What does it mean to "sell downhill?"

Think about this question for a moment: How does it feel to buy something?

Think about the last time you walked into a store and walked out with a new possession. Didn't it feel good? Weren't you like, yea, I totally can't wait to use this!

It's easy to understand your own psychology when you're the BUYER. You want to buy something. You want to exchange a few green pieces of paper for a shiny new possession that you can take home and use as you see fit.

Buying feels good.

And yet, when entrepreneurs go to sell something, they don't take this truth into account. Instead, they pretend that the buyer is an enemy who doesn't want to buy anything, and it's the salesperson's job to convince and convert.

Wrong.

Having this mindset automatically sets up an "us vs. them" mentality, and you will actually scare away your prospect if you approach the sale in this adversarial way.

Here's what to do instead.

To help you be a better salesperson, I coined the phrase "selling downhill." What I mean is, make the easiest sale possible by aligning yourself and your approach with the buyer's mindset and beliefs.

Remember:

• The buyer wants to buy.
• The buyer is looking for a solution to the buyer's problem.
• The buyer wants you to help find that solution.

So, if you can be there for the buyer every step of the way to show them that yes, they have found exactly the solution to their problem, you will always make more sales than if you show them that yes, you want to sell them something.

Do you see the difference? In the first mindset, they are finding a solution, and you're giving them every excuse to keep going down the path of fulfilling their need. In the second mindset, you're throwing a giant roadblock into the process by putting your desires ahead of theirs.

Subtle, but effective.

So ask yourself: are your sales materials set up to fail? Or are you selling downhill by simply allowing your customer to solve his or her problem through your guidance?

Your buyers are looking to buy. Make sure you don't get in their way, and you'll be "automagically" more successful :)

To recap:

• Your buyer wants to buy
• But, sadly, most sellers want to sell
• Instead, sellers need to help the buyer buy
• You can make more sales by simply allowing the buyer to walk through the normal buyer process with YOU leading the journey instead of trying to sell them
• When you sell something to them, you make the process about what YOU want instead of what THEY want, and you throw a huge roadblock into the process

Pro Tip: Revising your sales process to sell downhill is typically the best way to figure out your marketing strategy -- because remember, the best sales funnel is built from the inside-out (whereas most marketers work from the outside in, creating awareness and interest that leads to a crappy closing process).