Amongst my friends, I’m known as the girl with the Midas touch. In my offline life, that’s actually my nickname, given to me by many friends who don’t know each other. It is rare that I don’t accomplish my goals, get my way, or get whatever it is that I’m going after. When I want something, I go after it full throttle and I don’t stop until I’ve figured it out.
Failing is not an option for me. It’s not that I never fail, it’s that I succeed so much, that’s what people remember. I’m one of those people you want to slap, they are so successful. You wish you could pick their brain and find out what it is about them that makes them so successful.
The truth, are you ready for it (??), is NOT glamorous. It’s applying strategic principles and techniques to whatever you’re selling and learning all you can about your products. It’s being genuine, loving, caring, and truly (again I say TRULY), trying to help those around you, whether you get paid for it or not.
Money is actually not the mission. It’s not the prize. Helping people is the prize. The more lives you touch, the more you look in the mirror and see value. Value to yourself and value to God. Listen, we are here to serve, and if we are not helping others, we are not being used by God to our full potential.
The people out there that ARE being used by God ARE being rewarded. It’s simple. No, it’s not a game you can trick or manipulate. It’s about a real God who loves you and me and wants us to reach the world.
Related: 15 Easy-to-Sign-Up Sites That Make You Side Cash
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In the last 18 years of my selling online, I’ve picked up a thing or two and these are the most foundational things people miss or don’t know about. They are things you won’t learn with other experts, but they are absolutely foundational to your selling business, whatever it is.
In my opinion, you can’t be successful without these 5 secrets, and mastering these ideas takes time, but once you do, you can be placed anywhere at all, in any business, doing or selling anything to anyone, and ROCK it.
Wanna know what they are?
Here are the top 5 secrets to sell ANYTHING you want…
- Sell Yourself, Not Your Brand
- Be Trustworthy
- Be Educated
- Be a Leader
- Be Networked
Now let’s take a much closer look at all these traits and tips on how you can apply them to yourself.
Top 5 Secrets to Sell Anything You Want
Sell Yourself, Not Your Brand
If you’re just selling a company, I can tell you right now, you probably won’t get that far. If your identity is wrapped up in this one great company, no matter HOW great the products, what happens when YOU change? As you grow? What if you’re selling a makeup company and you have kids, become a stay at home mom, and makeup is just not as important to you as it once was. What if you run a blog about being single and you get married. What if you sell healthcare items and you have a family tragedy in your family and have to stop. Then, your whole business plans go down the tube.
People don’t buy companies. They don’t buy brands or products. They are buying YOU.
Let me give you an example. Let’s say that your friend tells you about this awesome company that sells a product you’re interested in. But this friend is more of an acquaintance, you know she’s always selling something. It’s always the newest and next “big thing” with her. She flops around a lot. Doesn’t seem to be grounded in one direction.
Would you buy the product from her?
Maybe…but would you join with her? Probably not. Then, a few months later, you find out that your best friend sells for that SAME company! You beat down her door to join. Of course, you’d join with her. Why? Because you trust her!
You see, it’s not about the company, or brand, or product. It’s about the person who is REPRESENTING that brand or product.
- Are they a leader?
- Do you trust them to steer you in the right direction?
- Are they just out to make a quick buck?
- Do they have YOUR best interest at heart, or see you as a dollar sign?
Without giving much thought to the process behind WHY we buy in such situations, never-the-less, it’s true. We buy a product from whom we trust. If we don’t trust them, we don’t buy. The product could be the most awesome product in the world, but if that representative doesn’t have their stuff together, you’ll never buy from them.
You MUST be someone people can trust…
Gaining other people’s trust
There’s no going around it, you absolutely must be trustworthy. If someone doesn’t trust you, they’re not going to buy from you. It’s as simple as that.
Do you know that I do not actively try to sell anyone anything? In fact, I’m so blessed in my companies, that I give product away for free to people I know, just to use it as a ministry to help others and show Christ’s love. Never expecting anything in return. Now, that doesn’t mean, I’m going to go broke giving things away, but when I see a need, I try my best to meet it.
Do you know, I end up getting more sales that way?
Without even trying!
Why?
Because my focus is not about getting a sale. My focus is just about the heart and caring about others not being in pain, whether physical or emotional, and in knowing that I can help, I want so bad to help them because I’ve been there. Whatever I’m doing, I’m always found giving extra of myself, going the extra mile, making them feel special, like they are not just a sale, but a person.
You see, when you take the focus off of yourself, how YOU can earn money, how YOU can meet your own goals, and you turn that around, flip it, and just think about others, they will see that and be drawn to you. Though it can be done, it’s really hard to fake being genuine. The heart, the soul, the emotion is harder to fake, and it’s one of the dead giveaways in trust. If I don’t have YOUR best interest at heart, even as a stranger, you’re not going to trust me, and I take that trust more seriously than you can ever imagine.
And isn’t that the whole point of being a Christian. To spread the Word of God and help others. Show your fruit. Listen, love is NOT a sign of weakness. Those who know me, consider me to be one of the strongest women they know because of everything I’ve been through and what God has been able to accomplish in my life. But, I am also a person who cries like a baby when I hear a store-checker having a rough day at work. In fact, just writing this post and reading that I cry at the store-checker makes me tear up! Can you imagine? I mean, at the store, I’m literally holding back the tears, praying no one sees what a baby I am! The compassion is strong, the passion is there, the love for others comes only from God.
I’ve lost out on a good $400 in just ONE transaction before just because of my willingness to get someone else a better deal, putting them ahead of myself. Would she have ever known I knew about this deal? No, but God does. And $400 to Him is nothing. I’d rather be serving my God, and helping others, than making more money any day.
My God will supply all my needs, but there may not be another person there to really care enough about the other person to help them, you know. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing everywhere. Being genuine, like good customer service, is dying in a culture consumed with ME-ism.
The secret to selling WELL is simply this: love others more than yourself.
But don’t worry, I’m not the first one who thought of it. Read Phillipians 2:3 or Mark 12:31. It’s GOD who makes the rules, not me!
Be Educated
You absolutely MUST know the products you are selling. Now, I know that a lot of people say, “I do know the products,” and then when I start asking them questions, they haven’t got a clue. It’s really sad. Most of the time, sales are made in the here and now. You meet someone at the store, or a friend in a passing conversation. You have to know what’s going to help them most right now. You can’t say, I’ll get back to you on ALL their questions. A few of those are fine, but all of them and it just makes you end up looking dumb. I know that’s harsh, but if you’re going to make the sales you want, you need someone to tell you the truth.
I think about a time when I was interested in joining Biomat. I met this lady off Craigslist of all places and she really knew her stuff. Every single question I asked her, she knew the answer to. I could tell she was well-educated, and honestly, someone who is going to take the time like that, to know the products and know how they can help me, is someone who is serious about the product and their company, and will go far. And as a follow up to this, she did. She’s now Diamond!
If you are talking to someone that stammers around, doesn’t know the answers, it’s just such a huge turn off.
You’ve got to be educated. You have to know your products, know the market, know your clients, know as much as you can. It takes time, I understand. But the faster you know your stuff, the faster you’ll get those sales.
Do you know your product inside and out, backwards and forwards? If your company has like 200 products, sorry to say, you’re going to have to get to know them ALL! There’s always something new to learn, I get it, but you don’t want to let a product catch you off guard. If someone has allergies, I’m going to need to know how to help them. If someone just cut their finger, I need to know what to use. If I use Melaleuca in an open wound, it’s going to burn, and they’re going to slap me! And, you need to know that.
Whatever it is you sell, you need to know it. On eBay, I sold Littlest Pet Shops. I can literally look at a picture of pets and tell you which ones are worth money AND how much, and which ones aren’t or which ones do fair.
Listen, there are over 3,000 DIFFERENT pets! I know most of them, and well enough to know if I should list them on eBay or not bother even looking them up. I’ve been doing it for years; it’s easy for me. But I didn’t get that way overnight. It takes hard work.
How educated are you on your company and the products you stand behind? Do you know how and when the company got started? Have you had experience with the products enough to explain it to someone with full confidence?
Be a Leader
When I was younger, I was always different. Everyone else seems to like the same things, do the same things, hang around the same places. It was like this huge cult, and I just didn’t fit the mold. I remember being embarrassed that I was so different. Many kids were drawn to me, but then teased for it, and backed away and joined the “cult.”
