How you think about money could be hurting your sales outcomes.
Money. Politics. Sex. Religion. It’s a short list, but it’s a well-known list of “taboo” topics we have at some point been told to avoid in conversation.
However, if you are a salesperson, it is now your job to talk about one of them. (It’s money, don’t be weird.) Unless you are a sociopath with no empathy, how you approach decisions around money will influence your sales process.
There are several factors that affect someone’s ability to have a budget conversation with a prospective client. The first, is derived from how you were raised to speak…or not speak…about money. Were you raised in a household of adults who exhibited a scarcity mindset or an abundance mindset regarding money? Was it always fleeting? Hard to obtain? Seen as “evil”? If so, it is no surprise as to why you have difficulty in broaching the subject with a stranger.
The other factor is your own buying pattern. Assuming you have empathy, there is a 1:1 ratio on how you approach buying decisions and what you will tolerate when someone else is buying from you. When making a significant purchase, do you feel the need to go several places to compare prices for a single item? Do you spend hours reading reviews and conducting “research” on the item to ensure you are making the right decision? Once you know what you are going to buy, from where, and how much you are going to spend, do you delay the actual purchase? PS: how many items are sitting in your Amazon cart right now? If I just described your buying patterns, you won’t hear a prospect’s objections of “I need 3 quotes”, “What is the best price you can give me?” or “I just need time to think about it” as objections – why would you? You empathize with them because that is how you buy things. If you are trained to handle those objections, it will be a very uncomfortable conversation for you. You may lack conviction in your attempt to do so.
If this is you, the fix starts with mindset. Commit to developing an abundance mindset when it comes to money (and everything else, but for this purpose we’ll stick with money.) There are tons of podcasts, books, affirmations, journal prompts, videos all on helping people develop a healthier mindset and relationship with money. If you feel resistance to the thought of taking action on changing your money mindset – evaluate what a hold this subject has on your life. How is the avoidance of addressing this issue negatively impacting you? Who else is affected by that? The journey to financial freedom starts with your thoughts. Thoughts lead to beliefs, beliefs to action, and action to results.
Happy Selling!
