For some reason, I’ve been hearing a lot of focus on sales lately.  So, I thought I’d give my 5 cents.  Technology has made selling as complex as dating, not always a good thing.  As service based businesses we seem obsessed with social media (even with fewer than 1,000 followers meaning not many people are listening yet), Groupons, email…..it’s like we forgot how to personally relate with our prospects.

So, what do we do about that?  Try reverting back to some sales basics!

1. The telephone.  The  most overused reason I hear to avoid phone calls is that “it will be invasive.”  So, the creation of email has made the phone call rude and invasive?  You know what?  An email is WAY easier than a phone call to completely ignore.  And, if your prospect is busy, forget it, your email is getting buried in a pile of more important priorities.  Get over your fear of being invasive and JUST DO IT. (Thanks, Nike.)  Seriously, what’s the worst that will happen?  If your email isn’t getting an answer, then it’s not like you have a hot prospect.  So, that phone call, if they pick up, tell you you smell bad, and they never want to hear from you again, isn’t any worse rejection than lack of response to your emails.  Now, if you can’t handle someone saying to your face that they are not interested, I can recommend some great therapists for you.  You should get over that bull as quickly as possible so you can use one of the best tools around to set up a meeting with your prospects.
2. Live networking.  Nowadays, we have virtual networking, we have speed networking, you name it.  But nothing beats a live event where you can approach everyone in the room, introduce yourself, and find out where you can best be of service.  The act of being in person, and having quality time, instead of 2 minutes, gives you so much increased likelihood of meeting a prospect than tweeting your best business tips.  Oh, and while you’re AT the event, unless social media is your business, please don’t spend the whole time tweeting because it is EYE CONTACT that engages people!
3. Knock on the Door.  If your ideal client is a mom-and-pop shop, why not just pop in, give them your card, and see if they’d be open to setting up a future appointment?

Want more awesome ideas to get more clients and make more money?  Click here!