Do you have introverted tendencies? Or, do you tend to resist going out and meeting people and building relationships?
I’m here to tell you it’s time to stop fearing other people, it’s time to start building relationships– That is if you want to grow a successful business.
If you’re reading this I’m going to guess that you are interested in starting a business, or you’ve already started one, but are struggling to grow it or make more sales and help more people. You’re likely looking for ways to start selling without feeling icky or sleazy, and hoping I can help (I can!).
Making sales doesn’t have to feel sleazy and making connections can happen naturally and can actually be enjoyable.
Three Typical Business Patterns to Avoid
Let me start by saying, that hearing NO, is okay and is not considered a failure, BUT there are ways that you can invest in your business and your audience that can assist in your ultimate success.
- Stop Chasing Money – Every time you put money first, and allow it to be your primary motivation, before serving your audience, clients or customers, your projects will likely fail.
- Do NOT Rush Things – Plan ahead. Actually think through what you want to do, so that you can determine if it’s something you actually want to do. If not, you’ll have to work twice as hard to keep up-to-date on it because you’ll be dreading the work.
- Share Openly – When we come up with a new idea, we often want to hold it in and not share it with anyone because we worry about the idea being stolen. Stop fearing that, the likelihood of that happening is slim, and even if it does happen there is only one YOU, and you will bring a whole different, unique element to your idea. In other words, share with people, get their feedback, ask for tips, don’t be afraid to share!
Selling Isn’t Bad
Pat Flynn creator of The Smart Passive Income podcast, a recent guest on Success Unfiltered, shared with us the first time he felt that selling was bad.
He had been invited to speak at an event that was affordable to attend, so he invited some of his fans to join him at the event and for a meet-up beforehand, and to learn and network from the individuals at the conference.
What Pat didn’t know was that the entire conference was a pitchfest, meaning everybody who spoke at the event sold something at the end of their presentation, rather than just providing value. He just didn’t like being sold to in that way. He feels that selling this way is too aggressive, and that just isn’t his style, and leaves him feeling icky. He was disappointed that he had invited so many of his fans to the meet-up at a conference when it was handled in this way. (Not to mention, Pat knew there was a better way!)
Pat believes that before you can sell anything, you must develop a relationship with your listeners, readers, fans, etc. When you are regularly giving away free content, and you show your fans how you can solve their problems, they learn that they can trust you and your way of doing business. THIS is when people begin to buy.
Most entrepreneurs know who Pat Flynn is. They’re familiar with his amazing podcast, and many are familiar (and have purchased) his courses. Pat regularly provides his audience with incredible content that is full of knowledge, but recently he was asked by Chalene Johnson to speak at her Marketing Impact Academy conference, under the condition that he must sell his new podcast course to her audience at the end of his presentation.
Because of Pat’s previous experience with the pitchfest, he was completely turned off thinking of selling to Chalene’s audience. He just didn’t believe he needed to sell that way. However, with some nudging from Chalene, Pat agreed.
At that conference he spoke for an hour and a half, he gave an hour of solid content all about relationship building, and then he spent a short amount of time chatting about his new course, Power-Up Podcasting. Before he had even finished describing the course, hundreds of people had already stepped to the back of the room to fill out the form to buy the course.
All of this happened because Pat generously gives so much content away. People know that what he gives away freely is amazing, so his courses are probably out of this world.
Don’t be afraid of selling. Instead, focus on building relationships with people, then introduce them to your products and they will buy.
We’re Programmed to Listen to Stories
So, we now know that in order to feel better about selling we need to make those connections and build relationships with our fans, but that doesn’t directly mean you’re going to get sales.
Now, you need to learn how to make sales!
We’re all programmed to listen to stories, which is why storytelling is definitely one of the best marketing strategies out there, and of course, something we should all learn how to do better. Honing in on that particular skill can be huge for marketing. What’s great about it is that if you tell a great story, a sale almost happens naturally at the conclusion of the story it relates to.
It makes complete sense! When you tell a story about a pain that people can relate to, and the solution, and explain how what you’re offering can provide that solution, people will want to buy.
Another way to make a natural sale? Provide proof that your product works!
Show the results from the actions you’ve taken, that you’re now selling a course, webinar or whatever. Don’t be afraid to share your results, and don’t be afraid to share the results of those who you’ve helped. Allow others to tell their story of the success they’ve found with your products.
People want to buy, you just have to make sure you’re the one they buy from.
In Conclusion
Take the pressure off your audience, and make it only about them, not about the sale or the money, but the results you hope they will receive. Allow the sale to happen naturally by telling stories, being authentic and vulnerable, and you’ll have a client or customer for life.
Get more from Pat:
- Let Go
- Will It Fly? How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don’t Waste Your Time and Money
- The Toilet Kid
- Paleo All-In-One For Dummies
- Paleo Workouts For Dummies
- Repetition and Resistance: A Short Book on Working Out
- How To Be Better at Almost Everything
Connect with Pat:
