The Direct Seller's Podcast
The Direct Seller's Podcast
How to Sell Without Feeling Salesy
Feeling salesy doesn’t have to be part of the job. In this episode, I share how to sell authentically by focusing on serving and connecting with your ideal customer. You’ll learn how to ditch outdated tactics, lead with transformations instead of product features, and create genuine conversations that naturally lead to sales.
Key Takeaways:
- Why Selling Feels Gross: It’s not about the product; it’s about outdated tactics that focus on money instead of serving.
- Authentic Selling Defined: Selling is simply sharing a solution to someone’s problem—it’s natural when you focus on helping.
- Lead with Transformation: Show how your product can solve a problem or make life better, rather than just listing features.
- Know Your Ideal Customer: Build relationships, ask questions, and engage authentically to understand their needs.
- Connection Over Convincing: Focus on conversations and solutions, not on forcing a sale.
Share your most cringe-worthy sales experience with Rachel on IG @rachelaperry. Join the free Direct Sales Rebels community for more tips and support. Find the link in the show notes!
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Send me the message PODCAST over on Instagram at @rachelaperry and I’ll send you my "Parties-Optional Profit Plan!"
For Additional Resources for Direct Sellers:
www.rachelaperry.com
Welcome to the Direct Sellers Podcast, the podcast for direct sellers who are ready to get uncomfortable, build their business and grow a team while changing the face of the direct sales industry. I'm your host, rachel Perry. Join me as we get real and talk about all the things you need to kick some serious direct sales booty From overcoming limiting beliefs to sharing the exact strategies you need to attract the right people who become customers and beg to join your team. I've got you covered, girl. I'm going to be your new BFF when it comes to balancing life and kids while building your direct sales business with poise, peace of mind and, of course, a good set of fake eyelashes. Let's get started. Hello, my friends, welcome back to another episode of the Direct Sellers Podcast. I'm your host, rachel Perry, and today we're talking about how to sell without feeling salesy, and I think this is probably a topic that you can just continuously come and revisit, because we're always selling right. We're in the selling business, we're in the relationship business, but we're also selling. You know what I'm saying. So today we're going to dive into this. We're going to dive into the biggest buzzkill, I think, in direct sales, and that's being salesy. Yeah, because cold calls and gross calls. Those all fall under there. Right, and listen. If the thought of selling makes you uncomfortable, makes you cringe, it makes you like, oh, just feeling so gross, this is going to be the episode for you, because I'm going to give you the blueprint to ditching those salesy tactics, and in a way that feels like you. So let's dive in and let's get started.
Speaker 1:You guys, this has been a huge week for us in the Perry household. Let me just give you a family update. Okay, I'm just going to go down the list, all right. So Emma, my youngest, got aligners or Invisalign, and so that's been a huge adjustment for her, but she's doing great with it. I was like, did you eat lunch today? Because today was the first day at school with them, and I said, did you manage to take them out? Because I don't know, I've never had them, but I know that they're tricky to take out when you first get them. And I remember feeling uncomfortable taking my retainer out in middle school to eat. But she did. She was like, yeah, it was kind of gross but it was fine. And I'm like, okay, that's great. Caroline, my 16 year old, is now driving by herself. She got a license, so today she drove to school for the first time and I was so nervous, so was Mark. We were both tracking her both ways. But she did great, awesome.
Speaker 1:And then John Mark, my 18 year old, got his first official college acceptance yesterday, and so that is exciting. It's actually his first choice. I don't know if this is where he'll end up going. It was his first choice applying. Now. I think he was super excited when he got the acceptance. They did a reception last night, a local reception, and basically you found out then if you got accepted. And so he got a letter and he was accepted. And then I think it hit him. He was like, oh wait, snap, like I'm actually going to college. It's so real now. Yeah, so big things.
Speaker 1:And then, last but certainly not least, our 11 year old lab, annie. She got into all of Emma's Halloween candy yesterday, so that was super. She's okay. There was no chocolate involved just because Emma doesn't like chocolate, so she gets rid of it all. I know I don't get it either, but thank the lord above that, annie didn't have any of that, but she did have blow pops and she did eat nerds and skittles and god knows what else. So that's been. There's been clean up on aisle seven as she, as she gets over that, but all is well and that's how life is. So we're going to keep going here and now that I filled you in, I've given you a family update.
