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Although not everyone is born with the ability to sell, it is necessary to stay in business.
It is true that some people have a natural ability to sell.
Others may stand on the sidelines in astonishment as a naturally gifted salesman turns a perfectly ordinary product into a must-have for a potential buyer. (think Steve Jobs)
Let's be honest: building a company from nothing is incredibly hard. It has been for me. I started my entrepreneurial journey at age 8. Yep, you read that right....8! Since then, I've started, run and sold multiple businesses with no partners and no funding. All my life I've had to build something from nothing, and that's what I've gotten really great at - tenacious, creative and extremely smart strategy coupled with hard work. Welcome to The Do What Is Necessary podcast—I’m your host, Andrew Moon.
Listen in as I share all the mistakes I’ve made and, more importantly, what I’ve learned from them, with no fluff, and no rose-colored glasses. The Do What Is Necessary Podcast is a show where we cut through the toxic hustle and grind mindset and dig into what it actually takes to start and grow a “calm business”. Calm is family first. Calm is more independence. Calm is sustainable practices for the long term. Calm is joyful. Running a calm company is a choice.
I’ll be giving unfiltered advice every week, 10 minutes per episode each. I want you to walk away from this podcast with the mindset and tools you need to be successful.
This podcast is for entrepreneurs, side hustlers, and busy professionals with a short attention span (like me)—you’ll get quick-hitting, actionable information in every single episode. If you give me your time, I promise it won't be wasted. Now let's get to work!
Although, not everyone is
born with the ability to sell.
It is necessary to stay in business,
especially if you're an entrepreneur.
Figuring out how to sell is vital.
If you're a startup and trying to
get your company off the ground.
It's vital.
If you want to grow and scale and maybe
hire a sales person at some point.
But it's.
On you to figure out how to sell.
So.
That question came up the other
day is, is selling optional.
No, it's true that some people
have a natural ability to sell.
And if you see him, the movie,
Tommy boy, he could sell a ketchup
Popsicle to a nun in white gloves.
And some of us might stand on the
sidelines in astonishment is where
you watch a gifted salesperson.
Turn a perfectly ordinary product into
a must have for a potential buyer.
I think about Steve jobs.
And his abilities to sell apple products.
Natural selling ability can.
It can stir up some strong
feelings in us and it can.
Many times caused us to hit the NV button.
But selling isn't.
It is in fact it's an art, um,
true selling and there are some
great salespeople out there.
I think of like Zig Ziglar, those who take
that mentality of helping people first.
That we can learn that if we
don't have that, that natural
instinctive skill to sell.
We can learn that.
And as I mentioned, it is necessary.
If you're an entrepreneur.
Now people's perceptions
of selling and marketing.
And you might be one of them, your
thoughts, when you think of somebody
who's into sales and marketing, it
might immediately focus on the negative.
It's something that many
of us, when we think of.
Sales.
Is something that it is to be despised.
Now it's understandable.
There are some horrible salespeople
out there and we've probably
have experienced that ourselves.
Being in the middle of a
horrible sales process or very.
Uncomfortable sales automation, tactics.
And it takes me to that thing.
You know, automation doesn't
replace that human connection.
So it's understandable that we're going
to have negative feelings about it.
But if we let those negative feelings.
Overcome us at some point, you know,
we never get into the game is selling.
We're not going to stay
in business very long.
And if you've, if you can't figure
out how to sell, you're not going
to be able to create a business.
That you're going to
want to be a part of it.
You're not going to be able to create
a business for the reasons that you
created a business in the first place.
Was to have something you could be
proud of to offer a product or service
that is of use and solves a problem.
Or need for someone?
Now we really need to look at
selling in a different way now.
And I think it must be done
differently than the times when
maybe Zig Ziglar was teaching.
We got to view selling in a different
light for ourselves and view it as not
pushing our product, just to make money.
But rather, we need to recognize
that we have a product or service
that has the potential to make a
significant impact on someone's life.
It can make someone's life better.
And we need to identify those people
who need that product or service.
And that could benefit from that.
So we don't really need to quote
unquote, sell them anything.
If all we're doing is educating them on.
You have the ability you have the
product or service that solves a
particular need that they have.
So how do we do that?
How do we master.
That selling skill.
Now there's tons of courses and
YouTube videos and podcasts that
you can listen to and learn from.
But here are some strategies that have
helped me get over my aversion to selling.
And develop it into a talent.
Something that I actually enjoy doing.
And because it helps me reach my goals.
I consider this a good
product will not sell itself.
We know that.
Just because you, if you're an it
provider, you have the best pro
service on the market and you know, it.
