STOP Selling and Start Educating
STOP Selling and Start Educating
2. Your dialogue with your client becomes not a sales presentation but a comfortable, enjoyable dialogue between two equal partners focusing on their needs. 3. Your customers view you with increased respect and as more caring, concerned and competent. 4. Customer relations are stronger, more in-depth and much more satisfying and they will be more willing to share information with you. 5. Less time is spent prospecting, and more time spent doing what you love. When I am talking to prospective clients, friends, or referral partners I become "Curious George". I have a list of well crafted, insightful, powerful questions that I ask my future clients. I am truly curious about their needs, wants and desires and want to offer them help in any way I can. Here are examples of a few questions I often ask my clients in my specific market. 1. "So, tell me about your business and what you love about it?" 2. "What do you feel are the biggest challenges in marketing your professional services in your industry?" 3. "How much time do you spend daily marketing your services"? 4. "What is the one item you struggle with most when marketing your services?" For me, to be effective I must know the needs and desires of my future clients. I must be curious and care. Once I know the needs of my clients it is only then can I provide helpful, informative, and timely information. TRUE STORY I recently was interviewing copy writers for my soon-to-be-released "updated" website. The majority of my copy had been written and I was looking for someone to edit, massage and modify as needed. As a Business Coach I was also looking for an excellent referral partner for my business clients who many times need a good copywriter to modify their marketing materials. "Sam" showed up at my offices in a pair of running shorts and tennis shoes explaining he came straight from the gym. I have no problem with casual attire
but this was a bit much. He begins his presentation congratulating me for not making the mistake of attempting to write my own copy since most small business owners are not qualified and should not be doing it! (Oops...he assumed I had not already written my copy). He then went on to explain his background, strengths, interests, blah, blah, blah. The first 20 minutes were solely focused on "Sam", his views, his work, and his agenda. As a Sales Coach, I felt compelled to help him out and asked him if there was anything he wanted to know about MY business and needs. He didn't get it! He went on to explain that once we come to an agreement to work together, all those types of questions and information about my business will be discussed. He then continued his presentation on his views, talent and abilities. An hour later, I walked him to the door and thanked him for his time. I promptly called the next potential copywriter on my list and have no plans to do business with "Sam". So what are the lessons learned? Focus your immediate attention on your clients and future clients by asking questions, questions, and more questions. Find out everything that you can about your prospect's business, goals, hopes, dreams and immediate needs. Then, and only then, do you start offering solutions, ideas and suggestions. You cannot hope to have a match between your products or services and your prospect's needs and wants unless you ask questions. Action Item: 1. Start today and craft #10 insightful, powerful, open-ended questions that are specific for your industry or niche. 2. Meet with a future client in the next 48 hours and get curious. Use your newly crafted questions and find their "hot buttons" and come-up with 2-3 solutions for them. 3. Offer them "no obligation" helpful advice, i.e. an article that relates to an issue they were struggling with, directing them to a helpful resource, encouragment etc.
You will be amazed at the results.
STOP Selling and Start Educating - To learn more about this author, visit Diana Gelow's Website.
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Why do so many ambitious, hard-working and talented service professionals struggle to get customers and win sales? Because... they were taught that "selling" means "convincing" others that their services are the best and "selling" them on how great they are. Most service professionals dislike how it feels; manipulative, self-serving and gimmicky. So...one of two things typically happens; 1. They don't "sell" and rely solely on word-of-mouth and hope the well does not dry up, or 2. They force themselves to "sell" and typically are not satisfied with the results find they are working too hard for the results they are getting! It doesn't have to be that way - and it shouldn't be that way... Today's business environment is much more competitive and the old way of "selling" will not typically give you the results you desire. In my 90 day Essential Get Clients Marketing Makeover Coaching Program one of the 9 sessions that I teach my clients is how to sell with commitment. This first step in "selling with commitment" is one of the hottest, most important elements in educational based marketing today. Here are the TOP 2 reasons successful service professionals achieve better results than others and love doing it... 1. They ask great questions and listen. 2. They provide helpful information and advice. Stop selling and start educating your clients by giving them what they want...helpful information and advice based on their needs, and stop giving them what they don't want...a sales pitch. By asking insightful powerful questions and providing helpful, informative advice you'll find that: 1. Your Customers will want to buy from you and your company, (even if it may cost them a bit more).
2. Your dialogue with your client becomes not a sales presentation but a comfortable, enjoyable dialogue between two equal partners focusing on their needs. 3. Your customers view you with increased respect and as more caring, concerned and competent. 4. Customer relations are stronger, more in-depth and much more satisfying and they will be more willing to share information with you. 5. Less time is spent prospecting, and more time spent doing what you love. When I am talking to prospective clients, friends, or referral partners I become "Curious George". I have a list of well crafted, insightful, powerful questions that I ask my future clients. I am truly curious about their needs, wants and desires and want to offer them help in any way I can. Here are examples of a few questions I often ask my clients in my specific market. 1. "So, tell me about your business and what you love about it?" 2. "What do you feel are the biggest challenges in marketing your professional services in your industry?" 3. "How much time do you spend daily marketing your services"? 4. "What is the one item you struggle with most when marketing your services?" For me, to be effective I must know the needs and desires of my future clients. I must be curious and care. Once I know the needs of my clients it is only then can I provide helpful, informative, and timely information. TRUE STORY I recently was interviewing copy writers for my soon-to-be-released "updated" website. The majority of my copy had been written and I was looking for someone to edit, massage and modify as needed. As a Business Coach I was also looking for an excellent referral partner for my business clients who many times need a good copywriter to modify their marketing materials. "Sam" showed up at my offices in a pair of running shorts and tennis shoes explaining he came straight from the gym. I have no problem with casual attire
but this was a bit much. He begins his presentation congratulating me for not making the mistake of attempting to write my own copy since most small business owners are not qualified and should not be doing it! (Oops...he assumed I had not already written my copy). He then went on to explain his background, strengths, interests, blah, blah, blah. The first 20 minutes were solely focused on "Sam", his views, his work, and his agenda. As a Sales Coach, I felt compelled to help him out and asked him if there was anything he wanted to know about MY business and needs. He didn't get it! He went on to explain that once we come to an agreement to work together, all those types of questions and information about my business will be discussed. He then continued his presentation on his views, talent and abilities. An hour later, I walked him to the door and thanked him for his time. I promptly called the next potential copywriter on my list and have no plans to do business with "Sam". So what are the lessons learned? Focus your immediate attention on your clients and future clients by asking questions, questions, and more questions. Find out everything that you can about your prospect's business, goals, hopes, dreams and immediate needs. Then, and only then, do you start offering solutions, ideas and suggestions. You cannot hope to have a match between your products or services and your prospect's needs and wants unless you ask questions. Action Item: 1. Start today and craft #10 insightful, powerful, open-ended questions that are specific for your industry or niche. 2. Meet with a future client in the next 48 hours and get curious. Use your newly crafted questions and find their "hot buttons" and come-up with 2-3 solutions for them. 3. Offer them "no obligation" helpful advice, i.e. an article that relates to an issue they were struggling with, directing them to a helpful resource, encouragment etc.
You will be amazed at the results.
STOP Selling and Start Educating - To learn more about this author, visit Diana Gelow's Website.
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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