One of the things I always knew in the back of my head that I would have to do when I decided to do Brunch & Budget full time is actually sell my services to prospective clients. It might be why it took so long to quit my day job in the first place.

The idea of having to ask for money from people scared the shit out of me.

Besides not wanting to feel totally rejected on something I feel so personal about, I didn’t want to feel like I was forcing anyone to buy something they didn’t need.

The more I did it though, the more I noticed that it didn’t have to be like that. First, I started getting over myself a little – just because someone rejected the service didn’t mean they rejected me as a person. Especially as a solo entrepreneur, it’s so hard to separate the two because you’re so intertwined with your business.

Then I noticed that the more I pitched, the better gauge I had of who I knew needed more help and who would be fine on their own. I even started telling some first time Brunch & Budgeters that they didn’t need to work with me on an ongoing basis. Because, well, it was true.

When I realized I didn’t need, or even want, everyone to say yes, it changed how I approached everything. As I paid more attention to who needed my services and stayed true to this fact, it felt like a burden was lifted off my shoulders. I was far from the sleazy salesperson I envisioned in my head!

You want your clients to want you as much as you want them. Doing research for last week’s radio show confirmed that. The best part about selling to people who want what you have is that it doesn’t feel like you’re selling anything at all. It feels like you finally found each other!

Please feel free to share with your friends who struggle with the idea of selling their own products and services. It’s something we all have to stumble through, but it does get easier as long as you keep reminding yourself who you’re doing all of this for.