As I got older, I learned to embrace my ‘weirdness’ because I’m not like anyone else, but here’s the thing, neither are you. You can pretend to try to fit in, and you may get very good at it, but God created everyone different. And so, I went from being embarrassed to being really PROUD of who I am. I am a leader; being a follower, just doesn’t seem to be in my DNA.
And so, I invite you to come along with me. To be a fantastic leader, to be proud of who you are and how God made you: truly unique, special, awesome!
Here are the qualities leaders possess, that you’ll want to study and learn as well…
1) A leader is PASSIONATE
The mundane will never do for a leader. Nope. There’s passion. There’s fire. Have you ever seen the movie “Working Girl” with Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford. Not a godly movie I’ll give you that, but in the movie, Melanie is told she has a ‘fire in her belly.’ That’s passion; that’s drive, and sadly, most people don’t have it. Many are simply complacent and to be honest, it drives me NUTS!
2) A leader should be a role model
Being a role model is not for the faint of heart. Whatever you do, whether good or bad, someone, somewhere, is going to hate it. They’re going to mock you, persecute you, throw stuff at you. Most of the time, it’s because they’re jealous. Don’t let it get you down. Keep on doing what you feel is right before the Lord.
3) A leader works the hardest to set an example
Leaders work hard. Plain and simple. They don’t let life pass them by. They’re not sitting in the bleachers watching the game; they’re out there getting dirty IN the game. They have people counting on them that they don’t want to let down. Of course, we are all human, and all fail, but a leader gets back up and keeps on trying, knowing they are changing lives.
4) A leader puts the needs of those around them, first.
You may find this highly shocking, but a leader is the biggest servant of all. Like Jesus, He came to serve, not to BE served. He came to die on the cross, not to sit in a palace and be waited on hand and foot.
5) A leader is able to express themselves in the right way
They must have great listening and communication skills. They must know what plagues those around them in order to help. If they are running a staff, they need to know how to let their employees know how to get a job done, kindly, but also sternly. It is a delicate balance.
6) A leader keeps their promises
Back to not wanting to let people down, they have a high morale of keeping their word. Likewise, they expect those around them to be truthful as well, and those that consistently don’t, the leaders don’t generally stick around very long in the relationship.
Related: 10 Skills You Need to Succeed in Business
Be Networked
You can’t sell to your wall, or your dog, or pet. You have to have people to talk to. The more the better, since not everyone will be interested in what you are selling.
Talking to more people not only gives you practice, it also gives you confidence…and for me, it’s my favorite part because it’s a GREAT way to help people! And I’m all about helping people!!!
So, just how DO you become networked?
There are many ways…
- You can join Facebook groups for like-minded people
- There are entrepreneurial groups on Facebook
- Sell stuff on Craigslist to meet people (when I was first building my essential oils business; I would buy Scentsy to sell as it back on Craigslist as it naturally led to essential oil conversations both in buying and selling!)
- You can start your own group or page, and tell your friends about it.
- Sell on eBay and put your business cards in every package (that was a secret trick that I used to get a lot of traffic when this blog first started!)
- You can join clubs, kids activities, anywhere that the people that you want to attract hang out.
If you are selling health products and you like to work out, that may be the gym. If you have a kids product, you can join your children’s clubs or sporting teams and events.
Now, please make sure and know that you’re not solely trying to meet people just so you can sell to them. Please take heed of that. But, making new friends and being connected is a great way of meeting other people’s needs, helping, and if they are mentioning something that you can help with, then by all means, share.
Be sure NOT to go overboard; don’t be that seller everyone avoids! That is NOT how you go about selling at all.
Don’t take your position in the group or club for granted. I like to just mention what I do as a friend in conversation, and if they are interested, they come to me. Usually I get a lot of people coming to me, so this has worked well for me. Everyone is different, but if you have to beat down a door, dude, they are not interested.
Another thing to note is that if you are constantly coming to your friends and telling them about some new company or product you are selling, they will see that you are not stable and really not trust your advice. Take care of your friends, don’t expect them to jump on every bandwagon with you. Just share when appropriate and let THEM come to YOU!
