Sales… do you feel a bit icky about selling? A lot of business owners do. Some are perfectly comfortable with it from the get-go (can I please have some of that?!), while for others, it can be a bit of a journey.
Making sales and asking for money is something that I’m slowly working on getting better at. I don’t think I will ever use a direct approach – it isn’t “me”. Thankfully, I haven’t needed to, though.
Here’s why I’ve never needed to do the hard sell…
I’ve been proactive about consistently posting blog articles, both as a freelancer, and then previously as a business owner. In my experience, blogging reduces or removes the need for a hard sell because when my potential clients read my blogs, they come to know, like, and trust me.
Allow me to explain…
1. Get to Know Me
“So, what do you do?” isn’t a question I have to answer too much. Most of the people I talk to know exactly what I do because they’ve read my blog articles that cover all my areas of expertise and my interests. They’re also conveniently able to click through and check out my services while they’re on my website. And not only do they know what I do, they understand my unique approach and philosophy around it.
This means that when someone contacts me, I rarely have to spend time educating them on the what, why, and how, because they already know.
2. Get to Like Me
My blog is where I bare all! Okay, not exactly, but I do use it to tell stories about my life, from childhood experiences and business mistakes I’ve made, to my wins and fails, and even my family life. Hopefully the effect of this is that potential clients get to know me on a more personal level and decide if they like and can relate to me. If they don’t, they won’t contact me. If they do, they will! It’s that simple.
Basically, this works to automatically filter out 90% of the people who won’t be a good fit for my approach to business. It saves everybody time and effort.
3. Learn to Trust Me
My potential clients know that I am reliable and trustworthy before they even decide to get in touch or make a purchase. It’s because they can see clear evidence that I know what I’m talking about and I’m here, week in, week out, providing content to my audience. I’m clearly not the kind of freelancer who is going to suddenly disappear without delivering on my promise (sadly, this happens a fair bit).
This is why I don’t have to sell. Before someone hits a “buy” button or opens an email to get in touch with me, chances are, they’ve made up their mind about whether or not I’m a fit for their needs. When we chat, it’s not a matter of selling myself to them, but figuring out the finer details of what they need and how I can help. Then if we’re a fit, we do business. It’s that simple.
You can have this too!
Cut down on your sales processes and that awkward “here’s what we can do for you” conversation by creating regular blog articles on your company website and making sure that your potential customers and clients can see them. Once they get to know, like, and trust you, you will be their #1 choice to buy from when they are ready.
Happy blogging!
Angela
