Many years ago I was on a date with a guy, and I'll never forget when he said that to me. I was a young immigrant, new to the dating world of New York City and I thought it was amusing. I was also impressed. You see he couldn't afford the date. We went to the beach and I had no idea of his struggles.
Until I noticed people kept coming to him for cigarettes.
"Well that's weird, he doesn't even smoke"
It's not until later I realized that he was selling cigarettes. During our date. To pay for the date!
I'm laughing as I'm typing this because in hindsight, couldn't he have done that another time? But I was what? 19? I was stupid at 19.
But I never forget what he told me about selling.
You're either a hustler or a customer (nod to Cassidy), and as I continue on this journey of entrepreneurship and the world of technology, it's so evident.
You're either selling yourself (personality), your services, your products or your time. It doesn't matter what field you're in. The funny thing is,
It terrified me.
I don't like selling. I don't like feeling like I'm selling something. For me, its akin to begging. Which is bullshit of course, but I'm not in the habit of lying to myself, about myself, and I'm not about to start today.
It's not until I shifted my mindset around sales that I was able to really crack the code and make money. I had to ask myself
"How can it be begging if you're truly providing value?"
"Why are you scared when you are great at what you do?"
"All you're doing is letting the person know that you can help."
That last one was the one. I love helping people. I love seeing others win. So is it helping that was my problem, or charging money for it?
And that's where I went deeper and realized that my issue wasn't with selling, which is nothing more than telling people how I can help them, it's that I had issues with money. Maybe this doesn't apply to you, but I had to shift my mindset regarding my self-worth and the value of my knowledge, time and expertise.
It always comes back to Mindset.
If you're struggling with sales, or any part of your processes, find out what is your underlying mindset behind it. For me it was money even though I thought it was sales. For you it may be something else.
Two books that help with this are: Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracy and Gorilla Mindset by Mike Cernovich.
Let's continue the conversation on Twitter! You can follow me @ebonykking and sign up for my email newsletter here.
I help professionals get their digital needs met and increase their online presence through web design and social media management. Book a Consultation here.
No items found.