It's not going to sell itself.
So, how are people going to
know what you have to offer?
If they've never heard of you?
It's not sufficient just to have
a fantastic product or service.
Creating a kick-butt website.
Isn't enough.
It's also not enough to.
Uh, you know, put mind
blowing content on there.
If no one ever sees it.
Everything has to get to the
people that you want to reach.
The people who buy your products
and services in the future.
Those are the people, as I
mentioned, those are the, those
are going to be our biggest fans.
So, how are we going to find those
fans of our product or services?
The only way to do that
is to market your company.
And again, that's another skill.
That I was really bad at for a long time.
And when you have marketing that
tells a message of how you solve a
product or service, it makes that quote
unquote selling process much easier.
You won't be able to sell anything.
Unless you have that intention.
And we all go into it and it is
people can see that they can feel
when we're just trying to sell
them something to make money.
And we've all been there.
Sales has earned that, right?
Because there's been some
pretty bad salespeople.
But it's our obligation to find
those target buyers and let them
know through education that we have
something of value to offer them.
And that we provide a, an
amazing product or service.
So think about that, just
rethinking that in our minds.
Of how we look at marketing.
Marketing and selling for the
purposes we're talking about today.
Are frequently assumed to be a domain
of those who just got it all together.
Those who are just brazen and
just are able to, you know,
rock that sales process.
They, it might appear that the only
way to get to quote unquote, sell
something is to have aggressive
language that captures people's heart.
And we talk them into buying something.
That they don't really need.
And I'm not a fan of that at all.
And you probably aren't either.
I actually get uncomfortable when I think
of myself as marketing myself to some,
you know, my Facebook friends or people
online, I don't do a lot of selling.
You know, I'm far too busy to
constantly be selling, trying
to make money all the time.
My role as an educator is to create.
And educate, not sell.
But I feel cheated when
I talk about my company.
If all I want to do is make money.
And it's that harmful perspective
that we look at sales.
That is going to kill us.
It is that process.
We have to figure out how do we do that?
How do we, how do we look
at that, that process?
In a different light.
Our survival and our, our development
as entrepreneurs is it is at stake.
And one of the best ways to real
realign your approach would be
take the spotlight off of yourself.
Because so many times we
talk about our product, our
service, we do this, we do that.
Shine that light on the people
that you're trying to help.
That is the best way to be able to
rethink marketing and rethink sales.
It's not about you.
It's about them.
If you're convinced that you
have a great product or service
and you can actually back it up.
Then that's where you focus, you focus
on how you help them solve that problem.
When you turn that attention
from your own self.
And you, you hone in on
that potential customer.
Then you don't feel like a
fraudulent boastful, each salesman.
You're convinced that you can help them.
Your intention is actually to help.
And in the process you might
or might not make a sale.
It's that conviction that we
have that people can perceive.
They perceive it.
And that's what natural salespeople have.
It's that conviction.
That they are there to help, and
they have the ability to help.
Selling isn't bad.
It doesn't have to involve lying
and UNEC unethical practices.
Uh, some salespeople and business
owners do engage in dishonest practices.
We may have been the result of that.
Selling is quintessential to life itself.
Everything in our economy is
structured around selling.
Think about it.
How has apple been able to sell millions
of iPhones to you and your family?
How do you think you scored your last job?
How do you think you
scored your first sale?
Why do you have a nest
thermostat in your house?
Nobody came into your
house and sold that to you.
Why do you prefer one
brand of beer over another?
Everything comes down to selling.
We've all been told all of these things.
And been sold things in
our life every single day.
Sometimes that selling is
done by a company other times.
We're just conditioned and taught that
as a culture we just accepted that's
that's the best brand on the market.
But not all selling is done for money.
I think about the times that
you've been in business meeting,
bouncing ideas off your coworkers.
Think about the time you've been an
argument, had to convince somebody
to see things from your perspective.
These are elements of
sales in those situation.
A sale is a transfer of energy.
And when you're able to, when someone,
or convince someone of your idea.
You have been engaging
in the act of selling.
You need to bring that same
thought to your business.
Everything is selling.
If you don't sell.
You'll be sold to.
If you don't sell.
It's game over.
Selling doesn't have to make you cringe.
Next time you're actually educating
and you're pushing your content.
Think of how it can help others.
Make it less about you and more about
the people that you want to help.
That's the way to deliver
good performance, establish
credibility, create relationships.
And ultimately run a successful
business in the longterm.
If you got value out of this episode,
please send it to one startup
founder, one entrepreneur, one friend.
That's working to grow business right now.
And I'll see in the next episode.