Ditch the pitch

Make better connections with real conversations. For years we’ve been told to recite what it is we do in 30 seconds in effort to catch someone’s attention, attract potential clients and believe it or not, make a sale. Although we acknowledge that business relationships take time to develop, we continue to “pitch” our products and services to anyone who will lend an ear.

Someone once said, “People don’t buy products and services, they buy trust.” Potential clients need to feel a sense of trust before they will ever engage you for your product or services.

Long-term professional relationships have always been built on personal connections. Before you can get to trust, you have to connect on a very basic and human level. You essentially put the cart before the horse when you offer your services without ever being asked for your assistance.

The next time you feel inclined to “pitch” someone, stop and think about the following:

• Never jump into sales mode or take the person you whom you are speaking with on your ego trip. Keep the conversation natural and casual. Networking conversations are really introductory conversations. They are the perfect time and place for you to discover what you have in common.

• Ask questions and if you forget what to talk about, remember F.O.R.D. Friends and Family, Occupation, Recreation and Dreams. Ask questions related to any of these areas to not only find out what you may have in common, but you may discover unmet needs or ways you may be able to help later.

• Do your homework. Don’t just take someone’s business card and flood him or her with emails or expect them to call you. Search out their name and company on the Internet and see what they’ve been up to. What is going on in their industry or region? What other things do you have in common? Do you share a target market? Do you share some of the same connections? Are your products and/or services complimentary? What else have you discovered that you can build on?

Social networking should be just that, social. Ditch your pitch. Stop ambushing people with your cards (unless they ASK for one). Idle chitchat can lead to powerful conversations, but business relationships aren’t built over night. Save the professional interrogations for a time and place after you have taken some time to get to know someone.

WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

A.Michelle Blakeley is in the listening business. As a Micro Business Therapist, she provides an open-minded and non-judgmental ear to listen to the real issues and concerns that start-up, emerging and women entrepreneurs experience and negotiate solutions through comprehensive discussions and practical micro business plans. She is featured in Forbes.com and the Financial Post as one of 30 Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter, contributor for the San Francisco Examiner and Fearless Woman Magazine; the host of Simple Truths for Women Entrepreneurs on BlogTalkRadio.com and author of the NEW e-book: “Get it Right and Move Along… a collection of practical tips, tools and techniques for small business owners.”

Marketing on your terms

How serious are you with marketing and growing your business? Let’s find out right here and now. First of all, when is the last time that you sent out an email to your current database? Do you have a blog or newsletter that you can send to new leads and potential clients? Neither of these cost a lot money, but will cost you a time and effort.

You don’t have to be a marketing guru to implement solid marketing techniques with a little bit of effort. Nor do you have to spend a lot of money on engaging marketing professionals. We all have to start somewhere. If your budget is limited or non-existent, try implementing some of the following techniques.

NOTE: Be sure to measure your progress by checking your stats and tracking your inquiries.

Before you begin, ensure your marketing message is clear and consistent. Know who your audience (client profile) is. And have a way of tracking and following-up with leads and inquiries. For examples of free contact management resources that allow you make notes about your leads or clients, track emails, etc. try freecrm.com and highrisehq.com

• Establish new connections: How many social networking sites are you actively participating on? Try to do a minimum of 5. With each one, make it a point to respond to postings, add your own postings (for efficiency, it’s okay to use the same article for each site), and establish new connections. Go one step further and make referrals to your connections. As you are able to manage the minimum of 5, add a new site per month or every 90 days or whatever time frame is comfortable for you.

• Blog your way to new leads: Write articles on topics that your clients and prospects want to hear and learn about. If you are not a writer, provide 3 to 5 tips on how to do something. Be consistent with your postings. It can be daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. Select whatever time frame frequency you can realistically post something. The most important thing is to do it consistently. Don’t think you have enough tips to post? Try sharing articles, discussions or other blogs about current events that relate to your clients.

• Take your show on the road: Present a teleclass or webinar on something that you are knowledgeable or an expert about. You can host free informational sessions, where prospective clients can get a sneak preview of your products/services and existing clients can hear about new products/services. You can host a signature session (same session monthly, quarterly, etc.) or a series of sessions. Find something unique to you and your business.

The objective is to find a marketing technique that you are comfortable with and master it, be consistent with it and own it. Start learning how to turn your processes into products and services. Start learning how to share your expertise so that others know how and where to find you when they need you. Start learning how to give your services away without giving away the kitchen sink (… stay tuned for that article). Whatever the state or condition of your business, learn how to market your products and services on your own terms, in your own way. Continue to do what works and stop doing what doesn’t.

Submitted by A.Michelle Blakeley

Simplicity, Inc. |Because you don’t have time to waste.™ |866.927.5888 x1

Ask about our PROVEN Coaching and Mentoring Services.

Copyright Notice: Visitors to the Simplicity Mastered™ website may not reproduce, republish or redistribute material found on the website in any form without the express written consent of Simplicity, Inc.. For all requests for use of copyrighted material from the Simplicity Mastered™ website, please contact amichelleblakeley@yahoo.com

Convince your clients to stop sitting on their wallets

With limited budgets, resources and diminishing motivation, going the extra mile can be difficult. However, if you are like most small businesses in this economy; you have a little extra time on your hands to make accommodations you otherwise would not have time for; like how to get prospects and clients to loosen up their purse strings.

• Focus on proving to your prospects and existing clients that choosing you represents the most prudent decision they could make. You can do this by clearly showing them how you would be saving them money, saving them time and providing real value. Don’t just use these terms and phrases, as they are clichés; but specifically show prospects and clients where and how. Both prospects and existing clients will appreciate your efforts and increased attention.

• Know how to motivate and persuade them to take action and make buying decisions. There should always be a sense of urgency around your sales presentation or sales offer. People need to understand they will continue to get what they are getting if they continue to do what they are doing. Why should they buy from you now? What will happen if they wait? How will that cause them harm or damage, if any? What will suffer? For example, clients who continue to operate their business without a plan, in a disorganized fashion, and without clear realistic goals will continue to experience lack of growth and unachieved aspirations with no accountability and frustration.

• Increase your revenue and sales by marketing to new clients or get your existing clients to buy more. It costs you more time and money generating new clients than it does serving the existing ones. However, there is a purpose and need for generating new clients as well as a purpose and need for marketing to existing clients. Generating new clients helps you gain market share and new perspectives on industry changes. With that being said, a business cannot survive on existing clients alone. For whatever reason, there will always be a percentage of existing clients that will be disengaged or lost at any given time; they move, their needs change, etc. You have to be able to maintain a balance of marketing to new and existing clients. Your marketing strategies should address both; and sometimes separately.

You’d be surprised how many people are willing to part with their hard earned dollars for things they value, save them time or save them money. It’s up to you to figure out what your clients needs are, ensure you can meet those needs, clearly explain to them “how” you are meeting those needs, as well as go a step beyond. Many consumers have been forced to make hard choices and changes to adapt to the current economic climate. They make their purchases based on one of the following: value, time or money. Know where you can fit in that decision and be specific when you tell them how.

Submitted by A.Michelle Blakeley

Simplicity, Inc. |Because you don’t have time to waste.™ |866.927.5888 x1

Ask about our PROVEN Coaching and Mentoring Services.

Copyright Notice: Visitors to the Simplicity Mastered™ website may not reproduce, republish or redistribute material found on the website in any form without the express written consent of Simplicity, Inc.. For all requests for use of copyrighted material from the Simplicity Mastered™ website, please contact amichelleblakeley@yahoo.com

You should listen more than you sell

A sales conversation or call shouldn’t start with your pitch. You should never offer your products or services without first getting a clear understanding of the potential client’s needs and desired outcome.

Sales professional will always listen twice, maybe even three times more than they speak. As a small business owner, you need to be sales professional. You are the face of your business. You are not only selling your product or service, you are selling yourself. There are some basic sales skills that you should not only practice; but also perfect. Getting a handle on these skills and making them a habit will help your product or service sell themselves.

First, listen, listen and listen some more. Before you offer any professional opinion or advice, really listen to your potential client’s concerns, needs and desired results. Let them speak without interrupting and have them elaborate when you are unclear or don’t understand. This requires dialogue not a monologue. Engage your customer in problem solving dialogue by asking intelligent and open-ended questions to draw out the real issues. Never guess what their needs are, let them tell you. There will be plenty of opportunity for you to discuss things from your perspective.

Acknowledge that you have not only heard their concerns but clearly understand them. Be sure you speak to them in a clear straightforward manner without jargon or rhetoric. Reflect back on what you have heard by summarizing your client’s points. Follow-up with questions of your own to clarify your understanding; seeking first to understand and then to be understood.

Ask what their desired outcome looks like. Don’t be afraid to encourage and endorse your client’s good ideas; but offer them a new perspective. Explain what it will be like working with you and using your product or services. Give them examples of how you have assisted other clients and achieved their desired outcomes. Let them know what they can expect and what will happen. Do you offer a guarantee? Be specific. What are the terms of service? Be clear about your business process. And now is not the time to shy about your expertise and capacity.

It’s time to close the deal. Ask for the sale. Be confident in your product or service and your ability to meet your client’s needs. Be assertive and give them solid reasons why they should work with you and INVITE them to take action now and get started. Do not say, “what do you think?” Encourage them to take advantage of this opportunity to buy from you or work with you.

Prepare yourself for your next sales conversation. Refrain from verbally assaulting your clients and spend more time listening. Have some open-ended questions already prepared. Know what aspects of your business you are going to highlight that will benefit the client. Speak with assurance. No one likes to be “sold to.” Everyone wants to be heard and listened to. This is especially true in sales.

Are you selling sand in the desert?

The economy has us all making changes and adjustments to our lifestyles. Our priorities have changed. Our values have changed. Our interests have changed. Our buying habits have changed. Even as a business owner, you are the client of other business owners, personally and professionally. Why not take a closer look at the changes you’ve made and see how they correlate to the changes your clients are making and have made?

What do you want right now? Not want did you want, but what do you want? Think of the services and products you currently use and think about what changes and/or adjustments you would like to see. Are you looking for changes in price? Changes in service? More value? Specialty services? Think of these changes from the perspective of being a client.

What are you doing differently in your personal life as a result of the current economic condition and why? Your response could be generic, but try to go deeper. Get a real understanding of why you are making the choices and changes you are and what drives to you to use one product or service over another.

What are you willing to sacrifice or sacrifice for? Are there products or services you continue to purchase regardless of the cost because you see real value in them? Where are you compromising? What have you stopped doing? What do you no longer have a need for? Is it all about price? Have you foregone quality?

Now think about your own clients. Some of your responses will be their responses. This thought process could provide valuable insight to changes and adjustments you need to make in your own business. Think of your client profile. What do they want right now – not what have they been buying from you, but what are their needs now? What are they doing differently? What buying changes have they made? How can you meet those needs? Buying habits and trends change all the time. This economy is certainly grounds to reflect on our wants vs. our needs. Why wouldn’t our clients being having the some conversation with themselves?

Stop trying to sell your clients things they no longer need or value. As a small business owner, you have the capacity to make adjustments that large corporations can’t. Take extreme advantage of that. You can respond to changing client needs more rapidly if you are in tune to your business. This is not to say that you should toss your mission statement and vision out the window. DON’T throw the baby out with the bath water. DO change from cloth diapers to disposables or change from disposables to cloth. Disposables are more convenient and cost-effective. This is not meant to have you change your entire product line; although some small business and corporations have done just that (after careful analysis and study). However, it is meant to get you to seriously evaluate your clients past and current needs. Bottom-line, find a way to meet their changing needs. Heck, take the guess work and send them a short survey.

Submitted by A.Michelle Blakeley

Simplicity, Inc. |Because you don’t have time to waste.™ |866.927.5888 x1

Ask about our PROVEN Coaching and Mentoring Services.

Copyright Notice: Visitors to the Simplicity Mastered™ website may not reproduce, republish or redistribute material found on the website in any form without the express written consent of Simplicity, Inc.. For all requests for use of copyrighted material from the Simplicity Mastered™ website, please contact amichelleblakeley@yahoo.com

5 Essential Elements to Providing an Extraordinary Client Experience

One of the best ways to distinguish your business from the competition is through your clients’ experience; customer service. Many large corporations have built their brand and reputation on not only meeting their clients’ needs, but exceeding their clients’ expectations.

Everyday, we are bombarded with opportunities for others to meet our needs – at the coffee shop, in the store, the gas station, on the train etc. We all have common and minimal expectations about the service we receive: timely, friendly, and priced appropriately. However, when those expectations aren’t met, as business owners, it could mean an end to our livelihood.

Providing an extraordinary client experience should be fundamental to our business practices. Finding the right balance in providing exceptional service at the right price margin is the key to real business success. A great product and poor service won’t work. Great service and a poor product won’t last. A great product and great service is golden.

There are 5 essential elements to providing an extraordinary client experience:

1. First you must understand your clients’ needs, habits and buying trends. Provide the services and products that meet their expectations for your industry. Use surveys, feedback forms and questionnaires to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and expectations in their own words. The more knowledge you have about your clients, the more effective you can be in meeting their needs.
2. Under promise and over deliver. Sounds simple enough and we’ve heard this a million times. However, many business owners, in effort to “win the sale,” will be enticed to make promises they know they are unable to keep. Avoid this practice at all costs. Narrow the gap between client expectations and the actual service experience with clear communication and honesty. Alleviate your clients’ unrealistic expectations by always informing your clients of what you can AND can’t do. Always leave room for contingencies.
3. Cultivate your client relationships. It is easier to build your business on the referrals of satisfied clients than it is to continuously generate new ones. In addition, satisfied clients will be more accepting of upsells. When you introduce new products and services, you have an increased opportunity to make a valuable sale. And your targeted sales pitch has a higher rate of success because the client is pre-sold on your reputation and history of providing an extraordinary experience.
4. Your clients’ experience must be consistent. Clients expect consistency in the quality of the product AND the service with every contact with your business.
5. Follow-up. Even with an extraordinary client experience, you can’t expect your clients’ to remember you, especially if they only use your product or service occasionally. STAY TOP OF MIND. Always follow-up with your clients. There are a variety of ways to do so: face-to-face, mail, email, fax, phone, etc. At a minimum, you should contact your clients monthly. Keep them up to date on your products and services. Introduce new products and new services. Collaborate with other businesses that provide complimentary products and services and let your clients know.

Learn from the customer service experience you receive daily, compare those experiences with the client experience you provide to your clients. Treat your clients the same way you not only expect to be treated, but would like to be treated yourself.