This post is all about selling, which can be a challenging activity for many sensitive business owners, but it’s one that is essential for any business. Most business owners I speak to have, or have had, a fear of being “too salesy”, of annoying people, or worse, being pushy when they sell.
“I can’t say this enough: sales content is not the same as “salesy” content”
Selling your stuff is not the same as putting up a constant ad for what you’re selling, what it does and how much it costs. And it’s definitely not the same as forcing people to buy your thing.
We’ve all seen sales content that is icky, that is pushy, that does make us feel crappy. But just like anything, there are good and bad ways to sell. And I can promise that if you care about this, you are not (and never will be) one of the pushy sellers.
Sales content actually has a lot more in common with your regular content than you might imagine. Your regular content is a way for people to get to know your brand (or you, if you are the face of your brand). You’ll share your values, you’ll share your process, you’ll share your expertise. The same stuff that you’ll share when you have something to sell.
The key difference? Sometimes you share valuable content with no call to action. And sometimes you add a call to action to buy your thing.
It really can be as simple as that. Yes, there is also a time and a place for *pure* sales content. For example, sending a reminder email or posting on social media before a sale ends. It’s absolutely ok to write pure sales content too. It’s just that most of your content isn’t pure sales content, it’s simply an extension of your regular content, and it is just as valuable as your regular content, to your right people.
But just know that it’s ok to have feelings about selling. Your feelings are valid, but they’re not necessarily true. It’s one thing me telling you this stuff, and another thing for you to believe it. Which is where journalling comes in.
Use your journal to give your mind a break and to take care of yourself. And keep repeating the affirmation: selling is serving.
Here are some journal prompts around selling to get you started. Choose a prompt based on what feels good to you in this moment.
- Daily journalling check-in for sales: Here’s what I’m calling in today, here are 3 things I’m grateful for, here’s how I choose to feel today. Using a daily check-in like this is really useful during launches or sales periods to stay aligned to your goal, what you’re doing, and how you choose to show up for your business.
- If I’m radically honest with myself, am I selling enough? Do you think you tell people what you have available often enough? Or are you talking about anything OTHER than your offers? (Likely you’re somewhere in between the two).
- Make a list of all the ways the world will be a better place if you have more money. Dig deep and list anything, big or small, including: on you, your family, your friends, your community, your country, the world… everything!
- Make a list of all the different reasons people could choose you and your services, big and small. This can feel difficult if you haven’t done this before. But it could include things like connecting with you as a person, wanting to buy from someone local, the fact that you’ve had similar struggles to them or that you’re *just* ahead of where they are now. Absolutely anything goes
- (Part 1) List out all the stories you have about how you “should” sell or beliefs you have about what selling means. What rules do you think there are around how you have to sell? Do you think you have to do certain things, or be like other people? Get it all down on paper.
(Part 2) Rewrite everything on that list about how you choose to sell instead, and what you choose to believe about selling. Go through the list you just wrote and decide that you get to choose that you get to make selling fun and feel good. You’re rewriting the rule book.
As well as journaling, Try reading, writing out or listening to the following affirmations as part of your daily routine, and see how it makes you feel.
- Every day I am more confident in my ability to sell.
- I am good at selling in my unique way. I believe in my ability to sell what I do with heart.
- I am proud of my offers and can’t wait to share them with the world.
- My sales content is an extension of any other content I create
- Selling is serving. The more I sell my offers, the more I can help people.
Are you up for trying these processes but need some help implementing them? If so, my course, Journaling for Business Owners, can do exactly that! The course includes topics like busting through resistance to journalling, how to do it in a way that will boost your business and make you money and creating daily rituals that work for you. Click here to join or find out more!
