Practical Tips

If you’re in business and you”re trying to grow your customer base you”ve probably been exposed to books and courses along the lines of…

“How to sell anything to anyone”, or “7 Steps To Easy Persuasion”…

How often have you seen some sort of headline like this? You know the type - spruiking some “simple” method or the other that’s going to make you a master salesperson or persuader.

Come on, be honest, don’t your scepticism filters kick in?

So why do people selling books and courses still tout this rubbish?

There are two possible answers - One is it still works - we all want a free lunch (so we buy the book, go to the course) - but the reality is there’s no such thing. Two - they never test to see how many people are really buying this tripe.

So what’s the real deal?

Let me ask you a simple question:

Generally speaking, would you spend a significant amount of money buying something from someone you’ve just met?

(Notice I said significant amount - yes, you may well spend “throw-away money” because you feel sorry for someone or just want to get rid of them)

But if it comes to a larger purchase, you want to be sure you’re buying the right thing, that you’re getting value for money, and if things should go wrong, you can either get it fixed or your money back.

Ergo, you’d prefer to buy from someone you know, like and trust.

So whether you’re buying washing powder or toothpaste, clothes or bread, you’ll go for a brand you know. One that looks like it’ll do the job, and you can trust the results. You’ll probably also buy it from someone who feel you can trust.

If you decide to try something new, it’s likely to be on the basis that you know something about it before trying it. (You may have heard other people talking about it, seen some advertising etc.)

Now if you’re in the sales game, you’re probably wondering how you can get into this position of trust with your product or service?

The simple answer is MARKETING. Marketing to your target audience positions your product or service in your prospect’s mind. Without consistent (and hopefully targeted) marketing, your job selling your product or service is going to be infinitely harder.

Here are some common myths I’ve come across regarding marketing:

Myth Number One: I don’t need marketing.

Myth Number Two: Marketing is advertising.

Myth Number Three: Marketing is expensive.

Myth Four: I can stop marketing once I start selling.

Let’s dispel these…

Myth One: I don’t need marketing.

First, without targeted marketing, no one will know about your wonderful, life changing product or service. You’ll be an awfully frustrated and broke salesperson.

So whether you’re a lawyer, doctor, or plumber - you need marketing!

Myth Two: Marketing is advertising.

Marketing is not advertising. People want information. Depending on the person - there can never be too much information.

Therefore one of the best ways to get known in your target market is to give your audience information they’re interested in. This can be in the form of articles, newsletters, whitepapers etc.

If you feel you can’t write - there are plenty of people do can do it for you - for less than you think. There are also hundreds of thousands of free articles on the web - written by authors who’d love you to re-publish their work (giving them attribution of course).

Myth Three: Marketing is expensive.

Well, not marketing is even more expensive!

Marketing can be done on a shoe string - and then ramped up as you start selling. (You really should be taking a percentage of what you sell and put it back into generating more clients.)

Myth Four: I can stop marketing once I start selling.

McDonald’s knows that the minute they stop marketing, their market share drops. (And you’d think everyone knows McDonald’s)

Marketing is a constant activity. You need to keep writing newsletters, articles, whitepapers. You need to keep advertising in your chosen mediums.

YOU CAN’T STOP!

Remember you’re not in the business of doing your business - you’re in the business of marketing your business.

There is no free lunch and no get out of jail free card. Without consistent marketing - your business dies. Period. And you certainly can’t “sell anything to anyone” if they aren’t ready and willing to spend money. And people only spend money when they feel they know and trust you and your product.

Anyone who tells you different is kidding themselves.

So if you’re in Small to Medium business and would like to know how you can use a no BS way to streamline your marketing, gain your audience’s trust and ensure a steady stream of clients, drop me a line on (02) 9499-7958 or email me at rashid.kotwal@revealedresources.com. And no, it won’t work instantly and yes, it will take time, effort and some money!

 

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