How to stop thinking (and why)

Let’s start with the homework today: write down five things you know to be true about your business. Make them simple sentences, describing 5 facts that you know thanks to your expertise.  A realtor might write down that unexpected repairs are the biggest regret of over 33% of home buyers. A plumber might say that…

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Fix your marketing: add your brand

Pretend, for a moment, that you are in the business of pens.  Now pretend that you are planning your marketing efforts for your pens.  And you come up with the message you want to get out there: We sell pens With that message, what makes somebody buy your pens rather than somebody else’s? Price, proximity,…

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What do your clients do after you leave the room?

There is no fadeout, no ending music, no rolling credits.  After you leave the room, your clients’ lives go on, just like your life goes on.  So what are your clients doing after you leave the room? And why should you care? Nobody wants to buy your product It’s a common refrain on this blog. …

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How to pick the worst clients

If a strategy is about knowing what not to do, then client profiles are about knowing who not to target.  Much of this will happen as a process of exclusion as you build your Customer Profile.  But that is not enough. There are certain traits you want to look out for, that make universally bad…

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How easy is it to buy from you?

It was a fine, sunny day, warm with a breeze, and perfect for spending time outdoors.  The coffee carts were lined up along the street, right outside the park. The hero of our story decided to approach one such cart and order himself a coffee to drink while he worked outdoors for a bit.  He…

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Unique Value Proposition or Unique Sales Proposition

What is the difference between a unique value proposition and a unique selling proposition? This question has come up several times in the last few months.  And the truth: there are varying views on this.  But the most common consensus is:  A value proposition is about your client A selling proposition is about you Unique…

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New Course: Why You Need Customer Profiles

In the video below I tell the story of a business who went after any client they could. “After all”, they told me: “We are a new business and we need to grow”. Find out how that went for them, and why building customer profiles saved their sanity, their success, and their business. And then,…

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Do you know what your clients want?

Your clients know what they want.  To get what they want, they need something: you. You know what they need, which allows them to get what they want. (If this doesn’t sound familiar, see the link above).  Now let’s make sure that you understand what your clients want.  How Let’s start with how your clients…

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Why You Have To Always Sell Three Things

What you do is all about customer context, how you sell is all about customer buying habits.  But at some point: you do have to talk about yourself.  Once your prospects are moving through that buyer’s journey, they will want to know what to expect when working with you.  They already know – at least…

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Why it is time to stop selling

There is no money in sales.  No, really.  Think about it: you can sell, and sell, and sell. But at what point do you actually make money? When somebody else buys.  The money is in the action of buying, not the action of selling.  Before you build a sales plan, understand how your clients buy. …

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