Loyal Customers
Yes: Your Clients Know What They Want
It is a common refrain: “My clients come to me without knowing what they want. But I listen and learn and then I can guide them.” There are two sentences there, and only one of them is correct. What clients want When I come across a client expressing this sentiment I always pause for a…
Read MoreWhat Is Your Next Customer Doing, Right Now?
How do you know who is ready to buy from you, right now? How do you know who else would be willing to buy from you, if you managed to speak with them? How do you know who else would buy from you if only they knew that you existed? How do you know who…
Read MoreThe problem with offering discounts
Discounts and low prices are not the same things. We all know the problem with competing on price, and discounts mean the opposite: the price is higher than desired, so a discount will allow the client to make the purchase. In which case, discounts are a safe negotiation tactic, right? Wrong. Let’s take a closer…
Read MoreIt’s All About Service
It has finally happened: it is 2020 and your business advantage is all about service. Back in 2018, I spoke at Jim Moran Institute Small Business Leadership Conference. My talk was a workshop to focus attention on how customers buy, rather than how businesses sell. The theme that year was “It’s all about the customer”.…
Read MoreWhy Should I Care About Branding?
A question I have heard many times, though expressed in different ways. It might be: “A brand is a logo and colors, right?” Or else: “I am my brand, what else do I need?” It is not always clear what a brand is, or why it matters to a business. Branding is everything you do…
Read MoreFeatures Or Benefits
What is the difference? Which is more important? How much does it matter? At some point － maybe working on your website, or hiring your first marketing agency, or responding to a client request － you have been confronted with the battle between features and benefits. And perhaps a debate about which one is more…
Read MoreThe Reviewing Buyer
Each buyer is inspired in a different way. When buyers come to you, they will talk to you about your own services and try to use your language. But by asking the right questions, you can understand what has really brought them to your door. Understanding their journey to get to you will allow you…
Read MoreThe Proactive Buyer
Your clients find you in different ways and for different reasons. Sometimes they have an urgent need for your service, sometimes a friend recommends you, sometimes they just happen across your website, and sometimes it is something you said. The more you know about your audience’s buying triggers — in other words, what prompts them to make…
Read MoreFive Sales Truths To Have Loyal Clients
We are all sales people. Not according to our job titles or our job descriptions. But the reality is: we all have to be finding and bringing new clients to our businesses. Whether you are the business owner or sales person specifically, if you play any role in developing new business, these five truths apply…
Read MoreSelling Peace of Mind
A comment I have heard in at least four different conversations over the past couple of months: “I sell peace of mind”. The four people who said this were: an attorney, a beauty salon owner, an auto mechanic, and a doggy day care owner. But they all sell the same thing… or do they? What…
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