I talk to businesses all the time who are experiencing symptoms related to peaks and valleys in cash flow and they all have lots of reasons that they think it is happening.  They also have lots of places where they think they should invest or cut back in order to solve the problem. I’m always intrigued by the creative solutions that they will employ or problems they will shift these symptoms to in order to avoid what, in my experience, is the real answer….the buyer’s gate.  What is the buyer’s gate? It is the entryway to your business. It is the gateway through which leads travel to become your patron. It is the magical solution to cash flow problems and the success of your business.

So if that’s all true why would anyone want to AVOID attention on such a thing?

Because it requires selling, and not everyone loves selling.

Many service entrepreneurs don’t feel confident in their sales process.  It is hard to sell yourself as a commodity. They know it is important…if not crucial to the success of their business, but they will still avoid it when they can.  Typically a lack of confidence is a symptom of not having a masterful process that allows them to have a consistent system that leads to consistent results.

I often hear business owners struggling between a win that they can’t explain….they don’t know what they did differently or why it worked this time and hasn’t so many others, but “YAY! just be grateful for the win,” and then repeated failures where the lead either gives the dreaded, “I’ll think about it,” or worse, the Houdini act where they disappear entirely and just stop responding to calls and emails.

It isn’t easy for some to step into vulnerable space, risking what people will think, and talk about something as personal as other people’s money.  The money you want them to give to you, let alone do it confidently like it’s any other conversation.

The reality is…it IS like any other conversation with the buyer in many ways.  We listen, we talk, we serve. The key is to have a repeatable process that allows for a confident experience that honors both parties.  We also have to understand that we are not really the commodity at all. We are, simply put, the vehicle through which they invest in themselves.  You aren’t competing against your industry competition. You are competing with your buyer. That can add to the challenge.

When you have these conversations, what comes up for you?  Do you love it or hate it? Perhaps it’s a mixed bag. We would love to hear what challenges you face most often in your sales conversations with prospective buyers.  How can we help?

Join us for our next FREE ‘Getting The Yes’ Masterclass where we unpack the mistakes most service-based entrepreneurs make when opening their buyer’s gate and the secrets to keeping it open.  Head over to thebalancemaven.com and get out a free tool that helps you move from cash flow killer to killing it here: thebalancemaven.com/cashflowkillers. Not only do you get a free tool with a bonus video series in the meantime, but you will also get notified of the upcoming free class!  Now that’s a bargain!