One of the most common problems that all small business owners face — some more often than others — is the struggle to make sales.

I can relate, because I published Sandhills Business Times for two years before I tried to sell my first ad.

Despite my fear of selling, I had to dive into the deep end with no prior experience to keep my business going. You see, the two people that I initially hired to sell ads could barely close the door, much less a sale.

In other words, I had no choice.

Pawel Grabowski, a publisher of business books for beginners, is the author of “The Smart Business’ Guide to Winning New Work,” a blueprint for increasing small business sales and income.

Grabowski believes that too many small business owners go to the sales call with one intention — to get the order.

“It’s not a genuine honest reason. It’s being selfish,” he says in a recent Internet post. “And, the trouble is, many of your prospects see through that.”

A seasoned salesperson, on the other hand, goes to the call hoping that their solutions will help the prospect solve their problems, improve their business or increase their revenue.

“You know what the best part is?” Grabowski asks. “It’s actually quite simple to do.”

He offers the following three tips on how to change your sales attitude and show your prospects that you care.

First, realize what you are really selling.

“By this I don’t mean the actual product or a service you are offering but what is the biggest benefit of using it,” Grabowski says. “A Web designer does not sell websites. She sells the opportunity to promote the business online, to gain more leads and sales for the business. A garden designer does not sell new gardens but rather an opportunity to have a special place to rest and unwind.

“Find out what you are really selling and figuring out the ways to help your prospects will become extremely easy.”

Second, understand that you are not the most important part of the sale.

“By nature, we think of ourselves first,” Grabowski says. “It’s quite natural, however, if you want to make sales, you need to change the way you think. In sales, in spite of what you might say you are not the important part. It is your potential client, their business and the problems they are looking to fix. Everything else is secondary.”

Third, prepare solutions for your prospect.

“When you initiate a sales process with a prospect, you usually have a very good idea about the kind of problems they might have in relation to what you are selling,” Grabowski says. “If not, I suggest you stop here and first learn how to research your potential clients thoroughly before making the initial contact.

“That knowledge should be enough to think of the best solutions for your prospect. It doesn’t mean that you should have the whole proposal ready. But having examples of how you could implement your solution into the prospects business in your presentation will certainly present you as someone who cares.”

Ignore this tip at your own peril, because every time you lose a sale, you most likely also lose a prospect for life.

Selling is never easy. It takes confidence in your product or service, and an ability to convince the prospect that their company will benefit from buying from you rather than the competition.

Happy sales.

Contact Ted M. Natt Jr. at (910) 693-2474 or tnatt@thepilot.com.