Finding Courage to Live a Life of Joy

The Business Owner’s “Root of Evil”

Posted by on Jul 21, 2011 | 13 comments

The Business Owner’s “Root of Evil”

It’s Not Money!

A few months ago, a fellow-blogger friend and I were talking about blogging and business.  I was talking about launching my book and she said, “I don’t know how to ask people to buy from me. I feel bad advertising my book.”

It was then, that I clearly saw the Business Owner’s “root of evil”.

Fear of the “Ask”

When I was in sales, we were taught to ask “yes” questions to lead the prospect to the “ask.” Have you ever struggled with asking for the sale?  Do you feel awkward or out of place asking?

We all struggle with insecurity and uncertainty at some point or another. Even type-A, “natural” salespeople struggle with this. They just learn how to barrel through the fear because the thrill of “winning” the sale outweighs the fear or insecurity they may experience.

But what about the rest of us?

What if you’re not naturally a “type-A” personality?

What if you’re not a “natural” salesperson?

You love your craft.  You love the business, but you’re terrified of asking for the sale?

How do you overcome the fear?

Overcoming the Fear

In her amazing book, The Art of Earning–Because Making Money Should Be Beautiful, (affiliate link) business consultant, Tara Gentile addresses this very topic. (Read a full review at my inspirational blog, Karmic Kappuccino)

As business owners, we are insecure about our product or service and so we fear the ‘ask’.

At first this may seem misleading. You may be very confident in your ability or craft. You may have a great product that you know has the potential to transform lives. Yet you still fear the ask.

I was in the same boat until I read Tara’s book. I knew I had a great product–my first book–and I knew that it had the potential to help a lot of people. But I was afraid of asking them to purchase it.

The Real Fear is Not the “Ask”

Our real fear is not of the ask it is a fear of insignificance.

Most of us, in some way, associate the amount of money we make with our value to the world. – Tara Gentile

Somewhere along the way  you have accepted the belief that your money = your worth. If you challenge no other belief in your entire life, challenge this one!  You must!

Your value is not measured by your money.

We all know this, but we still truly believe it.

Positioning Yourself to Profit

Once your alignment with money is corrected, all that is left is profitability because the  more you create, the more you will give; and the more you give, the more you will be compensated for your gifts.

If you can position yourself as a marketer of meaning & depth, you will be a big player in the emerging New Economy. – Tara Gentile

You are the one who creates meaning. Those who can authentically dig deep into their spirits and souls and create (and teach others to do the same) will prosper.

The Transition

You have to make the transition. You have to move from a mindset of earning that is linked to a measure of your worth (or lack of it) to a mindset of earning that is linked to the value of the art you create. Earning should be beautiful!

If you want more information or want to purchase Tara’s book, click the link below. I highly recommend her guide as one of my “life-changers” (and I didn’t name them that for nothin’!).  The information she shares will challenge all of your fundamental beliefs about money and earning.

The Art of Earning: Because Making Money Should Be Beautiful
Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You might like these articles too!

  • http://sprucestarstudio.com/ Rolan

    This really resonates with me. I have a fear of asking and a fear of being annoying about asking.  I’m going to check out this book right now.  Thanks for the great post!

    • http://www.KarmicKappuccino.com Steve Rice

      Rolan, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I know what you mean. This feeling like we’re being a pest to someone is a topic that Tara addresses in her book. (I highly recommend it for the creative business person.)

      That said, I can relate. I think this feeling like we’re bothering people comes from what we observe around us. We see “salespeople” as pests who won’t take no for an answer (think timeshare sales pitch).

      The truth, though, is that when we create art (or a product), we are enriching the lives of our customers by offering it to them. Tara enriched my life by offering her book for sale. I happily paid what she asked, because I trusted I’d get value from it. And now, the lives of my readers are enriched (indirectly) because of the insight I gained and am sharing.

      A few weeks ago, the better half and I visited a local gallery and met a phenomenal photographer. We didn’t go intending to buy anything, but we ended up purchasing a print she had of the coast in Nova Scotia. It’s gorgeous and hangs in our entry way. We happily handed over more than $100 for this picture.

      What were we purchasing? Not the paper and ink it was printed with, that’s for sure. And we weren’t paying that much for the frame or matting. We paid for the *art*…the feeling it brings to us when we walk into the house. We paid for the benefit of being surrounded by beauty.

