How market your business with confidence

1. Understand the problem you solve at a deep level

I’ve shared before that when I started my business I interviewed over 50 women. I’ve also shared that interviews, questions, surveys are part and parcel of my business on a regular basis.  Whether I’m speaker coaching or doing a business & brand strategy session with a client we’re always asking –

• What is going on in the world right now that impacts our clients?
• What are they struggling with?
• What are they experiencing?
• How are they feeling?

You have to be relevant and understand how what you do helps them right now.  You can have a product that will serve different people at different times you’ve just got to let them know how it fits for them right now.

Ask yourself these questions:

• If they don’t solve the problem what is the outcome?
• If they don’t find the right person to help them, how will they feel

 

2. Shift your mindset around sharing what you have

Once you really understand the problem and I don’t just mean something shallow and basic – I mean really understand the problem then that can help you shift your mindset.

Write down everything you’re thinking when it comes to selling what you have.

Don’t just tell me you’re not comfortable or you don’t know what to do, write it all down.

It may be thoughts like – people don’t want what I have, they won’t buy from me, I’m not good enough, this won’t sell – whatever it is, because if you don’t understand what the opportunity is for people then you’re not going to shift these thoughts.

The other thing to look at and ask is – is this true?

So if you’re saying people don’t want what I have – is that true?

Do they buy what you sell from other people?

I’m guessing the answer is yes, so really it’s not that they don’t want it.

If you’re saying they won’t buy from me – write own why you think that?

Now there may be true statements in there too –

maybe they won’t buy from you because they don’t know about you.

Maybe you’re not visible.

Maybe you’re not building a brand that is connecting and speaking to your audience.

Maybe you’re not sharing and marketing what you have so even though they know about you, you’re not staying front of mind.

When it comes to your mindset you have to shift through what is reality and true and what you’re just telling yourself because it feels easier to say that it’s your customer not buying, and not that’s you not selling or marketing.

Which leads me into number three.

 

3. How are you communicating with your customers, audience, followers?

I get messages on a regular basis saying – I’m just not getting customer and my regular response is:

1. Have you contacted your email subscribers to let them know that they can buy, book, shop from you right now
2. Are you sharing your offers in different ways to your followers on social
3. Are you connecting with old customers directly to touch base and see if they need you again or ask how they are doing?
4. Are you story selling and showing what it’s like to work with you so that they can see the opportunity you’re offering?

Selling doesn’t have to be hard core. It’s about consistently sharing what you have and consistently letting people know what’s happening with you, what you’re doing and how they can work with you.  If you’re struggling with it then work out your content strategy so that you’re keeping your promos and work with me posts, copy, captions happening regularly, obviously not all the time but regularly enough to keep them up to date.

 

4. Preselling is really just asking around

If you follow me, you may have seen that I’m running a book writer’s retreat.

I asked on Instagram stories who might be interested in something like this.  Can I just say – I hadn’t worked any of the details out or put any time into it, I just wanted to see if there was interest.

So I did a poll and then I did a screenshot of everyone who said yes.

I recently booked a girls weekend at a holiday and retreat house in Victoria so just decided to use the same place.  Once I had costed it all out I duplicated another sales page, edited the photos, content and price and got it up in an hour while listening to music. 

If you have strong templates that you can use over and over again, creating a product or service can be really easy.

I have event financial spreadsheets that I use for all my events so I used that too and made sure that my profit was factored into the cost as well which should always do which leads to point number 5.

 

5. Price for Wow factor

When it comes to selling one of the things that I am always really passionate about is creating an amazing experience.  I’ve said it before.  I want beautiful surrounds, great food and wine, fantastic people and bonuses or surprise and delight factors.  So when I price something I factor all of that in.

I make sure that I’ve got the cost of everything, then add all the bonuses and my profit for the time and what I’m doing then I work out the cost.  If you create something unique, special and that has amazing value attached then you will sell it with joy, plus people will want to be a part of it.

So whether it’s a retreat, a product or a service, think about what you’re selling.  Are you selling a widget or an experience? Are you selling something that will solve a problem plus it’s just something that builds desire for your audience? 

If you ever look at someone who is selling something and it just seems like it sells, look at the energy around it, the desire they build, the images they use and the language as well.  All of it makes a difference.  Which leads to point 6

 

6. The language you use is half the battle.

There are 2 ways you can look at his.

Firstly, if you can capture the paint point and show that you really understand it and what the opportunity is for people then you’ll be able to get them to engage in the first instance.  So we’re going back to point one and really understanding that paint point.

Secondly, sometimes you can sell something that people don’t even know they want or need but it’s something you know you can help people with who want an outcome.  If you can make someone’s journey from A-B better, more interesting, help them along the way then even though they may never have thought to buy this, you’re now showing them that there is potentially a better and more fun way to do what they want to do which is what the writer retreat is about.

You don’t need a retreat to write a book, but it’s a lot more fun to connect with others and learn and work together. 

So think about how you’re talking about your products and services. Are you excited about them or are they your best-kept secret?