How to Avoid Selling & Still Get More Business (Article)

Wouldn't it be great if clients came to you ready to hire you or buy your products ?  Can you imagine no more awkward sales presentations or pitches?  No longer feeling like you have to convince someone to hire you or buy your products.  No more waiting out the deadly silence while your prospect makes a decision.  I know, it sounds too good to be true, right?  Honestly, it's not!

You can avoid selling altogether when you understand two simple things.  First, and most importantly, marketing your business is really about building a relationship with your prospect.  By shifting your focus and efforts on building a relationship with your prospect rather than selling them something, you remove the anxiety of "getting" the sale.

When your focus is completely on listening to and helping your prospect , you'll both feel more relaxed and able to explore their challenges and whether or not you can help solve them.  If you are not able to help them, that's okay, too.  When you come from a place that asks, "How can I help you?" your prospect will remember you.  Then, when they do need your services they will come back to you.  Plus, they're more likely to refer someone they know to you because you were genuine and sincere.

The second thing to keep in mind is that every prospect may not be an ideal client for you .  I know that may sound crazy especially when you are hungry to have more business.  However, taking on a client just for the sake of money is not the best business practice.  Instead, you want to screen or pre-qualify your prospects before they contact you.

When you pre-qualify your prospects before you speak with them , you get people that are serious and truly interested in the services and products you have to offer.  The screening process can also shorten the amount of time you spend building the relationship.  So, how do you screen or pre-qualify your prospects first?

You focus your marketing efforts on your ideal clients or customers.   That means all your marketing materials including your business card, brochure, website, product catalog, email campaigns, sales letters, and promotional events need to focus on capturing the attention of those choice prospects.  In order to do that you must know who your ideal clients are.  

Knowing who your preferred customer is not only helps you pre-qualify your prospects it also makes marketing to them easier.  Because you can customize your messages to attract them, rather than creating random marketing pieces that are generic, hoping that something will stick.  As a result, your marketing efforts act as a filter that screens prospects for you because your messages speak directly to them and address their specific concerns.

Your customized marketing messages should create a natural desire for them to want to hire or buy from you even before you speak with them.  So all you have to focus on during conversations with potential clients are their needs, and rather than selling them something you can offer to be of assistance to them - which also helps to cultivate the relationship.

When you use your marketing materials to drive prospects to you, your only job is to ask them, "How can I be of service to you today?"  Can you see how this approach will make a huge difference to your bottom line?  Focus your efforts on building lasting relationships and you will never have to worry about selling your products and services again!