One of our mantras in Thought Leaders Business School is be easy to buy. And I think one way we get this wrong is by trying to make two sales rather than one.

I should know – it took me ten years to learn this lesson. My first cluster was a business coaching program called Love Your Business. Problem was small business owners aren’t lying awake at night thinking how can I love my business more.

So, the first sale I had to make was the idea that they need to focus on loving their business. Then, the second sale was that I was the person they should engage to help them. Two sales, not one, and consequently, hard work and a decade at white belt.

As we teach in the Thought Leaders methodology (Green Sheets), I was selling the solution to the unknown problem, rather than to the known problem.

I see thought leaders making the same mistake all the time. Like coaches who are selling the benefits of coaching. Much better to be talking to people who are already enrolled in the idea of coaching about why you should be their coach, than trying to convince people they should get a coach.

No car manufacturer is trying to convince you about the benefits of owning a car. They are saying if you are going to buy a car, you should buy ours. Same goes for watches, shoes, rice, soft drink, fast food and just about everything else.

We thought leaders should do the same.