It wasn’t long into my own business journey that I discovered I was opposite of many business owners in one key way. Typically, people go into business for themselves because they love, are good at, and enjoy the work they do, the products they create or service they provide. They get frustrated when it comes to MARKETING and SELLING what they love, what they’re great at doing, and what they enjoy. If you are amazing at what you do, and love doing it…but feel frustrated when it comes to getting new clients or marketing your service, keep reading.
As I was saying, I was / am the opposite. I LOVED marketing and selling, but I hated delivering my core product / service. I eventually wised up, and made marketing and selling THE ACTUAL service I provide. But, along the way, I learned some valuable little mindset and marketing hacks for people who don’t enjoy the marketing and sales process — like, at all. Here they are:
1) Make it seamless.
Your marketing hook and sales funnel should seamlessly lead into the work you actually get paid to do. It should all feel the same to your market. In other words, marketing should never be glitzy and show-y and loud if once you’ve got your market’s attention and their check, they meet with you — an introvert — in a bare-bones, white-walled office. Let me put it another way:
Make your marketing and sales process as service-oriented, as beneficial, as client-focused, as beautiful as the work you do for money. This will take some extra effort and creativity on your part. But go through your marketing hooks, your sales funnels, your indoctrination emails and see where you can make them MORE authentic, less hyped, and more giving.
This new approach will help you feel GREAT about your marketing… and you’ll start dreading it less, which leads me to our next strategy.
2) Make it helpful.
I know you’re in this business to help people. (And since you’re on my blog, I know you’re also in this to make big money, which I applaud.) But, your marketing efforts should actually PROVIDE VALUE… even before your market chooses to do business with you.
3) Ask for Help Quantifying Your Results.
You’ve got clients or patients already that love you. If you’re marketing challenged, you HATE having to ask — or beg — repeatedly for referrals. (Remind me to write a post about how to get more and better referrals, please. I have a very specific technique that works like a charm.) Anyway, initiate conversations with your top, loudest raving fans. Ask them — via phone, skype or in person — to talk you through how you helped them. Listen. Ask lots of questions. Find out where they were before you and how they were feeling. Find out the #1 way you helped them, or the absolute BEST thing you did for them. Find out what’s different for them now… on the other side of working with you.
This is helpful because marketing is darn near impossible when WE aren’t sold on our own value. This is helpful because it gets you in touch — intimately — with the real world results you’re providing.
Once you’ve done this, weave the words you heard coming from your raving fans into your own marketing and sales funnel.
4) Create an Done-In-Advance Marketing Sequence.
Something that runs without you touching it every day. An email sequence perhaps. A seasonal podcast that leads people to a sales page. A webinar that re-launches monthly and drives people to call your office for an appointment. Create ONE marketing asset that runs on autopilot… so marketing isn’t something you’re thinking about — and dreading — every day.
What ELSE? What did I leave out? If you’re marketing adverse — or used to be — what helps YOU? What else do you still need to know? Put it in the comments below.