      I hope you really will check out Tara’s book because if you can start seeing your product or art as a benefit to your market, then you will start to lose the fear of asking for the sale. You’ll truly offer it to the market, and you won’t take it as personally when they say “no” either.

      Let me know if you pick up the book. Glad this post connected with you.

  • http://www.adjuvancy.com/wordpress Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

    Steve:
    You have hit the nail squarely on the head- OUCH!
    Great post.

    • http://www.KarmicKappuccino.com Steve Rice

      Thanks, Roy. Hopefully it wasn’t too painful…I tried to use a rubber-headed mallet as opposed to a hammer. LOL. Actually, this post was for me more than anyone!

      Appreciate the support and passing it on in twitter.

  • http://www.adjuvancy.com/wordpress Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

    Steve:
    You have hit the nail squarely on the head- OUCH!
    Great post.

  • http://www.adjuvancy.com/wordpress Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

    Steve:
    You have hit the nail squarely on the head- OUCH!
    Great post.

  • http://www.Mazzastick.com Justin

    Many of us have struggled with asking for money even when we have provided value. I am type A so I have no problem with this most times. I don’t like to hear the word No. :)

    • http://www.KarmicKappuccino.com Steve Rice

      Yep, each personality responds to insecurity differently. Sometimes it’s not asking for the money for our goods or services but it’s in valuing our services appropriately when asking for the money. It really is about a change in mindset about what money is and what it represents. Thanks for providing your point of view, Justin. It’s always helpful…but in this case especially cuz I’m more phlegmatic in my personality. :)

  • Earl Harville

    Thank you!! Indeed, we put too much value on money as a sign of worth. I’m guilty of it at times!! “You have to make the transition. You have to move from a mindset of earning that is linked to a measure of your worth (or lack of it) to a mindset of earning that is linked to the value of the art you create.” What power is in that statement!!  I’m going to try to walk that out today. :-)

    • http://www.KarmicKappuccino.com Steve Rice

      Thanks for your comment, Earl! (I can finally see your face when you comment! YAY)….

      Glad the quoted statement stuck with you. It’s pretty direct and emphatic, because I’m saying that to myself…still. A good blogging friend of mine, Bernadette Jiwa keeps a marketing blog at The Story of Telling.

      She wrote a blog yesterday about what we are *not* telling our clients/customers that makes us different. She challenged me in the comments to really give this some thought and identify what that *thing* is. I’m still processing it.

      So I want to ask you the same thing…how are you going to “try to walk it out” today? What specific things help you to connect earning with the value of your art? What is the distinction you provide that your competitors do not?

      I’m curious since I’m going through the same thing.

  • http://www.TrafficGenerationCafe.com/ Ana | Traffic Generation Cafe

    Tara sounds like one smart gal, Steve. I would also add that fear of asking also goes hand-in-hand with fear of rejection.

    • http://www.KarmicKappuccino.com Steve Rice

      I have been appreciative of Tara’s Blog. She’s a real smart thinker and her advice is really helpful to small businesses…especially “creative-type” business owners who have talent, but struggle with the business side of the “business”.

      I think your observation about the fear of rejection is absolutely true! I think this fear of someone rejecting us is something we all struggle with, but it can be exacerbated when we don’t recognize that the service/product we are offering our market is something of value.

      When we truly deep down “get” it, then the fear is easier to manage because if our product is not right for someone, we recognize that is all it is…not a match…and we don’t take things so personally and internalize the rejection.

      Thanks for stopping by my blog this morning.

    • http://www.KarmicKappuccino.com Steve Rice

      I have been appreciative of Tara’s Blog. She’s a real smart thinker and her advice is really helpful to small businesses…especially “creative-type” business owners who have talent, but struggle with the business side of the “business”.

      I think your observation about the fear of rejection is absolutely true! I think this fear of someone rejecting us is something we all struggle with, but it can be exacerbated when we don’t recognize that the service/product we are offering our market is something of value.

      When we truly deep down “get” it, then the fear is easier to manage because if our product is not right for someone, we recognize that is all it is…not a match…and we don’t take things so personally and internalize the rejection.

      Thanks for stopping by my blog this morning.

Share
Would you please stumble and share this article?
The Business Owner’s “Root of Evil”