As an entrepreneur, coach or consultant, you're constantly being sold to. Ads, emails, calls, DM’s...it never stops. And most of the time, it's not even relevant to what you do, you don’t really know those that are pitching to you. It's just noise. It’s what lots of business owners and marketers do because that is what they are constantly being taught in the mainstream marketplace, on courses and on social media. Social media especially is plagued with this tactic. I have been reflecting more on this practice as a business coach and notice more and more requests for people to connect to me and on the very next contact, I am faced with a pitch of a product or service or an invite to this free webinar or that 5 day challenge. Now I am not saying these tactics don’t have their place, they do but at a point when you have built a real connection and there is the ‘know’, ‘like’ & ‘trust’ factor present. I am sure you will have heard of these being referenced many a time before. These 3 factors are what should be given attention as you make new connections and build n audience. Make this your focus and the sales will come. Building the 3 factors will take some time but the effort will serve you in the long run. Engagement & sales will come from the people that most align to you & your approach and they will become the clients whom you will enjoy to work with and they will stay.
Every once in a while, someone comes along and sells you something that you actually need and want. And it feels amazing. They make you feel like you can't live without it. Bang! they have captivated your attention. Can you think of a time when this has happened to you? I can. Over a year ago, I came across a services business brand that attracted my attention in this way. It’s visuals and messaging were so aligned to me and my belief & my aspirations. It painted a picture of possibilities, of inspiration, of expandedness. It stood head & shoulder above other marketing I had seen or experienced in the business world and it grabbed my attention in a compelling way. So much so that I then proactively sought to connect with them and then experience their work as they connected with their audience. Not once did I get a pitch to watch a webinar, buy a course or join an event. That only came after I was in a place of trust. It was all very subtle and a drip feed of inspiration that was talking right to me and understood what was in my mind. It felt magical! The way I experienced this brand was at a point when I was not even a client nor looking for their type of service. It still inspired me into stopping, taking note and then taking action and after almost a year, I took my wallet out to purchase from them. The next step to deepening my relationship and experience with the brand and I have not regretted it.
This is what I call inspiration selling. And this is what I want you to consider for your own business and future clients. When they see and interact with your brand, they don't feel like they're being sold to; They are not bombarded by DM’s and emails but they feel ‘inspired into action’. They contact you. They see themselves working with you because the way you communicate makes them feel that you are the obvious choice to get them where they want to go – fast. Above all when they engage with you it’s an experience & not just a service.
I hope this article has stimulated new thinking for your marketing and sales. I understand that this is just the concept and applying this specifically for your business may need a little more work which may be outside your area of expertise. Know that helps is at hand and reach out if you would like to learn more about this approach.
sales, marketing, business growth, brand building, sales strategy, entrepreneurship