.”

And you both hang up.

All that work, all that time, all that talking, and you’ve gotten nothing out of it. It’s heartbreaking and worst of all, it’s unnecessary. Because all you had to do was ask.

How To Make The Sale

You ask.

Yes, it’s that simple.

When you get to that point in the conversation, here are some go-to lines that will help you break the ice.

• Are you ready to get started?

• Are you opposed to me sending you a contract?

• Would you like to buy the insert product here?

• Can I have your credit card number?

• Would you like to sign up for the program?

• Can I have your money? (Okay, this one is sort of a joke, but also not really).

When in doubt, the line “are you ready to get started?” is a good one. It’s direct, but subtle, and it also does something to the ego of the prospect where you’re calling them out in a very indirect way.

If I’m ever stuck on a sales call, it’s the line I go to the most.

But as you get more reps in, you will discover that it gets easier and easier to ask.

P.S. - This Is Bigger Than Business And Sales Calls

What else do you want? If you want it, you have to ask for it. This also includes introductions to people, invitations to parties or social gatherings, or someone’s phone number, whether it be a possible friend or a possible romantic partner.

It’s literally as simple as saying “Hey, can I get your number?”

The absolute worst thing that happens is they say no. And after you are told no enough times in your life, you will discover how completely harmless and insignificant it is.

The truth is, no one cares.

There is so much I want to say about this topic, and I imagine I will be writing about sales for months and years to come. My hope is that someone reading this will find the courage to ask for what it is they want.

You never know unless you ask.