I have seen it over and over!
I have had people sobbing on my shoulder.
I have heard the rants.
I have held the hands of “imposters.” (Imposter complex is running rampant.)
Let me wipe your tears once and for all.
I know marketing your business is hard! After all, who really likes to sell? (Did you just throw-up in your mouth little bit?)
“Let hell freeze over before I become one of those salesy people.”
I’ve even been there myself!
Let me give you a little back-story.
When I graduated college back in the stoned age, I dove into a corporate job.
I worked in my cubicle, making phone call after phone call.
I spun my little brains out…
“Well Mr customer, you have a busy and thriving real estate office. How is your copier working for you? It jams a lot huh? And when it jams a lot, what happens? Do you get really frustrated? Does it mean you have to stop what you’re doing to open up the machine, root around for the stuck piece of paper, get your hands full of toner, close the machine, (run to the bathroom first to wash your hands – that damn toner gets on everything) and then get back to what you were doing?” What would it be like if you didn’t have to worry or anticipate the hassle of constant paper jams? With our Marathon 1025 you can say goodbye to the hassle of paper jams.”
What was the situation they were experiencing? What problems were coming from that situation? What were the implications to the overall business? What did they really need?
Ugh…Those were some of the hardest calls to make. I felt so stupid…and salesy.
I moved on from the copier world into the tech industry – I felt like I “arrived!”
I started with a “junior” salesperson account base, you know…the accounts no one wanted because they were the misfits.
Since I was new to electronics, components, manufacturing and the corporate world I had a huge learning curve to rise to.
So…while I was on that roller coaster, (and scared to death of sounding really stupid) I would call on my accounts (engineers, purchasing managers, buyers,) I would ask questions and I would just listen. I really had nothing to add to the conversation because I had no idea how all this “stuff” worked.
While I was doing this dog and pony act day after day something happened…
They started talking to me!
They started telling me all about their business functions. They told me about the hassles with certain vendors. And they asked if I could help?
I learned about their situations. They told me their problems. I saw the implications to their business. I helped find a solution.
The SPIN(TM) training I learned, the countless phone calls I made to unsuspecting prospects, and the digging in to help my customers find the answers to the line-stopping (literally, production lines would screech to a halt if we didn’t get the right components) ended up doing something magical!
*que the glitter and the harp music*
It helped me turn accounts around – my biggest from doing $1200 a year in sales to $1.2 million per year.
That’s a 1,000% increase
Are you getting where I’m going with the story?
I know you were expecting this really cool trick, the ultimate HACK, that would cut through all the crap, tears, and trudging through the trenches.
Damn you Christine – you lead me down the fairy path only to throw me in the mud!
And there my dearest, is the glitter covered magic pill!
And believe me, I forget this all the time. I too have been searching for the illustrious shortcut to fame and wealth in my business.
When I get frustrated. When I get fed-up. When I feel sheepish and stupid about making a phone call or sending an intro email, I start looking for shortcuts. A bright shiny object that will ease my business building pain. A growth hack that will end my misery.
Every time I start that search, I end up in the mud down at the end of the fairy path that I let someone lead me down.
Then I brush the mud from my face and behind my ears and go back to basics.
I go back to the hard lessons I learned on all those sales calls I made 8 hours a day.
And I find the magic in the lessons. The constant practice of listening and learning. The trust and confidence that has been built because I listened to what was going on with my customers.
You see, there is no shortcut. That magic pill is a placebo – there is nothing to it!
The real magic is in the work! (You can call bullshit on me, but you know I’m right!)
- Find a sales method that fits for you – not a salesy method, full of “closes” but a method that will teach you how to have a conversation, understand what’s going on for your prospects and offer real solutions for their business.
- Create a marketing strategy that reaches your people.
- Do it every day – over and over again until those conversations become a part of your being.
- Don’t give up – get better with practice.
The totally fulfilling, glitter covered moment, when you know you’ve FOUND your way, is when you start searching again for a NEW method, when that fairy wants to lead you down the path and YOU say to yourself…
NO THANKS – I GOT THIS!
P.S. I’m not a fairy godmother or a GURU, but I can help you write better copy and create content that will grow your business. GRAB your Content Strategy Checklist to get started – and yes, you will be added to my list where you’ll also get emails with tips and ideas to help you make marketing your business easier.
