Most of the service providers Ive worked for or with dont like marketing or selling. In fact, a lot of them will say they hate it. At the very least, theyll tell me they dont think they are very good at it. If you ask them why it is they feel this way, youre most likely to get some common responses such as: When do I have the time? Im busy enough as it is. I dont know where to start. I dont know what to do. Ive tried networking, but I dont ever get anything. I just dont have the gift of gab. Im a _________, not a marketing or sales person. When you ask those same professionals what it is that they like to do, youre likely to get something such as they love to solve problems or help their clients do something that they cant really do for themselves. They enjoy being able to provide valuable information to those who need it the most, their ideal clients. What they dont understand is that positioning themselves as problem solvers is also a better approach to marketing. Shift your focus from having to market and sell yourself and your services to being a provider of information and a solver of problems for your ideal clients. Youll not only enjoy the journey more, youll actually become a better and more successful marketer/seller. Thats right! Dont focus on trying to convince, persuade, or sell. Take the pressure off yourself. Provide information to help solve problems and provide solutions and youll build more business. People (including businesses) hire or buy services because they have a problem, pain, issue, or some other business or personal need that they dont have the time, the skills, or the inclination to address for themselves. People and businesses realize they cant, and frankly dont want to do it all. Of course, you knew that. But why arent they buying those services from you? You see when youre marketing and selling, you tend to focus on trying to persuade and sell. You talk a lot about and share materials that are focused on who you ARE, what you HAVE, what you can DO, or what you KNOW. We most often market the features and services we want them to buy from us. Im sure youve been there trying to convince we have the capabilities, persuade that were the best option, and sell the features and benefits of our service(s). What doesnt get explained is what they GET from working with you. Many business owners believe its a numbers game. Were led to believe that if we tell enough people, eventually someone will recognize the value and say, Hey, thats just what Ive been looking for. But this leads to a lot of rejection. No wonder you dont enjoy marketing yourself. Shift your focus. Clearly articulate the problem or problems that you want to help your ideal clients solve when communicating with prospects and referral sources and they will begin to listen. Then, if you can demonstrate credibly that you can provide a solution to that problem, theyll want to know more. Youre going to enjoy the process a whole lot more and youll be amazed at how much more successful youll be! |
