Does this sound familiar to you?
You are great at connecting with others and you’re even happy to provide FREE help to others that need it. You get excited about someone else’s business, and you are happy to refer them to others.
But the moment the time has come for you to ask for a sale for your own business, you start to get nervous. Maybe you even have trouble speaking.
In the end, you might notice your contact list is filled with “potential” clients, rather than actual paying clients.
Isn’t it frustrating?!
Does this sound like the struggle you are dealing with? If so, let me share with you the top 4 most common mistakes female entrepreneurs make when asking for a sale–and tips to help you avoid them.
Mistake #1: Telling yourself you “don’t deserve” the money you are charging
Are you often critical of yourself? I mean, show me a woman who wasn’t taught this mental habit. By being critical of yourself, you are convincing yourself (consciously or unconsciously) that you don’t deserve people’s business or their money.
As a result, you continue to provide FREE help so that you may, a) avoid asking for a sale, and b) avoid feeling guilty.
Here’s another example. When people ask you how much you charge, do you get nervous and start to stutter or change the numbers?
I once heard a female entrepreneur tell me that, “I’m just happy to be able to help people.”…How sad is that?
What many women do not realize is that everyone deals with some self-doubt when we first start our businesses.
I have been there!
The truth is having actual paying clients will give you the confidence to continue and allow you to keep doing what you love. So rather than avoiding asking for a sale because of self-doubt (key word here is “self”), here are some tips to help you overcome this mindset block.
Tips:
- If you know that you get nervous talking about rates, try posting your rates on your website or providing a price sheet. When your potential clients ask about your prices, you can offer to send them a link or proposal. Let the numbers speak for you!
- We often feel nervous thinking we are “selling” to our clients. The notion of “selling” can feel intrusive or carry connotations of deception. The reality is we are initiating a relationship with our prospective clients. We are discussing the possibility of working with each other. If you can shift your mindset from “selling” to “discussing whether we could work with each other,” your pricing becomes “the cost or the budget of our project.” Check out my Sales Closing Essential Kit for more non-invasive sales scripts.
- Research your competitor’s rates. I often feel better when I have a clear idea of what my competitors are charging. Go to their websites and check out what they charge. This knowledge will boost your confidence when discussing pricing with your potential clients.
Check out this blog post if you want to know more simple price negotiation strategies.
Mistake #2: Giving up too early
A few days ago, I was in a call with a fellow female entrepreneur. She was struggling with converting prospects to actual paying clients. I asked her to describe her sales process.
Here is what she shared with me:
I connect with someone on the Facebook group => I offer to set up a get-together or strategy call => I try to identify the person’s challenges => I ask for a sale.
Her complaint was: “Why don’t people want to work with me by the end of the call?”
On average, it takes 5 to 7 rounds of contact with your potential client before they seriously consider working with you.
When I counted the contact points with this female entrepreneur, she had only 3 to 5 contact points with her potential clients before asking for a sale. At this point, after hearing nothing from her potential clients, she would just give up.
The issue of her challenge is not that people don’t want to work with her; it’s because she gives up too early.
So how many contact points must you have with your potential clients before you give up?
Maybe your prospect would be happy to work with you. Be patient. Give them time to develop trust in you.
Tips:
Take your time building trust and credibility with your clients. Instead of trying to close sales as fast as possible, prolong your sales process.
If you want to try creating your own sales process, check out my tool – Complete List of Sales Hooks to find inspiration on how to get your potential clients’ attention.
Mistake #3: Asking for a sale too early
Instead of giving up too early, many entrepreneurs simply ask for a sale too soon. It is a huge commitment for someone to decide to work with you. Your potential clients are probably thinking:
“Can I trust this person?”
“Does this person understand me?”
“Will this person deliver what they promise?”
The key to building that trust is to answer these questions before you ask for a sale. If you have successfully answered these questions, your potential clients will quite naturally say yes to working with you.
Tip:
Take your time building the relationship with your potential client. Use sales hooks to build your credibility and trustworthiness. For even more tips, my Checklist Before Asking for a Sale can help you determine whether it is time. This checklist is part of the Sales Closing Essential Kit. Check it out!
Want to ask for sales with more confidence and convert more clients? I created the “Sales Closing Essential Kit” to help you ask for sales more naturally and successfully.
Mistake #4: No must mean no forever
When you hear a no from your potential client, what is your first reaction? Do you bury a feeling of rejection and add to that “unworthy” feeling? Do you give up entirely and move on to the next potential client?
When I just started selling, I hated bothering or disturbing people. Whenever I heard a no from my potential client, I assumed that it meant no forever, and that I should never have “bothered“ this person—and should never bother them again.
After 15 years in sales, I realized that “no” does not mean no forever.
Circumstances change with people.
Your offer could change as well.
Just because your prospect says no to you doesn’t mean no is forever. And it certainly shouldn’t make you feel devalued.
Don’t give up.
Tip:
If your potential client says no to your offer, ask for their feedback. “Can I know which part of my offer you are uncertain about?” Not only will you learn something, clients also appreciate getting a chance to voice their concerns. Don’t we all?
You could even update your offer and present it again in the future. For example: instead of offering a 12-week contract with your potential client, how about offering a 2-week trial?
Summary:
- Take your time building trust and credibility with your potential clients. Use my Sales Engagement Roadmap to build a sales plan and the Complete List of Sales Hooks to engage with your potential clients.
- Want to know whether you are ready to ask for a sale? Check out the “Sales Closing Essential Kit” with sales scripts, sales closing templates, and other tools to help you close sales with confidence and success.
To converting more prospects into happy customers!
-Melinda
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