What to do if your desire to help scuttles your sales

I got the following email from a customer of my Elegant Sales Conversation training program yesterday.

Hi Dov,

I’d like to book a consulting session with you. Please could you let me know what you charge?

As I’ve continued to apply your training, I’m doing pretty well on the first parts. But I’m finding I have a debilitating weakness.

At the hard wired level, I’m highly motivated to help people and enjoy a significant sense of satisfaction when I can see that I am able to help. The problem happens when I talk about price…

Because I’m so eager to help, I invariably tend towards mentally reassessing the offering and favoring the prospect, often to my own disadvantage.

Have you encountered this scenario? Do you think that a consulting session will help?

Regards,
A. B.

My reply:

Hi A. B.,

If you are “reassessing” your offer in favor of the prospect, I suspect there’s more here than merely wanting to help.

You want to be liked.

You’re don’t value yourself enough. And you’re afraid to lose the sale.

One thing that will help you more than anything else:

You need to experience that you have nothing to be afraid of. As the adage goes, “Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.”

Your top priority: Have a single sales conversation where you lead it as if you had ZERO fear of losing the sale.

Follow the Elegant Sales Conversation process. Really connect with your prospect.

And when it’s time to make your offer, state your offer as you would if you have $1,000,000 in your mattress. And another $10,000,000 in the bank.

Do that once. If you lose the sale, you’ll survive. And the experience of surviving through what you fear is precisely the kind of experience that will help you rewire your brain.

You’ll experience that it’s not as bad as you imagine if someone doesn’t buy. It’s really their loss to not be doing business with someone like you.

And if they do buy, you’ll experience a value far dearer than being liked: Being respected.

I’m not sure if a session with me is the answer. It may be part of the answer. If after reading this you feel it will be helpful, we can schedule something.

But get this experience once. And then once more. And then once more.

There is no faster way to turn your finances around.

Ultimately, you need to BELIEVE that you are worth what your asking for. And you need to believe that asking for it is in your PROSPECT’s best interest as well as it is in your own.

A client who respects you – and therefore pays you well – will get far more from you than a client who steps on you.

Dov

What’s your opinion? Do you agree with my advice for A. B.?

Would you advise something else? Do you have your own experience or story that you’d consider sharing for the benefit of others?

Please post your reactions below in the comments section.

Dov Gordon

About The Author

Dov Gordon

Dov Gordon helps consultants and coaches get clients - consistently.