eBook contents
Introduction
Build trust. Research your competitors. Your website - DiY, paid or free.
Don't persuade or manipulate because it causes resistance, confusion and anxiety.
Instead make your service REALLY easy to understand and buy (quality)
then tell a lot of people (quantity).
Step 1.
Find your Niche and be easy to understand and buy
Be easy-to-understand
Niche to be understood in 10 seconds. Specialise in what you sell and who you sell it to.
Educate. Educating, does not mean 'explaining what you sell' - that's just selling.
Be easy-to-buy
Forget Pricing. Pick a price then focus on steps 1 to 4.
Build trust. Your face, location (country, city and suburb) phone and email.
Start with 'free'. Free content and chat. Use free e-books/sessions later.
Productize. Set a price for an outcome. Like selling a product
Staggered Pricing for coaches, $0-quick. $50-Mini. $350-Full ...
Installment Pricing for coaches. $550 monthly or $1500 for 3 months
Staggered Pricing for freelancers, "Websites $3000. Free consult, $300 to start then ..."
Now you're an 'expert' that's easy to understand and buy. Your competent and have started to build trust. Interested prospects should be 80% ready to buy.
Time to talk.
Step 2.
Get clients. You contact them
"They won't remember what you said, but they'll never forget how you made them feel."
Maya Angelou
Paid ads
Use your articles as Paid Ads to educate people. So you're helping, not selling.
Partner Marketing. Team-up with non-competing businesses that have same target market
with in-person events, blogs and newsletters. Example - writer and web designer. Then you can share advertising costs. More difficult than it sounds because we live in a highly individualized, competitive society
Business cards
Say something about your business in day-to-day conversations. Maybe they're interested.
Work for 'free'
Freelancers - for a 'your passion' business. Only if you get free advertising in return
Coaches - To gather feedback and for reviews and referrals
Cold-calls to local businesses
Why cold call? 2 reasons. 1) not heard of you = cannot buy from you.
2) now your email is not annoying spam because you've spoken
This is the most cost-effective marketing on planet earth.
Do not cold email. It signals rip-off
It's a 10 second phone call (or visit - letter drop off) to ONLY introduce yourself.
No selling, pitching or qualifying.
Call businesses close to you. This decreases 'stranger danger'
Check their website for 30 seconds before the call
Don’t raise your voice, sound formal or enthusiastic. Talk like you're at a friends party
Do 18 phone calls in 2 weeks to break through the fear barrier
Here's what to say
How they react is irrelevant because it's out of your control.
"This is James pause calling from (your suburb) pause can you hear me ok?"
"I'm reading your website and I'm calling to introduce my business to your business."
Then email them
If you get voicemail, drop the "can you hear me?" and end it with "I'll email now."
Step 3.
They contact you
Get clients by knowing how to reply
to inquiries, comments and complaints
"The problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply." Stephen Covey
Nurture leads, don't just reply
Research them. Understand the question. If it's a digital lead move it to telephone.
Reply quickly. Don't run-your-mouth, talk-down or sound clinical. Reply 3-6 times
Know what to say and how to say it
Interpersonal Skills.
Be slow to say "no". Don't be an 'order taker'. Be vulnerable not Clinical. Build trust
Be curious and courteous - Ask questions to uncover problems
Social media works best with conversations not "buy-my-stuff!".
If you have REALLY helped someone, for free, set up a referral.
You don't have to sell something to ask for a referral. See next step
You will get some type of value, from most of your leads if you do all of the above
Step 4.
Grow clients
Get repeat sales, reviews and referrals
A sale is not the end, for solos, it's a new beginning. Because solos cannot survive by hunting for new sales every day.
Loyal clients will give you the 3 most important things for your small business
1) repeat sales 2) reviews 3) referrals. If you don't get at least 1 of these, you're in Barney Rubble (trouble)
How to get repeat sales
'Thank you' calls. Courtesy calls. Follow-up calls. List all your services in calls / emails
How to get a review and referrals without asking
Research says MOST businesses don't ask for referrals AND that MOST happy customers are happy to refer people.
see e-book for more details.
Epilogue.
Confidence, curiosity, vulnerability and forgiveness
see e-book for more details.