Have you ever looked at commercials or Facebook Ads and felt overwhelmed or disgusted? There are so many people talking about so many things that don’t really seem to add value to anyone. The fact that so many people sell crap shouldn’t dissuade you from selling. It should heighten your need and desire to sell quality. They likely aren’t “selling” a physical product, but more likely they’re selling themselves. I’ve been in sales for 20 years and I’ve been told repeatedly that people don’t buy a product. They buy you. Who you are, how you present yourself, and what you do to add value to the lives of others are arguably the most important factors in determining your ability to successfully carry out your purpose.
In Millionaire Success Habits, Dean Graziosi writes, “Marketing is attracting what you want into your life and repelling the things you don’t want. These could be clients, prospective buyers, even relationships. And selling is getting people emotionally invested to take the action you want them to take.” What and who are you attracting to yourself? Who is emotionally invested in what you have to offer? One of the impactful things I am blessed to experience is when someone reads my blog and tells me that it spoke directly to them and prompted them to change something. Other times after I’ve given a talk, people will thank me for the wisdom that I’ve shared or how I helped them make sense of something. And although I’m glad to be of service I am fully aware that it is not I who writes or speaks, but God who speaks and writes through me. For that I am humbled.
Are you so passionate about your purpose that you can’t help but get people emotionally invested in what you’re selling? Are you selling an idea on how to do something or how to do it better? Are you selling a way to approach relationships that will better marriages, friendships and society? Are you selling a product that you’ve developed that will revolutionize an industry? Or are you selling yourself as an asset to those who have been marginalized? Whatever you are doing, never forget that you are selling something. As you offer yourself, your gift, or your talent to the world, take care to offer it with compassion, clarity and consideration so that it will always be well received.
SELFISH SELLING
Sometimes we offer ourselves to others without it really being about others. For example, we claim to be offering our services while in the back of our minds we’re thinking, “How can this benefit me?” This in turn, causes us to inadvertently be overly aggressive in our desire to ‘help.’ No one likes a pushy salesman. Your purpose is important to you and to the world. It’s so important that at times your drive to be great or do great exceeds your ability to allow others to become invested in what you’re doing organically. More than likely we aren’t selfish intentionally. It may simply be a byproduct of our ambition and our righteous desire to make this world a better place. That said, if no one buys into you, then the solution you have remains unutilized. It is always a good idea to do a self-check on our tactics and our motives, especially when progress has seemed to stall.
SUBSTANTIVE SELLING
Everyone likes to get more bang for their buck. Even more, no one likes to feel as though they got less than what they paid for. When we present ourselves to someone in need it is important that we can clearly portray and communicate what it is we bring to the table. If the purpose within you is necessary to a certain individual, organization, community or team, be clear on what you have to offer. Just like infomercials always have bonus offers, we need to place all of our bonus offers on the table up front. Don’t sell yourself short in an attempt at modesty. “When you learn how much you’re worth, you’ll stop giving people discounts.” A quick overview of television would indicate that substance is a quality that is sorely lacking. Being a person of substance can immediately differentiate you from the rest of the pack.
SUPERIOR SELLING
There are many who thrive in a particular field but there are few who reside at the top. Many people claim to have the “best” doctor. Almost no one claims to have the “worst” doctor. This means that most of us have mediocre doctors. (No offense to any doctors who are reading this.) Though we may not get to the pinnacle, we can consistently improve the product (ourselves) that we sell to others by continually improving ourselves. Every book we read, training we attend, cohort we join, or opportunity we benefit from give us that much more of an edge to distinguish ourselves in a saturated marketplace. Superior salespeople value themselves enough to invest in themselves so that those they sell to are never disappointed.
http://www.relentlesspursuitofpurpose.com/speaking/
