What do we want? More profit. When do we want it? Now.
How do we get more profit now? Sell, sell, sell!
No one enjoys marketing and sales -- but no business can survive without them. That's why it's time to stop the mindless sale that never ends and shift our focus to helping people find what they need instead. Productive marketing is a lot less stressful than the perpetual panic that comes with bottomless finance needs. It's time to invest in customer service and education rather than just trying to make a quick buck on each transaction...
1. Stop selling so hard.
Stop trying to make every customer into a lifelong client. Stop trying to get them to "buy in" or sign on the dotted line. You don't need short-term, high-pressure sales now. You need long-term customers who are happy and willing to spread the good word about your organization or product -- and you can't use pressure tactics to accomplish that goal.
2. Start helping so much .
Rather than getting the customer from Point A to Point B as fast as possible, find out what's going on at their Point A, become a partner in their journey, and help them get where they want to go, even if it's not with you.
3. Make the client an advocate, not a customer.
Stop thinking of customers as "customers," and start thinking of them as "advocates" instead. Opportunities to spread positive reviews and public endorsements are everywhere, so don't leave them on the table -- create more of them whenever possible.
Start helping people find solutions that don't involve you. When your potential customers land on your site, ask them if they have a problem or need that you can solve before selling anything to them! Develop a presence on social media that promotes helpful information, great content and occasionally advertises your products or services (but keeps the focus on helping instead of selling).
Give people value, not just stuff . We tend to think that we're offering brochures, email blasts, advertising on a website and a sales pitch -- but in reality, we're really giving people value in every interaction. When you focus on putting the right information in front of the right people, valuable results happen.
Instead of giving direct sales pitches, regularly ask your customers what they need or want. Do they need new information? A design help? An endorsement from an expert they trust? A technology that allows them to complete a task more easily? An improved interface so they can do it even faster? Send them the information or product that will help them do what they already want to do -- and then stop selling when you've delivered it.
4. Build communities instead of promoting products.
Stop asking your customers to sign up for a newsletter, and instead encourage them to join a community discussion or other collaborative forum that will help them find answers to their problems, solve problems they're having or just get information they need.
When you build communities that focus on answers and support instead of sales pitches, you'll have happier advocates who come back more often and tell more people about your site -- and how great you are at helping them!
5. Focus on the value you provide rather than the sale itself .
Stop trying to get your buyers to see you as an expert in a particular field -- and stop selling them on the benefits of what you do. Instead, focus on the value you provide or offer, and let your potential clients decide whether they'd be willing to pay for it. Help them find out what that value is before they decide whether they need or want what you're offering.
"Before" and "After" is a term we throw around to describe the difference between an action or event and its impact. Think about your company like an after -- not a before -- for your customers when it comes to sales pitches and promotion efforts at every level:
Your customers don't need you to tell them how great you are.
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