If you’re like most store owners I work with, you might have asked “how do I improve my sales skills?”. Because most shop owners didn’t open their retail store because they LOVE selling, or are really great sales people. They opened their store because they have a passion.

It might be a passion for a particular product that they want to share with the world, or for a hobby that brings them so much joy. But it’s usually not a passion for selling.

But of course, without selling, we don’t get to share our passion with the world. So as you can imagine, one of the most common questions I get is “How can I improve my selling skills?”

How can I improve my selling skills?

Just recently I was in a meeting with a client about improving her staff’s selling skills. I had invited my mentor, Marc Weiss from Management One, to the meeting (yes – I too have a mentor, and a coach!) and we were talking about what good selling really looks like. You know what I mean by GOOD selling right? When it feels good and not slimy or pushy!

“It is always about establishing relationships,” I said. “Talking to your fans, finding out their problems and offering a solution… that is what good selling looks like.”

“True,” Marc said. “And there is one more thing…You have to believe that what you do makes a difference every day.”

BAM.

What. A. Nugget.

This is why I am SUCH a huge proponent of mentors and coaches – they just drop nuggets on you that you wouldn’t have found on your own.

As an independent retailer, you make a difference – every day.

Do you believe it?

Then Marc asked the client, “What compelled you to get into business in the first place?”

She paused for a moment. “When I was a kid, we had magical times at Disneyland as a family. Those memories are so special to me. I wanted to have a toy store that would make kids and families feel like that again.”
The emotion behind her words brought a tear to Marc’s eye, and mine. There was such power in that emotion!

Independent retailers make a difference

She started her toy store because she had a passion for creating magical moments for children and their families. Because she believed that what she was selling was making a difference for her customers.

She just needed to remember that.

And then share that passion with her team.  So they could all share that passion with their customers – their raving fans.

Because when you truly believe that what you’re selling is changing the lives of your customers for the better – they will feel it, and they will buy from you.

I started RETAILMavens because I saw that so many retailers struggled with managing their inventory and sales and I knew I had the solutions that would help them through it. I wanted them to see that peace of mind is possible. That better sleep is possible.

My client, Jacque said that to me just today: “I sleep through the night now that we are working together. I know it is all under control.”

By transforming the way my clients look at their inventory – which causes a radical change in their profits – I open their eyes to seeing their customers in a new way.

And I love what I do. I know I make a difference every day. It makes me eager to go to work in the morning. And that comes through in everything I do. Our clients know that I care.

Reconnecting your messaging, marketing and selling

Now that my toy store client remembered why she started her store, she was able to reconnect to her passion clearly through her messaging, marketing and selling.

She knows that she’s making a difference in many families’ lives, and you can feel that energy from her. That confidence.

Another client owns a women’s shop and she wants women to feel beautiful in their own skin. Everything she does is focused on that passion.

Your passion is what leads you to have good selling skills. You develop relationships by sharing your passion to make a difference every day. The sales naturally follow.

So do YOU believe that you are making a difference? Because if you don’t, your customers won’t either.

Tell me what your passion is in the comments below. Remind yourself of why you started your store. And feel the confidence that comes from that passion!

We dedicate two lessons inside the Sales Breakthrough System to getting clear on your why – your customer magnet as we call it, because it’s so important to improving your marketing and your sales.

You can watch this free training for a breakdown on our marketing process and how it fits into the Sales Breakthrough System to ensure you’re maximizing all your sales and profit – with less work.