Here’s How You Can Start a Business (Even If You Hate Selling)

If self-promotion makes you uncomfortable, franchising can help take the edge off.

Many people think that in order to be a successful entrepreneur, you also have to be a successful salesperson. This is a pretty limiting belief if you’re one of the millions of people who hate to sell.

The reality is, there are certain skills that every entrepreneur needs (such as creative problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and the ability to plan for the future) but being a natural salesperson is not one of them.

The best way to build a career as a successful entrepreneur while sidestepping the icky salesy feeling is to get into business as a franchise owner. Investing in a franchise means that, even though you’ll truly own your business, there’s also a parent company you can lean on for support. The franchise company has already established its brand and made its presence known in the marketplace.

If it’s a particularly successful franchise, like Dunkin’ Donuts or Planet Fitness, you’ll already have an audience that not only knows your brand but actively supports it and has made it a part of their everyday lives. Having this presence takes a lot of the burden of self-promotion off your shoulders.

Marketing your business when you hate selling

That being said, no new business can neglect advertising and marketing. When you open up a new franchise location in your area, you need people in your community to be aware of your new business and all it has to offer.

As a franchise owner, you’ll have marketing and advertising resources from the franchise company. The pressure to come up with marketing campaigns - which is very real if you open a new business from scratch - is alleviated. You may even benefit from ad campaigns conducted on the national level by the franchisor.

With promotion largely off of your plate, you’ll have more time to exercise all of the other skills that you have to offer, like mentoring your employees, providing strong leadership, and managing the business’s finances.

Just because you’ve never heard of a franchise doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a strong brand. Your franchise consultant can help you sift through the options in the industry that interests you and identify which businesses might need no introduction and which might require more active promotion on your part.

Even if you hate selling, you can’t completely avoid talking about your business and why people should use it. The key is shifting your mindset. Don’t think of it as selling so much as telling.

Talk about what your franchise company has done for its customers in the past and why people love it. Tell people how you discovered the company and why you were drawn to it. When you shift your mindset from “selling” people to “helping” them, and from “promoting” your business to telling people about something you’re excited about, you’ll find those awkward feelings melting into enthusiasm.

Share your apprehensions about self-promotion - or anything else that makes you hesitate - with your franchise consultant. In fact, the more information you give your franchise consultant about your strengths and weaknesses, the better. This makes it easier for them to guide you toward your perfect match.

Schedule a free session with a franchise consultant today and get one step closer to realizing your dreams of becoming an entrepreneur.