Elene Cafasso is an Executive Coach, and President of Enerpace, Inc. Elene is a professionally trained and certified Executive and Personal Coach who helps over-stressed and over-busy executives and entrepreneurs gain more balance in their professional and personal lives while building their businesses and achieving their highest goals. She holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Chicago, and worked in the corporate world for 14 years where she held executive level positions in the banking and telecommunications industries. Elene is professionally trained as a coach and is certified through the International Coach Federation. Learn more about Elene at www.enerpace.com and access some of her wonderful articles and resources.
EXTRA! EXTRA! Elene will be our speaker at the September 15th Chicago ExecuNet networking meeting! For more information and to register go here.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Gail: How do you describe the process of overcoming the obstacle of selling in their career or business? Why is it an important skill to develop?
Elene: First, folks need awareness that they are in a situation that requires selling. Some business owners believe that if they just do their best work, clients will magically appear. While it IS true that happy clients provide referrals of new clients, you can't count on that for your only source of income or you may not be in business very long. In a corporation, those who communicate their results get promoted, while those who expect to be noticed are usually passed over. And in a career transition, you have the most important and best product of all to sell - yourself!
Once it's clear you need to sell, what do you want to say? You want to tell folks "why you." Why you for the job? Why you for the promotion? Why you for their accountant, lawyer, restaurant, etc.
Next, we need to get in touch with our internal reaction when we tell someone "why us." Many still feel that if they try to sell anything, even the most valuable of products, they'll be perceived as a used car salesman. Some feel slimy even saying the "S word"!
So, I work with clients to find THEIR way of selling. THEIR way of talking about themselves, their product or their service. Basically, it's about being convinced enough of your own value that you can tell people about it in an authentic and non-annoying way!
And like any other skill, you do NOT come out of the womb inherently knowing how to do this! It takes practice and at first, it will feel strange. But like building a muscle, it gets easier as you go. And once you see that nobody runs screaming from the room in horror when you acknowledge what you do and why you do it well, it is less scary the next time you're in a similar situation. Eventually, like any other skill, it will become automatic!
Gail: Can you share a personal obstacle-busting success story (or a client story) with our readers on how you or a client overcame fear or discomfort with selling?
Elene: For many years, I've worked with a client who is a financial advisor. He is a devout Christian and passionate about helping HIS clients achieve their financial goals. He's a people person and has no problem talking to folks 1-on-1, and even preaches in his church. He wasn't afraid to call someone, or invite them to a seminar he was giving. BUT, he was struggling because he never asked for the business! He'd provide all this value and then never ask his prospect if they'd like to work with him.
My client had become a financial advisor in order to provide for his son and create a solid financial future for his family. So we decided to use that primary value of his to overcome his reticence to ask for the business. Once of the things he enjoyed doing with his son was magic tricks. He had a little green plastic disc that could make a quarter disappear. It was small enough to fit in his pocket. The color reminded him of financial security, his son and the great times they had together.
He kept this disc in his pocket and when it came time to ask for the business, he could put his hand in his pocket and gather courage and strength from what was most important in his life. Using this approach, he went from NEVER asking for the business to 100% asking in just 1 month! Once he saw that nobody was offended or surprised or thought any differently of him, he no longer needed to use the disc. And now, asking for the business is so routine he's not even conscious of it at all! The result is, his business is thriving and despite the economy, he's having his best year ever!
Gail: What is one tip or advice you recommend to help people overcome fear and obstacles about selling in the workplace?
Elene: The best way to start increasing your comfort with selling is by thinking of ways to communicate information that would HELP the other person. Something that helps others is, by definition, of value. It has the added benefit of positioning you as an expert and a confident leader secure enough to share knowledge.
Recent Comments