I know a thing or two about Sales. Having won over 30 Sales Awards throughout my career, I think it's actually one of, if not, the most valuable skill in the world.

Why? Because Sales fixes everything.

If you can sell, you're more than 50% of the way there.

If you haven't learnt to sell, it is time. Now. Don't waste another day.

Read books, take courses, ask questions, get a mentor or practice.

Why do I recommend this? Because being in sales builds resilience. If anyone has ever done cold calling, and hearing that someone isn't interested in you, your service or your business more than 100 times a day, as a salesperson if you need to make commission, it isn't going to stop you.

And soon, the 'no' loses its power, and just becomes a word.

I love the word No. It gives me a sense of drive that tells me I haven't perfected my messaging.

Digital marketing has allowed this to become faceless. Someone says no by continuing to scroll past your video without stopping, commenting or reacting.

I come from a world where this was said to your face or over the phone. And your messaging had to get better with every phone call until you had an 'irresistible offer'. Hot tip: the Irresistible offer has always been, and will always be YOU.

It is imperative to get your messaging right. Whether it's phone, in person, email, digital ad or funnel. If you aren't making sales, the market is telling you there's a problem with your messaging. How do I know that?

Because if 1 person has bought your service/product, then there's no reason you can't have 10 or 100, or 1000 or 1,000,000.

Speak to your customers. Find out what they love about your business. And what you can improve on.

Let the market tell you what your messaging needs to be.

If you have a service that's intangible and 'how long is a piece of string' scenario because the services are endless, compartmentalise it. Give only a few selections and build up from there as upsells. People need to quantify each product in a few words. It's easier to retain.

Do we offer more services than that? Sure. But the only people who care about the rest of the services are the customers already.

Back to sales, here's a few short tips about the importance of closing.

If anyone has ever spoken to me on the phone, you'll know that I am not very 'salesy'. I am a talker, yes, but I am not sleazy nor am I slick.

I'm genuine, I'm authentic, and I am simply me.

To close/convert, if there is something I can give you that changed my life, it's this.

1. Lead your interest in the sale through your actions. Return every quote within the quickest possible timeframe for your industry (ideally same day, or next day).

2. Set your next meeting at the current meeting. "I will have your proposal back in 24 hours, how about I give you a call or come round on Thursday to discuss?"

3. Never leave the sale in the hands of the client. Drive the outcome. The words you never want to hear is "I'll think about it, leave it with me". That's a sign your offer needs work or that you are not controlling the sale.

Embrace that. You are learning!

They are telling you without telling you that you still have work to do. When launching a new product, I will always try and sell it on the phone myself before I go to market online. Why? Because I am testing the market to get the messaging right. I tested an offer to see if it was of value. I may think it's the most amazing thing we have ever done. But it means nothing if no-one buys it. So each phone call is practice to get my messaging right until the person says this is 100% for me. Then I've got my messaging clear to help assist branding and marketing campaign efforts.

4. Finally, tell the person you want their business. We are all human after all. "We are excited by the opportunity to do business with Company X". Name them so they feel proud to be a part of the company you want to do business with.

Learn to love the word No.

The word "No" is your customer base helping you with your business growth and making money.

No = Helping you

Yes = Reward

Reframe the word No to assist you with growth and development. It may not mean you have a poor product. It may just be that your messaging is off, and you need assistance getting it right.