Your ‘Why’ is perhaps the most important aspect of your business. It can really affect how you’re doing what you’re doing, even if it doesn’t change what you’re doing.
One example that comes to mind is sales conversations, which, if you’re in business for yourself, you know you must have. Sales conversations used to terrify me and feel slimy. I thought of them as a necessary evil of doing business.
I thought about it a lot, studied sales conversations and reflected on the nature of them. I got in touch with why I was having those conversations, and realized there were a lot of reasons.
One, of course, was definitely to build my business. The point of business is to make money and grow so my family and I can thrive.
Another reason to have sales conversations was because I truly believe in what I do and I see the value I bring to people. I see what a difference it makes when they have someone who can really listen to them and give them space to acknowledge their fears. I give them tools and guidance to then release those fears. I see how lives can change from this type of work.
Why would I not want to tell people about that?
I don’t mean that I do it in a pushy way, but if someone is searching, I want to offer my solution. If someone is very thirsty and I have a glass of water, it would be out of integrity for me not to offer it. It’s up to them whether they choose to drink from it or not. For me, though, it’s unthinkable not to offer them the water.
The third reason I have sales conversations is because of who I become in the process. In sales conversations, you have to be really clear in yourself and really connected to the value of what you offer. You have to present yourself well, and you have to have the confidence and inner space or security to go to the scary places with people.
Whenever people are thinking about spending money on something, whether they’re hiring you to create a new logo for them, or to help them build their business or to create a piece of art for them, it brings up any feelings of lack they have. They’re going to feel their concerns about not being worthy of having the service you’re offering. They will be confronted with questions like, “What will other people think of me? What will I think of myself?”
When you have sales conversations, it’s going to bring up challenging stuff for people.
Well, not always. If a wealthy person – or someone who’s secure in their sense of wealth – is thinking about purchasing a piece of artwork, the cost may not be a big deal for them. You probably won’t have to invest as much of yourself in that kind of conversation.
But when it’s a stretch for someone, when you’re giving them the opportunity to step into something bigger, to claim something bigger for themselves, you have to be present with their fears. And that’s a huge service.
Of course, there are sales people who don’t do that, and that might work for them. But in order to have the kind of client relationships that are in integrity for me, those are the kind of conversations I have to be able to have.
And to be able do that, I have to stay grounded in my why.
What is your ‘Why’? I’d love to know what has you excited about your work. If you’d like, please share in the comments below.