Could your networking skills make the sales process less daunting?

I dedicated the months of May and June to reading Jen Sincero’s book “You are badass at making money: Master the mindset of wealth”. I also downloaded the audio book. I listened to it in the kitchen, on the subway, while petting the cats. This quote hit home:

“Get good at sales. Sorry, but if you’re in business, you’re in the business of sales, cuz without sales, you ain’t got no business.” (Jen Sincero).

I excel at reaching out to others, at making small talk at international conferences and startup events. I add new professionals contacts to my network in no time. What is more, I create synergies in my network. If Person A works on the metaverse out of Hong Kong, while person B is currently creating a metaverse startup in New York City, they can be sure I introduce them to each other.

Networking is easy for me. Selling my own services however, that is a completely different beast.

Looking back at my professional experiences in sales, I considered most company’s strategies to be too aggressive. I worked for a best practice & benchmarking firm in London. The sales team regularly deterred potential clients, following up too often with them, not taking into account cultural differences.

Jen Sincero is right: “You have to get good at sales”. I concluded to make this process as enjoyable as possible and use one of my strenghts — networking. It paves the way for creating connections with potential clients before you actually “have to” sell to them. It creates a degree of sympathy and mutuality that makes it easier for them to react positively to your sales pitch.

If you are not convinced yet, let me share one of my key networking principles with you:

Give and take. Always give first.

When I reach out to new acquaintances - be it at an event or on professional platforms like Linkedin, I am of service to others first. For example, I send an article or an invitation to a webinar. Or I mentor a younger colleague. In a similar vein, I give more than I take. Most often, I am surprised by other’s willingness to reciprocate.

Possessing a networking of professionals with whom I interact based on the above key principle enables me to recur to “warm leads” when it comes to sales. These are professionals that over time, have formed an idea of who I am and what I stand for. What is more, I have already proved my worth to them. The fact that I add value. There are thus more inclined to purchase my services / products or recommend me.

Sales can be tedious. If you use your networking skills to build a foundation for sales however, it becomes… doable!