For many entrepreneurs, consistently generating sales and scaling their businesses often poses a big challenge. Often, they believe that the key to increasing sales lies in persuading, convincing or pressuring people to buy. However, the truth is that focusing on coercing people to buy can be counterproductive.
Often, many small business owners are not making sales and boosting their revenue because of a negative mindset—limitations imposed by their belief system. In this article, I share three of such mindsets that hinder sales and strategies that can help you overcome them to increase sales, boost revenue, and grow your business sustainably.
Here we go…
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You Are Anxious to Sell
In more than a decade of coaching small business owners on how to grow revenue and profits, I have discovered that the easiest way to make consistent sales and increase your revenue is not through aggressive selling tactics, but by indoctrinating prospects. Indoctrination, in this context, means educating, teaching or helping a client understand what they truly need. This approach shifts your focus from selling your products or services to educating potential clients about the changes they want to experience.
What selling by education means
The most successful entrepreneurs understand that the secret to making more sales lies not in prioritizing selling, but in building trust, and helping prospective clients understand their needs. This approach fosters genuine relationships between both parties and creates an environment where customers feel confident and ready to buy.
Your role is not to put your prospects under pressure when selling. Instead, focus on educating them about the results they are looking for. That means you should understand their challenges and be willing to lead them to the solutions they seek. Educating clients in this context does not mean promoting yourself or your products or services. Instead, it is helping them understand their needs so they can make the right choices.
When you help your prospects understand their needs, you invariably align yourself with them. They perceive you as a trusted adviser, which enhances your credibility and increases your chances of making more sales.
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Clients Don’t Know What They Want
Many business owners come to the market with a preconceived notion that clients don’t know what they want. In reality, most clients clearly understand their needs. Selling, therefore, is not trying to convince your clients to buy something they don’t want or cannot afford. It is about helping them make the right decision about what they already want.
This mistake is common among consultants and other professional service entrepreneurs who carry themselves as “experts.” They erroneously believe they understand their clients’ businesses more than the clients do and can tell them what they want.
But here’s the truth: Most clients have a pretty good idea of what they are looking for, and they only need help clarifying them or finding the right fit. As an entrepreneur, you are the one who helps them find that fit. On the other hand, when you assume the clients are clueless, you risk coming across as anxious, out of touch and manipulative, which turns clients off.
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Practical Steps to Align with Client Needs:
The starting point is reframing your mind and believing that your clients know what they want. However, they need your support to articulate and accomplish them. Here are the steps you can take:
- Listen and ask questions. When meeting with a potential client, only listen, focusing on understanding their viewpoints. Ask questions that encourage them to share more thoughts, insights, and goals.
- Clarify Their Needs. From what you just heard, summarize your understanding and confirm with them that you understood them. This approach gives them a sense that you have listened to and understand their needs.
- Offer Unique Solutions. With your understanding of their needs, present your solutions (product or service) and educate them further on how it can address their concerns. Clients will likely trust your recommendations when they feel informed.
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People Don’t Know You Exist
Let’s face the fact: there are tens of thousands of people in the world who need what you are selling right now. The reason these people are not buying from you is not because they don’t need your product or service; the reason is because they do not know you exist. They are unaware that you have the solution their problems need.
The key to overcoming this challenge is visibility. You need to make yourself and your expertise visible to your ideal market. It does not matter where you live or what industry you’re in; if you can demonstrate to your target audience that you understand their problems and can help solve them, they will find you.
Practical steps to put yourself out and educate your audience
The easiest way to create visibility is by putting yourself in the marketplace. Period! There are many strategies for building visibility, but I find the following are two effective.
- Create Content: This is a powerful tool every entrepreneur needs in their marketing and selling tool kit. It comprises regularly sharing knowledge with your ideal clients through email campaigns, blogs, newsletters, books, or eBooks. It also includes creating and publishing videos and podcasts that address the specific pains of your ideal clients.
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- Attend Networking Events is an effective way to get noticed easily and grow your business. Think of it as making friends in the business world. You can attend local events, join online groups, and connect with others. Similar to trust-based selling, the aim of networking is not to make a sale. Instead, it is to connect and build relationships with other business owners who may be interested in what you are doing. It is most effective if you hang out with groups whose members are your ideal market.
Boosting your sales and revenue is not about pushing products or services onto reluctant customers. You must shift your mindset, understand your ideal client’s needs, and make yourself visible in the marketplace. Implementing these strategies can help you create a sustainable and profitable business. Remember, successful entrepreneurs help others achieve their goals—that is how sales come naturally.
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