In this episode, we are talking about making sales. You may be wondering why you need to make sales. Making sales might seem silly to you, because you’re trying to have an influence on people, or maybe making sales just makes you feel icky.
I want to make you feel comfortable and confident. I hope to help you start thinking about making sales as another way to have influence.
Before I dive into that, let me tell you that the tickets for my own live event, Influencer Entrepreneurs Academy, are going fast.
This event is being held in Charlotte, NC in the spring of 2020. The conference will be filled with speakers teaching and then time for you to put their strategies into action in your own business.
Rather than spending 2 days taking furious notes while speakers talk fast, each attendee will be put into a mastermind group of other women. You will sit with these women and you will all work together to help each other implement the lessons. If you haven’t gotten your tickets, do it today.
IE 139: Making Sales as a Small Business Owner
What Does Making Sales Look Like?
When we talk about making sales, you understand that there is a transaction taking place. However, that transaction does not have to mean that a physical product or service is being purchased.
Sometimes it can mean you making the sale of yourself to a brand. It can refer to affiliate marketing. This “sale” refers to anytime that you are trying to influence someone to make a transaction with you or to jump aboard and work with you.
We’re going to talk about C.A.P. This acronym is what you need to remember when thinking about making sales.
People always say, “Jenny, you could sell ice to an Eskimo.” In order to feel the same way about yourself, you need to be thinking about C.A.P.
C = Confidence
The C stands for your CONFIDENCE.
Sometimes in your business, you have to fake it until you make it. A lot of people take that and think it means they have to pretend to be someone they aren’t. That isn’t what I mean.
You need to have confidence from all the work you have put in in the past, even if you’ve never made it to the point of making a sale or working with a brand. Take a look at all the free content you have created and all the comments you have received and let that give you an extra push as you’re trying to reach that next level.
The comments help you, and the brand you’re trying to work with knows that you are an expert in your field.
Having the confidence that you can bring value will eventually lead to making that sale or transaction.
A Manifesting Mindset
You want to truly have a manifesting mindset.
If you’re inside of my membership site, you’ve heard me talk about manifesting. Some of you maybe think it’s a little crazy. When you actually believe that something can and will happen, it will make a difference.
If you keep focusing and thinking about when the next bad thing will happen, it will keep happening. You need to think about the glass being half-full.
I have had to retrain my mind in some aspects of my life. There are some areas where I have always been confident and somewhere I have not.
Working on your mindset will really help you with your confidence because you will be thinking positively in order to attract that to you.
Know Your Elevator Pitch
In order to have confidence you absolutely need to know your elevator pitch. You need to be able to tell me what you do and who you do it for. If you can’t tell me this, you won’t have confidence.
You need to figure out what you do and put it into words that are easy to say and remember. Talk to other people about it. My elevator pitch has changed over the years as my business has grown and changed.
A = Authenticity
The A in C.A.P. stands for AUTHENTICITY.
You do not need to act fake. I don’t want to see an Instagram where your world is picture-perfect. People can’t relate to that. You need to have the confidence to be real.
Stay true to your morals and lead with your heart. If there is something you believe in, show that to your audience.
If you struggle with body image and you are a food blogger, and that combination has helped you in your journey, share that with your readers. Be open and honest. If you struggle with understanding your role as a mother and a business owner, share that.
I actually have an app that is coming out. On that app, I will be sharing exclusive content for the app users. I recently recorded a very personal story for the app about advocating for your children and how it can affect your business. I share that because I want to lead with my heart.
People attach to you if you are honest with them. They are able to build that know, like, and trust, as you open up your life to them and invite them in, even to the hard parts.
Knowing that your audience trusts you will make it easier when you are wanting to put out a product or service. And your audience will be more likely to purchase because they are invested in you.
P = Position
The P stands for POSITION.
You need to know what makes you unique. Maybe it’s the authentic side of you, sharing your heart and past experiences. Knowing what makes you unique makes it easier to make a sale.
You also want to be able to leverage your personality, your life experiences, and your heart. Sharing those helps you connect with people because it allows them to relate to you.
Being honest about the good and the hard parts helps the intimidating pieces of your experiences to diminish. It shows a softer side of you. Let your audience in and understand you more.
Engaging With Your Audience
Your following means nothing.
We will not have speakers at IEA exclusively talking about social media because it is not something that you own, and it can go away at any moment. If you are only concerned about your numbers and how many followers you have, that’s a problem.
It’s not about your following, it’s about your engagement. You need to know what your audience needs from you.
A lot of us first started putting together a product, service, or blog because it was a passion or a hobby. We didn’t necessarily have a business plan.
If you are looking to turn this into a business, you have to have a plan. You have to be able to understand your engagement and what your audience needs from you.
You will plateau if you exclusively focus on your following and not on your engagement.
Erica from Mom Break is amazing at engaging with her audience. Erica is not concerned with her page views, because she is engaging with her audience on Instagram. She is finding out what they need and getting them on her list so that she can get into their inbox. This allows her to provide them with the products and services they have told her that they need.
Remember C.A.P.
I need you to understand that no matter how you are looking to monetize (a product, service, sponsored content, etc…) you need to have people engaging with your content and continuously coming back.
One and done visitors aren’t what you want. If you are looking to monetize, you need people that trust you.
Brands want to know if you are authentic in what you are promoting. Having that connection with your audience will build you up as an expert in your niche.
Remember C.A.P. when you are looking to monetize or make a sale. Confidence, Authenticity, and Position.
When you put those three together, the sky is the limit for you.
Action Steps:
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