Think about the last time that you made a purchase that you were really
delighted with. Do you remember the pleasure, the anticipation of how the
purchase would enhance your life? Do you remember that little thrill you get
just at the point of saying 'Yes!'
Buying is great fun. Why do you think they call it 'retail therapy'?
Yet lots of people forget this and they focus on sales processes. The
problem with this is that most selling is not only ineffective, it actually
deters people. Think of what happens when people approach you to try and
sell you something, notice how your barriers come up. It's almost like you
have an inbuilt skepticism and resistance. That's why selling the old way is
such hard work. You're actually having to fight with the customer's
resistance and skepticism, most of which has been triggered by the
salespersons approach!
Selling this way is expensive and exhausting. It may just about work for
corporations who have large sales teams, but as a small business owner, you
can't afford to waste your time and your energy in that way. Your time and
energy are better spent on work that you get paid for. And the Client
Magnets approach can help you to maximise that. So I'd like to invite you to
forget about having a 'sales process' and think about designing buying
processes that are fun and enjoyable for your prospects and make them feel
glad that they have discovered you!
Isn't that a paradigm shift? Instead of thinking, 'Oh no, I have to think
about marketing and selling', you can say, 'I'm going to help more people
discover me and the results I can deliver today. I'm going to help more
people solve their problems today.'
An expression that sums this up well is 'Buying Facilitation'. Forget
about selling, and think about helping people to buy. Put your emphasis on
helping the other party make an informed decision. You aren't trying to sell
to everyone, some people will be a better fit than others, but your buying
processes should help prospects determine how well you 'match' each other.
Facilitate also means 'make it easy' so you also need to think about how
easy it is to buy from you. If one of your clients referred me to you today,
how quickly could I become a client of yours? Do you have a 'package' that I
can buy immediately from your website so I can start using your concepts and
ideas straight away and get a 'taster' of your full service offering? Or
will I have to play telephone tag with you, ask questions about your
service, find out when you are available, get you to put together a
proposal, before I can become a client?
This week think about creating a buying process that is enjoyable for
your prospective clients and adds some value. Take some ideas from my
examples. I offer free reports, this newsletter, tele-seminars, articles and
talks. I aim to provide value BEFORE anyone becomes a client, so you can get
to know me and sample my approach before you put your hand in your pocket!
Doing this helped me almost triple my business last year, while working less
hours, so take it from me - it works!
(c) Bernadette Doyle, 2008.
Bernadette Doyle publishes her free, weekly Client Magnets newsletter for
trainers, speakers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo
professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling
them then sign up for the Client Magnets newsletter at
http://www.ClientMagnets.com
today!
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Bonnie Jo Davis
Publications Coordinator
