Beloved

I've had rather a good week and in celebration of that, I am minded today to talk about sales. We love buying, but we are a bit frightened of selling. And you do see that one can't happen without the other, don't you?

To paraphrase Gordon Gekko: selling is good.

My clients learn to make much more money. I want that for everyone.

I want that for you.

Are You Asking for It?

There comes the time in the life of every small business owner and self-employed person where you have to make a sale, you have to ask for the business. Are you asking for it?

Eeek! No, Judith. Are you mad? Of course I'm not asking for the business. Selling is yucky.

Now, listen up. Selling isn't yucky. It's quite beautiful and satisfying, actually. Think of some of the loveliest sales emporiums in the world where you just adore parting with your hard-earned. That's selling. And it's beautiful. I love commerce, me. Money makes the world go around. Ka-ching!

When you buy something you help everyone in that food chain to pay their bills. And, of course, where you do your shopping is entirely up to you and a matter for your conscience and your politics. Or maybe it isn't even that complicated? You just want it, so you have it.

It works just like that the other way around too. People are just gagging to pay you money, trust me. But you have to ask them for it, in one way or another. And there are loads and loads of lovely and elegant and low key (and high pressure) ways to do that, it's entirely your choice, and you simply do not have to do selling in a yucky way. But you do have to do it.

There are a few steps en route to a sale.

Firstly your business proposition has to be viable. You have to offer something people want which looks and feels attractive. You have to package it up in ways which are appealing. You have to create desire. That's marketing. 

Then you need to be visible. Your first few weeks and months and even years will involve growing an audience or a tribe or a market around you, fans and followers who love your stuff and engage with you. You know they are interested and want to buy, they are giving you those signals and you are just waiting for the time to be right for them, for the day when the right offer lands at just the right moment. That's the magic of making a sale.

I know my clients worry when I tell them that it could be three years before they hit Easy Street, and even then it will be more like Easier Street.

But the time passes quickly and your scarcity and fears drop away and it's not like you have to wait three years to make a sale, you will make sales during those early times too. Providing you are asking for the business.

And provided that enough people know about what you have on offer and how you can help them.

It's your job to educate the world about that. It isn't blowing your own trumpet, it's sharing your solutions with someone in need or in pain, the sort of pain which you make go away. Or someone whose happiness and joy will increase deliciously when they buy something beautiful from you. And when they buy again and recommend you to all their friends.

Clients and customers, prospects and patients. There are so many people you can help. It's a crime to keep yourself hidden. It's time to be building your audience and it's also time to start asking for it. I suspect you are probably overdue in asking for it. Am I right?

The ka-ching notice from PayPal telling you you've got a new client. The notification from your bank that someone has paid you online. Cheques, credit cards, cash, taking and banking the money. This is mostly what we are in it for.

OK we have a desire to create, and to assuage the problems of the world too. But all our hard work must return to us in the form of energy we can use to pay our bills. Money makes us feel good, validated and appreciated. And if it's all one-sided, you helping and not getting paid, you won't like that at all. It doesn't work. It's lop-sided, unfair and broken.

Abundance inwards means you can pay it forward, spreading the joy and being part of the endless music of tills ringing around the world. You can buy and save and invest and donate, and you can feel good about it all. You can play your part in the virtuous cycle of money flowing around the world. 

Are you asking for the business? If not, what's stopping you, I wonder? 

I've got all sorts of useful ideas when it comes to teaching clients how to ask.

Start with asking for things you don't want or need. Just try it. Just notice things that other people have a-plenty and ask them if you can have some of them, one of them or all of them, and prepare to be amazed how often you will get the answer yes. You won't care if you get the answer no either, will you, because you don't want or need the thing, it's just an exercise in asking.

Do write and let me know how many yesses you get and what you were given - a banana, a bank note, dinner, clothes, books. People have lots of stuff and value it very little. Have some fun with this game. Just ask.

Then ask yourself these questions:

• Is your business viable?
• Are you visible?
• Are you ready to ask for the business?

If you'd like my help preparing to be viable and visible or with psyching yourself up to make more sales, Let's talk.

What Do YOU Love?

I bet there's a way in which you love your business. You set it up for a reason. Do you still have sight of that reason or is it lost - for now - in amongst all the other stuff you are learning? 

I wonder if you set up a business you thought you could love, based on providing a service you love or something you love to do? Or did you think that was unrealistic and go for something sensible instead, something which is turning out to be not in the least bit life-enhancing, rather the opposite in fact?

No matter how unrealistic, I believe I can help you find a way to spend your life in a meaningful way, doing what you love and being well paid for it too.

I'd love to hear your plans for creating a business to love. Simply hit reply and let me know how it's going.

Until next time...

Judith

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