Selling is sleazy, selling is icky, ‘I'd rather have root canal than have someone think I'm being salesy’...

Is this how you feel when you think about putting yourself out there to promote and sell your services?

I hear these proclamations daily in my sales clinics. And I get it - there are SO many examples of sales being done badly out there. We have also all had an icky sales experience as a customer and we’ve all felt discomfort around selling.

But here’s the thing - if you want to drive the sales and income you’re dreaming of in your business, it’s time to get a sales plan in place and get comfortable with sales.

That doesn’t mean using icky sales tactics - HELL NO! That means finding a way of selling that works with your personality and feels good to you. Yes, it’s absolutely possible to feel GOOD about selling.

I’m here to help you find YOUR natural way to talk about what you do so that it lands with the people you want to attract.

Here are 7 of the most common reasons you’re not selling, and my cure to overcome each one.

1: Not Wanting To Look Like a “Show-Off”

You’re worried people will think you are saying “look at me”, “I’m better than…” if you put yourself out there too much, so staying quiet and quietly leaving a link in your bio feels like a much safer option.

CURE: Work on providing an awesome experience right from the very first moment someone discovers you. Getting into a rhythm of talking about how you can help is key, but finding that neutrality is where it’s at. Instead of doing anything that feels “shouty”, use key messages to do a lot of the hard work for you.

2: Not identifying with the “gurus” approach

You’ve seen the online business ‘gurus’ share their strategies, heard them talk in jargon about tripwires and conversions and integrators, and frankly, it doesn't resonate. Is this really necessary for success online?

CURE: Raise the bar and commit to bringing a more personal service to your community. Take some time in the beginning to understand the core elements of sales and arrive at your own steps for sales success. Never do anything that isn't in keeping with your vibe and personality, because how you make people feel is one of the most important things when it comes to driving sales. Create your own autonomy over the way clients find you and you'll never have to force or push (phew!).

3: Fear of Judgement

An oldie but a goodie! The crippling paralysis of worrying about what someone on the internet might think or say about you if you're not doing it right, if you say the “wrong” thing or if you somehow slip up because you don't really know how to “sell” properly.

CURE: Have a clear handle on what YOUR audience need from you in order to feel really comfortable about whether you are a good fit for them. Despite what the internet may tell you, there isn't a one size fits all for delivering excellence, and your own quality control is more important to listen to than anyone else's unsolicited judgement.

4: Conditioning

Most of us as women hardly grew up being taught how to believe in ourselves. Instead we were told not to be too much, never to get too big for our boots, and not to show off, right?

CURE: It's time to change the narrative because that old system is broken, frankly. You were born to TAKE UP SPACE and create from your soul, not to sit on the sidelines watching! Tare up the 80s and 90s rule book and go for what you want. It’s the only way to make it happen! Luckily, we can support each other and certainly don't have to do it alone - where's the fun in that?

5. Imposter Syndrome

This pesky little critter crops up time and time again: when you don’t feel ready enough, good enough, qualified enough it can be hard to keep that sense of self belief, especially when the online business world keeps telling you how “easy” it all is.

CURE: Remember that your “insta-heroes” - those favourite accounts that you look to for support and inspiration and who seem to have everything together all the time - even those people don't have it figured out. If they have more followers than you, they have probably been doing it for longer, if they had a bigger launch than you, they almost certainly had a less good one in the past, and if they seem to be living your dream life, use it as inspiration and design your own way to get there. Wherever you are right now, start small and flex those baby muscles, you’ll soon be pumping iron with the best of them in no time ;)

6. Sleazy Sales Tactics

When selling is role-modelled so often to be a slippery sleazy tactic rather than the everyday part of promoting your business it is, you can feel like there’s just no point because you’ve seen it done badly so.many.times. Yuck. You find yourself wondering: can't we just wait until our clients find us through word of mouth?

CURE: Waiting is not a sales strategy, but do you know what is? Having the step by step interactions mapped out that you use to identify, qualify and convert your audience to buyers. Being your own gold standard. Saying no to anything that looks or feels sleazy. Keeping your integrity front and centre in everything you do. Always!

7. Not Having a Solid Sales Plan

Okay… this is the BIGGIE! You feel like you're winging it constantly and you often end up scoping out what others are doing for inspiration. You send out posts and emails irregularly, driven by when you have a burst of inspiration. This leads to comparing yourselves to others and doing things on the fly that don’t always land, which causes you to lose confidence and means your services offerings don’t always get the recognition they should. Hello frustration!

CURE: When it comes to something as important as bringing clients into your business, we need more than guesswork and random action. Creating a solid mapped-out sales plan ensures you know what you’re promising and delivering at every stage, which makes it super easy for you to promote and even easier for your audience to say YES. So, it’s time to check in with, or create your sales plan!

The one BIG thing I want you to take away from this is that the cure for the most common sales gripes all starts with taking imperfect action. Now is the time to decide what you’re going to put into action from this post and do it today!

If you want an approachable starting point for creating your sales plan, and an easy structure to follow, my Selling On Social Media sales training will help you put together a three-part sales plan that will help you light up your enquiries.

7 Reasons You're Not Selling Consistently - And How To Remedy Them