How to Stop Struggling with the ‘Selling Conversation’

For loads of small business owners in helping/healing professions, selling is a HUGE obstacle in growing their businesses. (“I just want to be of service. I don’t want to market or sell!”)

The problem is they see sales and marketing as separate from the transformation they provide. Which means they constantly struggle with what to say to potential clients that won’t conflict with their values of service, compassion and authenticity.

Take my client, Ritamarie, for example. She’s a nutrition practitioner and had a strong aversion to coming off as “salesy.” It just didn’t fit her style or her audience. Even when she tried to “make the sale,” it often didn’t pan out because there was a disconnect between her passion for what she does and her dispassion for selling.

Unfortunately, the end result was people weren’t hiring her in the numbers she wanted.

We spent a private day working together virtually, constructing a “conversation template” that was comfortable for her and conveyed the value she had to offer. Since then, she’s reported a record number of “yes!” responses (and at a much higher dollar figure than before). Happy day!

Because I know many other heart-centered entrepreneurs struggle with what to say (like Ritamarie used to), I want to give you 3 ultra-simple tips for how to confidently “talk turkey” with clients in a way that’s comfortable – and always in alignment with your values.

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Continue Reading 4 comments October 26th, 2009

Are You Reinventing the Wheel In Your Marketing?

When I first got serious about filling my marketing programs, I knew it was going to require me to (gasp) talk to people, live and in person, or at least on the phone.

(You out-going types may not see the problem, but my fellow-traveling introverts understand what I’m saying. And truth be told, even the most sociable business owner can suddenly become tongue-tied when faced with a “selling conversation.”)

Well, I knew that playing it by ear wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to create a template to follow so I could be certain to touch on all the important points that would lead a prospective client to see the value of my offer.

Template, blueprint, guide, model – whatever you call them, I’m a big believer that templates are the smart entrepreneur’s solution to leapfrogging your way to your business goals.

There’s a mistaken belief floating around that using a template is cheating or will come off as “canned.” But think about it this way – is it cheating for an architect to use a blueprint, or for a chef to use a recipe, or for a tailor to use a dress pattern?

Hardly! It’s just common sense.

Templates are truly an essential tool for doing business well. Just like with the architect, chef and dressmaker, they make your work easier by:
            Giving you a ready-made starting point
            Providing a framework for personal creativity
            Offering predictable results

Here are my top three ways to use templates most profitably. . .

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Continue Reading 2 comments October 7th, 2009