Small Business Marketing - Can We Sell Without Selling | Alison ...

?Business is like roller skating, either you keep moving or you fall down.?

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? -Doc Blakely

If YOU give me value and I have Personally

looked for what you have to offer,?I will A) give your business my MONEY??.NO NEED TO SELL or B) talk highly of you to others. Let?s tak a closer look at giving VALUE.

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Up until recently I had only helped and been approached by small business owners for Marketing and Business advice. It was just the other day that I was approached via 3rd party asking for my help with an SME, my answer was exactly the same for their marketing needs as it is to all small business owners.

The subject was about the SME Marketing in a way so that they didn?t actually need to sell and cold call clients. I answered with something similar to this and thought that I should? spread the word and share on here too. Let me know your thoughts or if you require any further assistance (just click the red button on the left).

I?m going to cover this topic as positively as I possibly can as selling to me is horrid, I hate it. You can find out why on my about page. Regardless of my ?hate? for selling I have still learnt to operate a business and drive it forward,thus becoming the hunted by other business owners. The art of?marketing and getting?the right message in front?of the right people will allow you?to sell in a way that?you don?t actually have to sell. Make sense, NO? OK let me explain. Just hit the red button should you require a strategy session from me specifically tailored to you and your business

Being Bombarded with Sales Talk is NOT Good

Why does it seem that everywhere we go and everything we do, we constantly find ourselves being bombarded with the sale of the latest craze or cheapest deal? Do you find this just a teeny bit irritating or is it just me? I mean I have nothing against sales people AT ALL and I bet even they on their days off hate being sold to, too. But unless I have personally hunted for something myself then I just don?t want it. Small business owners can?t afford to operate like this.

The truth is we can?t?not feel frustrated by not being able to just sell ourselves on the things we desire or require at that time in our lives, its frustrating even for me regardless of holding a positive mindset, so I know that don?t endorse the mindset stuff (just yet) will most certainly be aggregated! Ha.

You Can?t even Get Around the Supermarket!

For example, walking in to the supermarket these days for the things we actually?want to buy is a task in itself, it seems we can?t even do this without being sold to. And there?I am?having to be grateful for the presence of sales?people and being sold to whilst I shop for my dinner. I find myself having to?justify?why I was ?sold to?, that it was?for a reason, that is was fate and was meant to happen to me. I was meant to get the latest deal in energy prices and waste my valuable time??.nope, I don?t think so but thank you very much anyway.The reality is, if I could just get my sandwich in peace as intended I would be much happier on my journey to fulfilling my own inner peace and happiness in life.

All I wanted was my darn sandwich and now I?ve come out with a banging headache and the need to go check my energy bills (or whatever) whilst having also?been bombarded with junk mail that I didn?t even want or ask for, just to further add to my contribution to a greener environment?by throwing in the recycling bin, or the bin RIGHT outside of?the supermarket if I don?t fancy being than greeneco, its madness.

It just doesn?t have to be like this, we don?t have to make people feel frustrated by our offerings and business proposals.

I AM GETTING WISER TO THESE SALES PEOPLE

I just give a polite smile and move swiftly on as they find someone else. And I don?t know about you but it?s actually quite?funny to see ALL of the customers who are heading in the same direction of the salesman/woman?..only to then hop on an aisle they didn?t even intend to go on. Either that or taking a complete wide birth by?giving the?them?plenty of room. This is ALL?in order to avoid ?the? SALE talk?and that of?being SOLD TO. So, humour? over with my point is this, it applies to how?we market our small businesses as well, you don?t have to sell.

With that said let?s now take a closer look at a different approach that works

As business owners we ALL want to be shown the MONEY and crank up the profits in our business! This is great but to the client/customer then thats not of interest to me. We also need to be profitable in order to expand and/or keep our head above water when it comes to cash flow! Great again, but not to the one spending the money. So with that said how do we give in order to receive the money from our potential clients/customers? Whilst also positioning ourselves as the ones to go to in our market? Well it?s simple really so let?s take a look at how to do it.

1)????? GIVE ME VALUE FIRST BEFORE ASKING FOR MY MONEY

It really is that simple, if you want to be the hunted/recommended and have your ideal clients choose you then give them pure value upfront. Value is the key to unlocking profit potential in your business. You want to have people talking about you and praising you.

2)????? DO NOT SELL TO ME?..I DON?T WANT IT

Don?t sell me your offerings if I haven?t hunted YOU down, if I haven?t hunted for you then I just don?t WANT them. In your eyes I might NEED them whether that be now or in the future but I haven?t asked for them, so please don?t sell.

If you are marketing to me in this way be tactful about it by way of informing me of your offerings. Be warm when you market to me and inform me of your offerings, give me value and allow me to make my own decision, I will be more likely to use you as a result.

Once I have been informed of your offerings and have sold myself on what you have to offer I am now ready for you to contact me or vice versa. And when I initiate contact it is warm and I am expecting you or your point of contact (meaning no hard sell).

If you have sold to me through value upfront then I will be ready to spend my money with you (whether now or in the future). Or alternatively I will recommend someone who will gain benefit from your offerings.

3)????? LET ME SELL MYSELF

You can do this by letting me gain value in terms of the exposure you have received in way of actually getting my attention in the first place. Thus, allowing me to make my own informed decision before initiating contact. And If I don?t want to use you I may well know or recommend someone who does as a result of the VLAUE you have given up front.

4)????? YOU CAN DO THIS BY REACHING OUT TO ME LIKE THIS

Some ways to do this could by offering high quality driven content in the form of articles, press releases (in targeted publications or newspapers), being found in Google, offering me a free initial consultation or having a newsletter/report/brochure about how you can help me with my needs. This will allow you to be the solution provider to my problem and prompt a warm relationship from me the offset.

5)????? YOU CAN THEN BE THE SOLUTION PROVIDER TO MY PROBLEM/NEED

Being the provider to my problem/need is now much easier and I am ready for you to initiate contact. By allowing me to make my own decision in this manner has not only allowed for permission to contact me but I also my acceptance to your offerings and any sales approach you then choose to use.

This will make you memorable and sought after, and it will also allow for your expertise to stand out over the long term in way word of mouth referrals and recommendations, in turn being the one spoken about as the expert in your industry.

6)????? BE AWARE OF WHO YOU IDEAL CLIENT/CUSTOMER IS = Happy Targeted Customer

Being aware of your ideal client/customer allows for ease in the ability to MARKET to them confidently and effectively. They will then trust this and you as the key provider to their problems and contact you, rather than the other way around.

Of course we would love everyone to choose us but that just isn?t realistic and certainly wouldn?t allow for the understanding of your own market and client base. The more specific you are on whom your market and ideal client is the better. ?You can then market with only these in mind and talk directly to them.

I am not saying that every potential lead will become a customer by doing this, however what I am saying and what it will do is position you as the??one to go to??in your field, allowing people to contact you rather than you having to sell to them, which is cold and causes people to put their guard up.Thus holding a warm approach upon contact should they contact you or they opt in for further information.

That will be all for now, stay positive

If you require any further assistance from me then just contact me via the red button to the right.

Smiles for now

Alison ? The Shy Entrepreneur

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Source: http://www.alisonbracewell.com/how-to-sell-wiithout-selling/

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