“Nothing gets done, ‘till something gets sold”

“Nothing gets done, ‘till something gets sold” –Zig Ziglar

Nothing is more accurate for your painting business (or any business) then the above quote. Problem is that many people have a problem with being or becoming a “salesperson”. They cringe and conjure up a mental image of a slimy used cars salesman. They figure that sales is a dirty business. I hope to convince you by the end of this article that is just not true.

 

First; everybody is in sales. Your kids sell you on buying them the latest electronic gadgets, high dollar shoes or letting them stay up late. You, well you sold yourself to your spouse (hopefully) and the idea that you were worthy to spend time with. Me, if you’ve read this far, I’ve sold you on the fact that there may be a nugget of wisdom in these paragraphs. So for now, let’s agree that everyone is in sales in some form.

 

Second; nothing gets done without sales and your sales directly impact the lives of others. You sell a paint job. You buy paint, from the guy at the paint store who sold you on doing business there. The guy at the counter orders the paint from a manufacturer who sold him on the benefits of carrying his products. The manufacturer orders chemicals from a chemical plant who sold them on the idea they were the best choice to do business with. The chemical plant hires a truck driver to deliver those chemicals because he sold them on the fact he could deliver them. Last, the truck driver’s wife hires you to paint their home, because you sold them on the idea you were the best painter for their job. Almost everything you do is somehow interdependent on sales.

 

Third; the slimy salesperson. No doubt, they are lurking out there. That does not mean that everyone in the sales food chain listed above is slimy. In fact, a good argument can be made that the slimy salespeople don’t last long. In our industry where repeat customers and referral are huge, how many painters stay in business taking advantage of customers? Dishonest salespeople and painters don’t generally last long in business.

 

Fourth; selling does not have to be full of tricks or gimmicks. Without going into selling techniques (lots of future blogs) you don’t have to fool or trick people into choosing you. Yes, you should be trying to close the sale (another future topic) but that isn’t dirty. The best single thing you can do is listen to the customer (gotta ask questions) and provide them the best solutions for their problems. That’s it. No tricks or gimmicks.

 

Where does that leave you? Well, hopefully you have figured out that sales can be an honorable calling. That everybody is in sales of some form and good sales is good business. Building your business includes selling and selling doesn’t have to make you cringe.

 

Now, get out there and make something happen!