What If You Were Just a Few Sales Away from Success?

What if I told you that you were 14 steps away from success? How about if it were only 2? Would you make the effort to execute every action to complete the 14 or 2 steps? I can guess the answer is “yes.” The truth is we will never know the number, but it could be a certain number of steps can lead you to victory. Tyler Perry was on the verge of ending his career as a playwright and actor after putting on that play to a nearly empty theater for 7 years straight. Eventually, he got a call to produce another show, which he decided to do. It changed the trajectory of his life.

There’s a quote that says, “The difference between a failure and a winner is that the winner kept on going.” Sometimes there are things beyond our control that will force us to pivot or close the book on a project. In those instances, you’re not guilty of failing; you’re prioritizing and reevaluating. Entrepreneur Pinky Cole lost her business, Slutty Vegan, after a decade of getting it off the ground. After taking time to regroup, she bought her business back and is revamping her sales and operation approach.

For the entrepreneur who is determined to thrive, you will often have to hit the pavement a few times selling your products or services before you start to see traction. This phase is one of the hardest periods of a new entrepreneur’s journey. It can be daunting and intimidating all while being exhilarating. Often, it is the former that can deter or prevent pushing through any challenges. Nearly half of sales reps throw in the towel after just one follow-up, according to SalesLion. That’s wild when you consider that 80% of deals only close after at least five follow-ups. Translation: A lot of folks are walking away from money just because they stop too soon.

Even being the go-getter that I am, I find marketing and promotions tough, especially with stats like that. Yet, in order to advance my business, I reminded myself that I could be a few steps away from the mega breakthrough that I want. When I first committed to selling, I knew it was going to be uncomfortable. I planned as best as I could, but I accepted that there were going to be things that I wouldn’t know until I started selling. I had to take the most difficult step: the first one. I set a goal of selling to at least 100 customers, which felt hard until I started. Locating the customers was a challenge, but when I did find them, a few incredible things happened.

1. I became comfortable talking about my business and selling my services. What felt sleazy and brash was a chance to display my passion. What resonated with customers was my authenticity and desire to be a solution to their problem. They admired that and became loyal customers.

   
   

2. The more I sold services and interacted with customers, the more I was able to refine exactly what I offered and how. Sometimes, there are features that we may not put enough emphasis on when selling a product or service. However, when you start selling to customers, they can give you insight into their favorite aspects and how to improve your product or service, which can help you grow your market.

   
   

3. I was also able to learn exactly who my customers were, how they operated, and what was the best way to reach them. While you can do a lot of research on your customers, there’s nothing like actually speaking to them. The only way to do that is to target them and showcase your product or service. It also helps you learn the best methods to market to them, which, in the long run, helps you refine your marketing goals.

That experience helped me gain a real understanding of my purpose and my customers. It also helped my company thrive in ways that I couldn’t imagine. I would never have gotten that experience without this personal goal. I want you to have the same experience. So, I’m launching “The Sales 100 Challenge.” The goal is for you to make 100 sales within a year, which is plenty of time. Download the below sheet to track the lessons you learned. I guarantee that by the time you get to sale 50, you will have a newfound grasp of your business that will make you a better entrepreneur.

Sales Challenge Tracker.pdf

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