The other day, a man who I had just met was talking to me about the business and sales training programs that I lead.
He asked me if I teach people to “never take no for an answer.”
A majority of the business people that I train are service-based professionals (nutrition professionals, counselors, practitioners who are medically trained, pet-sitters, photographers), though I have also supported businesses that sell products (like delicious health products).
I told him that since many of my clients are selling a service of some kind, I wouldn’t want them to work with clients who had to be convinced to sign up. There’s also a very fine line between convincing a client to work with you and walking them through their fears so that they can honestly say, “Yes, I’d like to hire you.”
I explained to him how I feel that these days, there is a much gentler way to sell.
This man then asked me, “So which state are you from – Washington or Oregon?”
And now I’m curious – For those of you who have recently gone through any kind of sales training, were you taught to grasp onto your potential client and not let them leave until they say yes? Or were you taught to trust that each open space for a client will be filled, and that each item you have for sale will eventually be matched to a person who would like to own it?
Ava Waits is an inspirational speaker, business mentor, sales trainer, and author of the forthcoming book, A Woman‘sTreasure: Grow A Business Where Making Money Feels Like Bliss. She believes that making money should feel like bliss, and through her work, she provides innovative sales and marketing guidance to entrepreneurs and companies worldwide.
As a speaker, Ava has been interviewed on television and radio, and has been invited around the country to inspire and train audiences at business events, women’s organizations, and financial companies. She has presented at Rick Steves Europe, United Way, the Women’s Day of Empowerment, Mother Earth News, the National Association of Professional Mortgage Women, and many others.
Find out more about Ava at www.AvaWaits.com.
