What comes to mind when the word “sales” is mentioned?

Do words like hook, pitch, prospect, a flood of unwanted emails and links to sales pages, or long drawn out pitches where you may have to resort to sleazy tactics, so that you can “close” people come to mind?

Many people have issues with selling because they hate rejection, or they feel uncomfortable for other personal reasons.

Another common issue is not knowing how or even wanting to overcome objections. If that is how you feel, then don’t be discouraged — you are not alone.

Selling is about service. Revenue is the by-product. As an entrepreneur, every piece of content you produce is a form of sales, to some degree. Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to be extroverted, and aggressive to sell well.

Here are six places where you are unknowingly using sales before your potential clients even listen to a pitch or presentation. If you concentrate on consistently adding value in these areas the sales will come.

1. Stories

One of the most effective ways to engage an audience that is primed to buy from you is with stories. These can be your stories or those of others. The goal is to help your audience (who see themselves in a specific situation) recognize that it is possible for them to attain the result you are offering.

The best part of stories is that they can be used everywhere. You can use blog posts, emails, social media, sales pages, webinars and trainings, to build a connection through storytelling.

2. Social media

Some people sell aggressively on social media in a very pushy way. Yet there are others who post so much inspirational and motivational content that people forget there is an actual business tied to the page.

This is an area that requires balance for you to see a return on investment of time. Use social media as an outlet to provide value and information to your audience in an entertaining and educational way. They will come to view you as a trusted expert. This approach will improve your sales down the line as opposed to immediately repelling them by coming on too strong and too fast.

3. About page

This area of your personal or company website is prime real estate! About pages are usually the most frequently visited page on a website. This page speaks more about your brand and message than the colors or font you choose.

Use this opportunity to entice clients and connect with them on a personal level. Don’t write it in third person. Instead write as if you are writing a letter to a dear friend, who is having a problem that you are confident you can solve.

4. Blog posts

Each blog post you write should have a clear purpose and a call to action. It is designed to start a conversation between you and your reader, where you help them and share valuable information.

If they implement your advice, it should ideally give them a “quick win.” This is crucial in the sales process because they link quick results from your free content, imagine what will happen when they pay for your products and services.

5. Live stream and videos

Live streaming has arguably become the hottest new marketing tool on the internet. It is the closest thing that your audience has to connecting with you in person and getting your feedback in real time!

Not to mention, Facebook and other social networks appear to give more weight to videos and live streams by showing them more in News Feeds than other post formats. Marketing is about relationship building, so it stands to reason that the more you see someone the closer you are right? Exactly!

6. Email subject lines

If you want email open rates to improve, this is a metric that you should closely look review. If people don’t open your emails, they won’t learn about your new business. You have mere seconds to entice a reader to open your email. This is why your email subject lines are part of the sale before the actual sale as well.

Truthfully, these areas are where the sales happen; you’re priming the pump. By the time your potential client gets on a call with you or goes to your sales page it should already be a done deal in their mind.

Very simply put, people need to buy you before they will buy into whatever you are selling. These six areas are the avenues that showcase who you are and what you do. They are what your prospective clients use to determine whether they like you or not, so treat them the same way you would an important pitch meeting and watch your sales increase.

This article has been edited.

Indira Pierrot is a Success Coach. Dubbed the woman entrepreneur’s BFF (beauty and freedom finder), her strategies include teaching them how to attract clients without selling your soul in the process. Learn more about her at indirapierrot.com. Connect with @indirapierrot on Twitter.

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