Speaker 1:Now it's time to talk about how to sell without feeling gross, without feeling salesy. Because here's the thing selling can feel gross, but here's the thing. The reason it feels gross is because you're either using outdated sales scripts or a script at all. You're pitchy, maybe you're like pushing the product and really not focusing on helping and serving. The thing is, is selling is a beautiful thing when you do it right, because when you're serving and when you're helping people, when you're really solving a problem, it's very natural. But when you're just focused on the money and focused on selling the product, that's when it feels gross. Okay, and I get it. I get how you feel.
Speaker 1:I truly didn't love selling until I realized someone made this connection for me where I realized I'm doing someone a service by offering them what I have right. When I give them, when I share my offer with them, I'm serving them because I'm giving them a solution to the problem. Now, not everyone has the problem that you are able to solve, and so it's about connecting with people. But when you lead with the product, when you lead with these pitchy messages, when you copy and paste, when you use outdated sales scripts, those all feel gross because they are not you, they're not real, they're not focusing on the person and focusing on the serving. They're focusing on the results and they're focusing on you.
Speaker 1:So I like to talk about and lean into authentic selling. Like, what does that really look like? So pushy, being pushy and salesy, like I said, is gross. But when you focus on how you can serve and help and offer a solution, that is when it's authentic. Okay, I love.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing when you are focused on truly sharing a solution to the problem of your customer or of your ideal person, you're doing a good thing and it just feels very natural. And if it doesn't feel natural, don't worry, it doesn't mean you're not doing it right. It just means that you haven't really connected with that piece. Yet. When you have something that you love, you will tell anyone and everyone about it, right? So I am obsessed with this NYX lip gloss. It's moisturizing. I'm obsessed with it. I have a zillion of them on my desk, in my car everywhere.
Speaker 1:Now, when someone says to me, oh my gosh, you guys, well they don't say you guys to me. If someone's ever like, oh my gosh, my lips are so dry or I just need a good lip gloss, I'm going to ever like, oh my gosh, my lips are so dry or I just need a good lip gloss. I'm going to be like you need to check out NYX. It's so good. It's so good and it's so cheap and there are so many different colors. I don't feel gross or salesy because I'm not selling this right, but I am selling it. I'm selling it, but I'm just not making the money. I'm still selling it. I'm offering a solution to a friend. There's no grossness about that.
Speaker 1:Now, why do we make it gross? When or why do we feel that it's gross if we're selling it? What if I sold this and I said to you oh my gosh, you need to try NYX. It's literally the best lip gloss you'll ever have? I'm still offering the same exact thing. The only thing that's changed is that I'm making money off of it. Why is that? Why do we feel that that's gross, like I'm asking why? Because nothing has changed, except that you are the one that makes the money here, not Ulta or Sephora, right? Why is that gross?
Speaker 1:I think part of it is because we feel we are putting a lot of meaning around selling, like when we sell to someone that we know we're afraid that they're gonna say no. Because if they say no then it means we make it mean that there's something wrong with us and we shouldn't have done that in the first place. We've heard so many negative comments and stories about network marketers and we don't want to identify as that. We know that gross car salesmen use car salesman feeling. We don't want to do that. So we bring all this meaning to just this little thing that you're trying to sell, just this little thing that you're trying to sell.
Speaker 1:Right, authentic selling is truly just serving right. So take the attachment out of it, take the attachment that you have to the outcome. Take it out, cut it away and just talk about that lip gloss when the need arises. Now, if I was just walking down the street with my kids and I saw neighbors, I'd be like oh my gosh, have you tried the NYX lip gloss? It's so moisturizing and amazing and it's only $5. Would you like one? That's gross because it doesn't make sense. Right, I'm not serving, I'm selling. Do you see the difference it's like? And that's why it's so important for you to understand who your ideal customer is, because if you know who your ideal customer is, you can speak to this all the time. If you know who your ideal customer is, you know that they have lips that are dry and they need a new lip gloss. Man, I'm telling you this NYX lip gloss. I've used this for so many examples.
