Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt icky while selling?

Even as a retailer, when your job is quite literally to sell things, it doesn’t always feel good. You’re not alone. This is one of the first concerns clients raise – especially after setting ambitious goals.

But, why does it feel so bad?

Well, no one wants to feel like they’re being sold to and you know that from you own experience as a consumer. It’s why we mute tv ads, complain about sponsored posts on IG and shutter at the idea of walking into a car dealership. It feels transactional…because it is.

Indie retailers tend to be incredibly conscientious of how they make their customers feel. They don’t want to bother them, annoy them and definitely don’t want to appear spammy or opportunistic.

On top of that, without a thoughtful sales approach, it can feel like you are constantly trying new things, not seeing traction, pointing your customers in a million different directions – all the while feeling confused and maybe even a little desperate.

Even if you are an expert at concealing your inner turmoil, trying to connect with your customers when you don’t feel your best about selling can feel tense, heavy and like every choice is make or break. Not fun!

Rather than focusing so much energy on “the sale” – the moment when someone hands over their credit card or places an order – let’s play the long game. A slower, more sustainable, and far more human sales strategy can be a game changer to help you grow your revenue and change your feelings about selling forever.

In order to make sustainable sales, try focusing on these 3 elements:

1. Growing Your Aligned Audience

Get creative about where to meet new people and get in front of new groups. When you introduce yourself to someone, you aren’t diving straight into a sales pitch. You’re able to share your brand story and values, which is so magnetic! This helps you grow the awareness of your brand (giving you an audience to talk to about product when the time is right.)

2. Creating Context For Your Community

Like we said, selling 24/7 just doesn’t feel good. You’ll exhaust yourself and your customers. Instead think about how you can provide value beyond the product (through experiences, content, events). This helps your customers see your shop in context to their lives and offers more meaningful points of connection – a way better experience IMHO.

3. Using A Human Approach

Finally, when it comes to your actual sales process, be human! Listen, be curious, share the things about your products that you love and are proud of. Beyond that, use your intuition to personalize your service – whether that be through individual conversations throughout the day or when setting up email automation to support your customer journey.

By incorporating each of these elements into your ongoing strategy, you begin to create a sustainable sales cycle meaning no desperation, no uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach and definitely no used car salesman vibes.