One very common mistake that online service professionals
make is providing endless information on their website,
blog, or ezine without asking for anything in return (i.e.
selling a product or service). Now, that doesn't really
make much sense, does it? How do you stay in business if
you don't have any sales?
I have had clients who simply like to have their products
sit obscurely for sale on their websites and do little to
make their list members or website visitors aware of what
they have for sale for fear of offending their visitors or
subscribers. If someone is going to be offended because
you're trying to sell to them, then just let them go. You
don't need a list of tire-kickers who want to sponge all
the free info that they can from you and never buy anything
-- you'll never be able to stay in business that way.
Why don't service professionals want to sell? I think there
are 3 basic reasons:
1. They are uncomfortable with the process (self-esteem
issues tied to not believing in themselves or their product
or service) and never ask for the sale.
2. They believe the members of their contact list will
revolt if they receive any sales messages.
3. They don't possess a "sales mindset."
I have to chuckle when I do a promotion and get an email
from someone on the list who chastises me for "daring" to
sell to them and notes that they much prefer to "decide"
when they want to buy something from me and then they
threaten to leave the list. I just respond that I'm sorry
that they feel that way, but unfortunately I'm not a
trust-fund baby, and that my hard-earned information has
the same value as any info that they might get from their
car mechanic, doctor, attorney, or accountant, and I've
never seen any of those professionals give away what they
know. Unfortunately, when you own an online business, you
have to educate your target market that you have to charge
for information.
I've come to discover that what's missing in many online
business owners is a sales mentality. Creating a sales
mentality means that you need to acknowledge that you're in
business to make money through selling and that your
customers need to become accustomed to having you sell and
seeing things for sale all over your websites. Sounds
simple, right?
What does an online business owner need to do to foster
his/her own sales mentality? Here are 5 strategies to make
online selling easier:
1. Acknowledge that selling is integral to your business.
Sales isn't a dirty word. How you perceive selling,
however, might be. Many online business owners think, "I'm
a [fill in industry here], not a salesperson. I need to
hire someone to sell for me." Fact is, YOU are really your
own best sales person. If you don't believe in the value of
what you offer, why will anyone else? In order to make a
living, others must know about and buy what you're
offering. They're only able to do this is you have a
process by which you educate them to give you money for
your expertise.
2. Get your list accustomed to seeing sales pitches from
you. When's the last time you sent a promotional email to
your list? Online business owners need to send at least 2
solo promotional emails a month to their list in order to
remain "top of mind" for a specific problem held by their
target market. Don't overuse this tactic, however. I've
seen service professionals email their lists 4-6 times per
week, causing email fatigue with the recipients, who decide
that they don't want any more emails from that person and
opt off that list. I limit myself to one weekly email that
is my ezine, which contains promotional material, as well
as one promotional email when I'm running a sales special
or am holding a special event.
3. Ensure that your marketing materials tell prospects how
to buy. Make it as easy as possible for your contact list
to buy from you. If you're selling information products,
make the "buy now" button readily apparent on your sales
pages. If you're selling a service, give your target market
several options to contact you to buy your service -- by
email, voice mail, instant message, etc.
4. Incorporate the "law of attraction" into your sales
mentality. A sales mentality doesn't have to equate to
slimy. I think one of the most attractive ways to sell
yourself is by sharing your knowledge and expertise with
your target market. As a matter of fact, I'm often told
that this is one of the reasons people seek me out to hire
me -- I don't hide what I know and am willing to share
freely, within reason, of course. I think of selling as
helping my prospects solve their problems, and my
enthusiasm is evident as we start to brainstorm and dissect
how to rid them of a particular problem. Let your
enthusiasm for problem-solving serve as your attraction
mechanism for new clients.
5. Show your prices. Many service business owners won't
list their pricing or fee structure anywhere on marketing
materials because they feel it's necessary to "sell"
themselves on how wonderful they are via a 1:1 conversation
before discussing money. I don't really want to work that
hard. I'd rather prospects come to me fully informed about
all aspects of working with me. Be open and transparent
with your pricing -- don't make prospects jump through
hoops to ascertain if they can afford to hire you. I use my
fees as a screening device -- those who can't afford my
rates won't call, and those who can afford the rate know
exactly how much they will spend. Consequently, when people
call me to hire me, the first thing they say is, "When can
we start working together?" Now, wouldn't you rather have
that type of conversation with a prospect?
A sound sales mentality is necessary for success in any
business. Make sure that you're educating your target
market about how to buy from you.
Your Get Clients Online Assignment: Take a moment to assess
your website, your blog, your ezine, and other marketing
materials. Is it easy to purchase from you? Is it clear
that you have a product or service for sale? If not, start
incorporating the above suggestions today and see how much
your sales increase.
----------------------------------------------------
Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business
Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals
learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their
expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To
claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing
Toolkit, visit her site at http://www.OnlineBizU.com . Ask
Donna an Internet Marketing question at
http://www.AskDonnaGunter.com .
