Posts Tagged ‘fear of failure’
how to get over the fear of selling
Posted on: May 9, 2013
Does SELL feel like a dirty 4-letter word? Is the fear of it stopping you from making a living?
For the first few years of my coaching business, I really struggled to make it. Why? Because I felt like I was “selling myself.” I could talk about other people’s work that I loved, but to talk about mine? It was really hard. Even though I teach public speaking!!
And what did this mean? I was selling single sessions, one at a time… instead of bigger packages and offerings, which my clients truly needed. And I struggled financially, and didn’t have enough clients, even though my coaching was great.
To become successful, I had to translate the idea of selling (ew!) into… serving.
This is the first secret to know: your work is not about you. It’s about providing value – and transformation – to your clients. Offering single sessions is literally underserving people who need us. We need to create packages – and know how to talk about them effectively – so that we help clients the most, and enroll them in the packages that will give them what they really desire.
Honestly, this is a HUGE topic. So I want to recommend a resource for you, by an awesome friend and colleague of mine, Leela Somaya. She rocks. We were having a chat at a cafe yesterday, and she was telling me how she had to deal with getting over this fear herself.
Obviously, Leela did – because she made it to 6 figures within 14 months of launching her coaching business!
Leela is leading a free training: “Stop Selling & Start Listening: How To Get Three Dream Clients In 30 Days—By Learning to Listen on a Deeper Level & Serving From A Place of Compassion”
If this is an issue for you – especially if your fear of selling is stopping you from bringing your heartfelt gifts to the world – then I recommend joining in.
I’ll be there too! (I always want to learn more and get other perspectives.) Hope you enjoy it too – comment on this blog entry afterward and let me know what you got from it.
Do you dwell in inaction, afraid of making mistakes or “not doing it right?” Waiting to have all the right answers before you move forward? Want to see what others do first, and then make your move?
I have news for you: if this is you, you’re missing out. A client of mine today was telling me about attending a networking event last week where he didn’t make any contacts to find potential clients, and felt like it had been a waste of time. I informed him that the opposite was true: it was a success, because he took action. He actually went out and tried something! He got practice at networking, and the next time it’ll be easier.
The biggest way to hold yourself back is simply by not trying. So do yourself a favor: take imperfect action.
Action: Today, make a big mistake. Or, at least risk it. And reward yourself for doing something new.
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