Speaker 1:I really should become an affiliate. Here's why when you serve, when you sell authentically, it's so much better than when you're just selling. It's because there's a huge connection. There's connection over. The connection is more important than the sale, because when you're having conversation with someone and they share that they have a problem and you have a solution. You naturally want to share the solution for someone. Right? You're not going to gatekeep all the solutions. If someone my mom was like you know, I just haven't been sleeping as great and I said, okay, I use the soul, the CBD gummies at night and they're awesome and I have great sleep. You should try it. I'm not making any money off that. I'm not an affiliate, though I should be, even if I was, there's nothing wrong with that right? I'm just serving, I'm connecting, I'm giving a solution.
Speaker 1:So I want you to think about this. I want you to come up with ways that you can engage with your people without the immediate goal of selling. So I'm doing this turkey chart right now with about 20 ladies. We're all on Telegram and every day I'm giving them a sales prompt and the prompt is like something that's going to get them more sales. But let me tell you this every single day I'm not saying reach out to five people and offer them a special. No, the first prompt we had was set your goal and why you want to reach this goal. What does that do, rach? Well, I'll tell you what it does. It sets the stage, it sets the foundation, it sets the focus. Then we have other ones that are like reach out and share how grateful you are for something. Is that selling directly? No, but it's opening up the channels to engage with more people, because when you're able to engage and connect and have conversations, that's when the authentic selling begins. So think about it.
Speaker 1:Going back to the NYX lip gloss, listen if, after this podcast, you're not like what is this NYX lip gloss that Rachel's talking about? I don't know. What are you waiting for? Seriously, it's so awesome you can get pretty much anywhere. I think, anyway, the way I was talking to you about it, right, if you and I had been talking and you're like God, my lips are so dry and I start talking about it that's going to seem so much more natural than if I was like, hey, do you want to buy this? Right, like the neighborhood, Like if I was talking to my neighbors and trying to sell, it just feels so much better.
Speaker 1:So what I want you to start doing more of is showing up as yourself. Let's detach ourselves from the outcome. Let's snip all those threads that are holding us tied down about getting the sales and just relax a little bit and think about who is our ideal person, what are the struggles they're facing. And if you don't know what their struggles are, ask some questions. Start connecting with them. Don't ask them to fill out a form with lots of questions. Just have conversations with them, because guess what, when you have these conversations and when you figure out what it truly is that they need and what they're worried about and what they're concerned with, you can have conversations and it allows you to be more authentically. You? Who are you? Who are you? I want you to be, you quirks and all, because who you are with the quirks is amazing and that is what people are going to relate to. So when you're talking to your people, trying to figure out what issues they have and what solutions you have and how you can help them lean into you, y'all, I am such a hot mess.
Speaker 1:I was thinking today during one of my we did we had our expand, our three to 5k or three to 5k program is changing names to expand. Anyway, we had our group coaching call today and I gave an example and I said something about a bird's eye view and I was like I don't know why I'm talking about that, because I don't even like birds. You guys, what I was thinking today. I went on so many tangents, but I think it was a really good call. I hope it was a really good call where people got things.
Speaker 1:But people like me my people joined my program because they enjoy me and I'm quirky. I'm quirky as hell, I'm goofy, I don't make sense. I'm quirky as hell. I'm goofy. I don't make sense, I'm embarrassing sometimes. I think some people relate to that. I know people relate to that. Are there going to be some people who do not relate to that? Yeah, y'all, I've tried to sell. I've not even tried to sell. I hate that. I hate trying to sell. But I've made an offer to many people to join various programs that I have and people say no. That doesn't mean they don't like me or maybe it does but it just means they're not right for the program. Maybe they don't vibe with me, and that's totally fine. And on the other side of it, there have been people who've wanted to be part of like, especially, expand. That I said you're just not a good fit for it and that's okay too. When we're authentically us, we can be who we are and we can step into that.
