Entrepreneur Rules

When it comes to running a business, there are aspects of your work that you need to have down to a science, but there’s an art behind all of it too. Art can be complex, messy, and abstract. But that doesn’t mean it has to be hard.

What I’ve realized is that there are 3 foundational problems business owners often encounter:

You’re creating great connections but they’re not launching into sales. It’s like handing out your phone number to 100 potential first dates but never getting a phone call. Essentially, you’re putting in all the groundwork but when it comes to closing the deal, you’re simply not converting.

​Your leads are on board, they’re nodding along through your sales chats and ready to get  

going. But when the time comes to take the next step they’re nowhere to be found. This happens, and it probably means you’ve got your business down to a science but you still have some work to do on that behind-the-scenes abstract art.

​You keep getting that “I need to think about it” answer that never really turns into a yes or

a no. Your leads aren’t ready to commit and that probably means you’re just missing that last piece of the puzzle.

Do any (or all) of these problems sound familiar?

Now don’t take this personally, but if you just answered yes, you’re not doing business properly. Don’t worry, you’re about to get much better.

Have you ever been ten-pin bowling and used the bumpers? Some people might sneer at this but when you apply that same principle to your sales chats, you can have conversations that are essentially like bowling with bumpers. Failproof.

Now, there are 5 rules you need to focus on moving forward.

Price always comes last in any sales chat. When you’ve put your focus entirely on the value of your product or service, price becomes irrelevant. A huge trigger for all three of the above problems is that you’re timing the money conversation wrong.

So, how do you make price irrelevant? Rather than saying, “this is how we’re going to solve your problem,” think “this is how we’re going to get you where you want to be.” Link the price back to the desired outcome.

Sometimes, when we present the logistics as part of our sales chat, we dive a little too deep into detail. This can often feel a little overwhelming.

What we really want to do is minimize all the nitty-gritty and maintain the focus on the value and next steps. Keep it simple. Focus on the journey and destination, not all the things they’re going to get along the way.

The best way to avoid those three all-too-familiar problems I listed above is to ask lots of questions. Do your best to relate the conversation back to their pain point whenever you can. Remind them of the gap in their current situation that’s causing a roadblock or inconvenience, reiterate it to show them you understand, and conclude by relating it back to your product or service.

​“So you’re wasting all this time waiting for unreliable deliveries, I get it. How often do you think this affects your business? What would it mean to you if you could get consistent, on-time deliveries every time?”

Sometimes you get a yes, but there’s a but… and then they ghost you anyway. What you’ve got to do to avoid this is totally upfront about the next step they’re going to take. Keep the ball in your court and take control of what happens next.

​Here’s an example, “Great, I’m so excited to have you on board. The next step is [filling out this form].” Focus on the very next step to ease any hesitation or uncertainty that might still be lingering behind their “yes.”

We can’t win them all. Every once in a while, someone’s bound to say “no.” What then?

​Ask more questions! The first question might even be simply, “do you mind if I ask you some questions?” Maybe follow it up with, “What made you say no?” “Is there something else you would have liked to hear from me?”

​Alternatively, they might say they need to think about it. Great! Ask them, “What do you need to think about?” This catches them a little off guard and gives you both a chance to rethink that “no.” This way, even if their answer is a no, at least you have a definite answer.

So, key takeaways? Ask questions and don’t stop at “no.