Small business owners lack the confidence and competence to sell effectively – and they’re failing because of it.
That was the key finding in a recent survey among some 100 small business owners conducted by online selling platform provider, Sasudi.
A staggering 75 per cent of the survey’s respondents admitted that they find selling stressful – and 80 per cent of these believe their aversion has a negative effect on their business.
These figures reflect attitudes to selling that many small business owners will recognise.
People who subscribe to Sasudi revealed similar reservations before taking up their subscriptions.
Asked: When you think about selling your products or services do you:
- A) Jump up and down for joy, set your targets and work towards them?
- B) Think about your targets and what problems might get in the way of you achieving them?
- C) Think of selling as a challenging activity you must do or your business will struggle or die?
the subscribers answered:
- A) 17 per cent
- B) 45 per cent
- C) 38 per cent
They were also asked: When talking with your customers, do you:
- A) Have a script in your mind which you generally keep the same?
- B) Have a script in your mind and you make little changes to keep it interesting?
- C) Say the things that you know are important though it comes out in a different way each time?
The responses were:
- A) 2 per cent
- B) 98 per cent
- C) 0
Clearly, there’s a big fear of selling out there, and it’s holding small businesses back. Lack of confidence leads to lack of structure, lack of process and lack of motivation. We recognise all these symptoms, so we’re here to help small businesses owners get to grips with selling and give them more time doing what they do best.
One business owner who has taken firm action against the fear of selling and signed up with Sasudi is Karen Murray, owner of Oak Growth Consulting. Her business provides business coaching for high performance teams and leadership development programmes.
Karen says: “Because I lacked confidence in my selling skills, my sales plan lacked ambition. I knew that, to win larger contracts, this would have to change. The problem was, having spent time with sales trainers and advisers, I felt even less comfortable. What I needed was sales training that would really motivate me.
“For me, Sasudi’s learning zone is excellent. I can access it anytime to recap on the lessons or when I need inspiration. I love the dashboard too, as it shows my progress and where I need to focus. I’m a lot more confident now and it must show as there’s been a definite increase in the number of people requesting meetings with me at networking events.”
The fear of selling is so great in some cases that it could make or break a company. It doesn’t have to be this way. At Sasudi, we understand the barriers to effective selling, so have created unique learning, inspiration and community zones. We’re not just about sales training – we’re here to support you at every stage, from planning, through building customer relationships to tracking your success.
For more information, sign up for Sasudi by visiting www.sasudi.com, like on Facebook and follow on Twitter.
Leigh Ashton is CEO and co-founder of Sasudi, the world’s first online subscription service that helps SMEs sell their products and services. She is also an author. With the vision to make sales easy for small businesses by changing the way they think, Leigh has spent over 30 years helping people improve their sales skills.
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