Marketing Kuel Category Expert: Lori Lyons
“Selling Is Yukky.” “I hate Marketing.” “I just don’t feel comfortable talking about myself.” “I can’t charge THAT much!” Sound familiar?
I hear this so much from entrepreneurs today. Is it that for many of us, we were taught that “nice girls don’t talk about themselves” (hello, Southern upbringing here!) or “I’m just not sure I know enough to charge that much” to, “people just won’t pay that much for my services.”
Before we talk about overcoming these limiting beliefs (and this is just what they are) let’s define the difference between sales and marketing – Business 101. The simple definitions are: marketing is the method in which you drive potential clients and customers to you. Sales is what you do with those potential clients once you get them. More on this later…
“you are great at what you do and you help people”
Before we start with sales and marketing, you must first work on your limiting beliefs around what you do and how you serve. The most important shift to make is: you are great at what you do and you help people. You offer a service (or product) that you know helps your potential clients in a unique way. You’ve discovered tools to help yourself or your friends lose weight, overcome debilitating grief, or reconcile a troubled relationship. Perhaps you have the perfect skills that help business owners with their bookkeeping or administrative tasks. You do this in a way that no one else can duplicate because you are you. Work on your mindset first and then tackle marketing and sales with these easy steps to attract and sell.
Starting with Marketing:
Attract The Right Clients
In the process of growing your business, marketing comes before sales. In order to sell clients, you must first attract them. The golden rule of marketing is to know your target market. (For more on identifying your target market, see my July article. ) Remember, not everyone will need what you offer so don’t market to everyone.
Speak To Your Ideal Client Directly
Know where your ideal clients hang out. If social media is your jam, then where are you more likely to find your clients? For many of us, our prospects are on Facebook. Stats released by Khoros, a digital consulting company, show that of social media users, 51% of Facebook users are between the ages of 50 and 65. Instagram users over 50, on the other hand, only account for 23% of the users. Yet, so many of us are focused on conquering Instagram. With all the social media confusion today and feeling panicked if we aren’t on “all” the platforms no wonder so many hate marketing!
Conquer Your Video Fear
Video is continuing to be the number one way to attract your ideal clients on social media. 92% of videos are watched on mobile devices and 85% of viewers watch without sound. (Make sure your videos are mobile friendly and are transcribed with closed captions.) There are a bazillion YouTube videos on how to use video in your marketing. Find and follow them for video best practices.
Now you are starting to attract your ideal client, you are scheduling time with them. You’ve gotten to know them, to find out if they are a fit for your services. Suddenly – it’s time to make your offer – aka sell them. Your throat closes up, your palms become clammy, and speaking suddenly becomes difficult. Now what!!
Simple Steps To Avoid Selling Panic!
Don’t Wing It
Write out your offer step by step including every feature of your service then follow with the BENEFIT.. An easy way is to add “so that…” after each feature. For example – “Weekly modules with two videos and three worksheets are provided so that you can learn XXXX at your own pace and on your own time.”
Create a Cheat Sheet
Use talking points for reference when presenting your offer. As a bonus, you can create these as a PDF to send to your prospect as a follow up. Talking points allow us to naturally present our offer instead of reading the offer.
Practice!
Practice, practice, and more practice. Do it with your husband, your cat, the wall. Practice on video (see above – combine these two points for practice on each!) Practice saying the price out loud. Hear the price. Avoid apologizing for the price. Practice all the way to the conclusion which is asking for the sale. “Sara – this program seems perfect for you and I’d love to work with you. May I send the agreement (note – not contract) to you and schedule your first session?”
The goal of all of this is to confidently, clearly and enthusiastically share your services so your ideal clients throw money at you. Successful marketing and sales takes confidence, time, practice, and a clear offer. Add a bit of chutzpah in there and you are on your way. Let me know if these easy steps to attract and sell work for you.
About the Author:
Lori is America’s Midlife Marketing Maven helping GenXBoomers take the frustration and mystery out of marketing their businesses. She owns a digital marketing agency,and specializes in website design, branding and marketing strategy. She loves teaching Encore Entrepreneurs how to grow their businesses so they can concentrate on following THEIR passions and THEIR clients. Lori thinks there is nothing better than seeing someone’s eyes light up when they “get it” and then they take it and make money, easily and simply and without the stress they had before.
Lori will be launching her podcast, The Encore Entrepreneur Podcast this summer where she will be interviewing entrepreneurs and talking about how they market their businesses and the tools and techniques they use. She lives in Atlanta with her husband of almost 30 years and helps her 22 year old entrepreneur son with his marketing. She is a sports fanatic and loves her Atlanta Braves baseball!
