A while ago on a podcast interview, the host told me how in his niche, people are often very conflicted about selling, often leaving the decision to book a new session or renew a programme to the client.
"Here’s the link, just schedule whenever you want".
On the surface that might seem like a nice way to treat people, but actually, that’s doing people a disservice.
See, you might be nice people, but that doesn’t absolve you of the duty and responsibility to help your buyers.
Of course you don’t want to be at the other end of the spectrum either, where a buyer gets bullied into buying.
But to be wishy-washy about it, and leave it entirely up to the buyer?
Without helping them make the decision that’s in their own best interest?
That’s wrong.
Because we all have a life to live, and we all have countless decisions to make, and your buyer has a million demands on their attention and time.
For you to then be soft about it, and leave your buyer to make their decision on their own, means it’s very likely they won’t make a decision at all.
And that means they won’t get the outcome you sell, and that doesn’t help them.
Or, even worse, they might get roped in by someone with a stronger sales approach, and then there’s a real chance they spend money on the wrong provider.
All because you weren’t able to properly help your buyer make a decision.
Put differently: not being able, or willing, to have a respectful and helpful sales conversation with your buyers, puts them at risk.
Which is why as a nice person, you don’t get a hallpass. Being nice people does not absolve you of the responsibility to help your buyers decide.
It’s your moral and ethical duty as a provider of high-quality services, to help your buyer make a decision, to either buy or not buy.
But you don’t get to just leave it up to them, because then all you’re doing is people-pleasing, and that helps nobody.
So here’s the fork in the road for you:
To the left, there’s the path of ‘carry on as before’, where you sometimes sell, but often you don’t, and each time you don’t, your buyer might get worse or won’t get better…
Or, you take the path on the right, where you own up to the fact that you have job to do in terms of helping your buyers decide, and you accept that you can sell more because of, not despite, your values.
What will it be…?