The Reason Selling Feels Awkward (And What To Do About It)

A lot of people are terrified of becoming “that” salesperson – sleazy, pushy, slimy…

… the kind that makes you want to take a shower after hearing their pitch.

If that’s what selling is to you… it’s easy to think you’re not cut out to be a business owner. And you’re not alone…

Many of my most successful students felt the same when they started. But they’ve gone on to generate millions in sales…

… and they don’t feel sleazy or embarrassed about how they did it. Not one bit.

Here’s why – there’s a big difference between “pitching” your product at someone when there’s no connection (which feels sleazy)… 

… and helping your customers imagine a brighter future for themselves… and then inviting them to step into your world so you can help make it reality.

When you make that shift, selling doesn’t feel like selling.

Instead, it becomes a way of authentically serving your audience – something you can be proud of (no showers required).

Here’s more (and a quick $30m story that proves you can ask for the sale… and feel great about it)…

Video Transcription:

So can you sell online without becoming that cringy, hypie, slimy salesperson that takes advantage of people?

That was the question I was asked today. I was on the Mighty Network's Creator Summit. I was being interviewed by Daryl, their VP of Marketing. And Daryl comes on and at the beginning of the interview he shows my book – actually, the first edition of my book – said, “I've used this book and I've used Jeff's teaching, to do like $30 million in sales which is just ridiculous.

That's a great way to come on. I've never met Daryl before. So you know he comes on “I'm really excited to meet Jeff because I've done this with his work” and then we have this great interview. But he asked me about people, you know, a lot of people in his community are just starting out. And they're, you know, they're feeling maybe they're feeling a little desperate to put something together, to create some momentum in their life, to get some income, to create that online business, to create that online community but the thing hold them back is they don't want to be that cringy salesperson that takes advantage of people. 

And I get it. I get it because I can remember feeling that way. I can remember feeling desperate to start a business, to make any kind of an income. And I was also, I wasn't a salesperson. I wasn't a marketer. I didn't – it felt foreign –  and it felt like people wouldn't like me if I tried to sell something to them.

But the reality is that if you want to help people, you have to invite them into your world. And then you have to invite them to enroll in who they're going to become, when they engage into whatever you're teaching, whatever you're training – it could be how to speak a foreign language, it could be how to meditate, it could be how to lose weight, it could be how to quit smoking, it could be how to be a great parent  – but they're going to become a different person on the other side of this journey.

And you have to invite them into it. And you have to enroll them in that vision of who they're going to become. And until you can do that, you're not going to change their life, you're not going to help them, and you're not going to change your life, and to do that you have to ask them to step over that threshold of actually buying into who they're going to become. That means buying from you. The way you sell without being cringey, the way you sell without being manipulative or salesy, is just that you don't be cringey, you don't be manipulative, you show up in service and you know that sales is service.

And it's ironic that Daryl had done $30 million in sales from my book – there's nothing cringey in that book – it just teaches a method for how normal people, people that might not be like the born silver-toothed or silver tongued salesperson. You know, the amazing—you know some people are just born to sell. And then there's the rest of us. And if you're like the rest of us and that isn't just something that comes naturally, then well, Product Launch Formula and my book, my course that teaches you how to sell without being cringey, so if you're just learning who I am, we're just getting to know each other go to productlaunchformmula.com and we've always got amazing free resources for you.

We're going to be rolling into our Launch Masterclass in, I don't know, about five or six weeks. It's the second greatest training on launches in the world. And it's free – and I say it's second best because the absolute best is my paid program.

But you know, when we put on a Launch Masterclass, it's just, we pull out all the stops and we give you about 10 days or so .10 days, two weeks of absolute free training on how to sell effectively, how to put together marketing that you know your if your mother saw it she would be proud of you. That's what it is. How to create real value in the world, show up in service, and then make an effective offer so that you attract people into your world. So go over to productlaunchformmula.com, if you're not already on it getting my emails, put your email in and we'll get you hooked up.

And then hold your breath because, you know, it's mid-August, we're going to do that Launch Masterclass. It's gonna be awesome.

So again, I'm Jeff Walker, wherever you’re watching me, give me a thumbs up whatever, and let’s go get them this week.