Speaker 1:I want you to lead. When you are talking to people and your product comes up, okay. When there's an opportunity for you to talk about your product or explain why this is so amazing, I want you to think about what, what is the transformation that your product has given you, or what is the transformation that this solution has given somebody else who's purchased, and talk about that. Okay, it's okay to talk about that, why your product is awesome. Now let's be clear on this. I don't want you to go.
Speaker 1:You guys, let's say you're doing this online, you're going live. This NYX lip gloss is literally the best ever, because it moisturizes your lips and it makes them shiny, and we have so many different colors. Now, that's fine, but what if you instead lead with the transformation and you're like what if I were to tell you those dry lips that you have right now the dry lips because the winter is coming, the heat is on, your lips are dry. What if I could tell you you could kiss those goodbye. You kiss those goodbye with moisturized, glossy lips. Would you be here for that? Yeah, uh-huh, I thought so. Let me tell you how You're leading with the transformation.
Speaker 1:And the transformation, my friends, is what sells, because that is the solution. You are offering a solution to something that people want. But when you're just like selling your product hey guys, this is the NYX lip gloss, it is this color, is Madeline and it's like a taupey gloss. It's amazing, it lasts forever. You're selling it and some people will buy it. But when you're, when you're talking about the transformation and you're connecting with your people and you are understanding what the solution is, that's authentically selling. It's just very natural.
Speaker 1:Now you might be thinking well, how do I do this? I don't have enough conversations. How do I even get to this point where it makes sense to offer them what I have? I'm going to tell you right now you need to be having more conversations. So if people aren't talking back to you on social, it's time to wake up your group somehow. If that's not working, it's time to email. You should be doing that Parties.
Speaker 1:Whatever you're doing, make the effort to connect with people. Also, it's not just about your content. It's also about engaging with your followers. It's about engaging with your customers. Find's about engaging with your customers. Find them on social, follow them, interact with them as well. It's not just a one-way street, it goes both ways. All of these things will lead to having better conversations.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing you guys Selling can be uncomfortable when you are focused on the outcome and when you are focused on yourself can be uncomfortable when you are focused on the outcome and when you are focused on yourself. But when you are focused on helping someone else, when you are focused on connecting on a real level, when you are focused on offering a solution and having conversations, it's going to feel so much more natural. And remember your job isn't to convince people to buy. When I hear people go, I can't get people to buy. I can't get people to do any. No, you're not convincing, you're connecting, you're offering a solution.
Speaker 1:I really want you guys to understand like your authentic selling is just a very natural way of helping people and selling your product. It's connecting with people on a real level and I'm going to really challenge you to do that, to really focus, release yourself from the outcome and just focus on serving and connecting. So I want to ask you guys if this resonated with you at all. Okay, I would love to hear about your biggest, like grossest, sales experience. Like, maybe you've come into contact with someone who's really gross and salesy and it was just a gross experience. I would love for you to tell me how, how that went. I just want to know, like, what are these terrible stories that have happened to you? But also, maybe you've, maybe you're listening to this and you're thinking I've actually been that person.
Speaker 1:Reach out, tell me what you did. Let's let's flip it around. I would love to coach you. I would love to coach you and help you. So feel free to DM me on Facebook at Rachel A Perry. I want to hear from you for sure. And if you're not part of the direct sales rebels community, my free community on Facebook, make sure you join that. The link will be in the notes, sister, you need to get in there. It's just a really great group.
Speaker 1:Anyway, that is it for me this week. I hope this was helpful. I look forward to hearing from you and I'll be back here next week for another episode of the direct sellers podcast. So until then, my beautiful friends take care. Sellers podcast. So until then, my beautiful friends take care. That's it for this episode of the Direct Sellers podcast, but our fun doesn't have to end now. You'll catch me hanging out over on Instagram between episodes and I'd love for you to join me. So hop into my DMs. I promise you're not getting any hate girl messages and I promise I'm not going to be asking you to weirdly buy anything. Send me the message podcast so I can send you my free 90 day action planner, because who doesn't love a good template?