Most business owners have mixed feelings about selling — mainly because we always feel like we’re “doing it wrong.” Selling is complicated and requires you to know your audience, your offers, and how to communicate why your audience needs (and wants) your offers.
But rather than going into it blind (because I’d never do that to you), I wanted to share some of my — and my closest business friends’ — biggest sales mistakes and how to avoid them.
Common Sales Mistakes You’re Making and How to Avoid Them
If you’re a business owner who is selling products, booking clients, or simply trying to grow your business, but it’s hard, slow, or overwhelming — this is for you. My business didn’t grow overnight, and I learned some HARD lessons along the way.
These sales mistakes are just some of the situations you might be experiencing right now, but it could be something completely different. The goal is to be aware of what can happen, why it’s happening, and what you can do about it in your business or marketing.
Let’s get into some of the most common sales mistakes made and how to avoid them:
#1. You’re Only “Hard Selling” Your Offers
Thinking that the only way to promote your business on social media is via hard selling (aka “Buy this! Sign up now! Hire Me! Click this link!”) is an extremely common sales mistake business owners make. Thankfully, as Social Media Educator Jera Bean shares, it’s a simple fix — it’s time to add some soft selling into the mix!
“Hard selling is just one slice of the pie. You should also be “SOFT” selling — and you should be soft selling all the damn time. Soft selling comes to life when you creatively feature what you do, like a day in the life vlogs, behind the scenes, and sharing your schedule — as well as showing the value of what you do, like sharing testimonials/reviews, press features, the client transformations/results, and the mission and value behind what you do.”
You can see an example of how this works in a funnel in this email sequence to send after someone signs up for your free resource.
#2. Following a Blueprint to a T
Blueprints are just that, blueprints. They’re not rules you HAVE to follow. Thinking you need to follow the exact blueprint of another creator or service provider rather than learning from them and figuring out what works for you can hurt your sales, as Kierra from Identity Haus would be the first to tell you.
Her solution? “Share and show up more!! Show face, share BTS, and connect with people on Stories. People like people, and people buy from people.”
Just because something is working for them doesn’t mean you have to make it work for you! Embrace your personal brand and get comfortable with your business and how YOU want to show up for your clients and community (and don’t be afraid to change it if you need to).
#3. Focusing Too Much on Problem & Agitation Content
I talked about adding positivity to your content when I shared some of my favorite social media prompts rooted in sales psychology, but people are craving it. When you focus so heavily on agitational content, you’re building hand holders and tons of liability once clients come in — you aren’t empowering them.
Business Mentor Natasha Zoryk gives such good advice on what to do instead, “Ask yourself, how can I DELIGHT my people instead? Empower them/inspire a different action? Create an experience and sense of belief in your community (driver buyer energy) and watch them show up confident and sure of themselves and their capabilities — increasing the client experience as a whole and overall mindset + boosting dopamine in your marketing.”
#4. Only Talking About Your Product Features
There are multiple different buyer types — most of which you’re not connecting with because you’re only talking about the features of your product and what it does. But what do you do about it? What else do you need to feature? Here’s what Creative Director Katarina Terentieva has to say about it…
“No one gives a f*ck about your product. Highlight why people should care. Will it give them the confidence to step into their power? Will it give them back their time? Will it make them more money? Will it provide them with a community of like-minded people? Communicate the emotional appeal — that’s why people buy.”
You have to share the features, the transformation, and how your offer is the key to accomplishing their goals (like we do in the evergreen email sequence to sell your digital products).
#5. Thinking Being Really Good at What You Do is Enough in Business
And finally, the biggest sales mistake I made in my own business: thinking being really good at what I do is enough to build a sustainable, profitable business. I really thought I could do it on my own (and news flash, I didn’t). One of the biggest contributors to my success in sales is creating collaborations with other brands and business owners.
My advice? Take a moment and think of who in your sphere has a dedicated and loyal customer base (not necessarily the biggest) who would benefit from something you can bring to the table and reach out!
How to Be More Aware in Your Sales Strategy
Being “good” at sales doesn’t mean you know it all, but it does mean you’re more aware of what your audience needs and wants and are intentional in the content you create around it. Awareness comes from listening to your audience and discovering how you want to show up in your business.
It’s learning from mistakes like these and adapting the lessons to your own business and workflows (and yes, there’s a science behind it — it’s sales psychology). Ready to learn how to sell your services, products, and offers online? Grab the Selling Series, a series of 9 marketing-, sales-, and copy-focused masterclasses led by me (Reveal Studio) and my brilliant co-teachers (the pros who just helped you tackle your biggest sales mistakes).
