When you market your business, do you speak about your process or your outcome?
As entrepreneurs, we’re very attached to, and impressed by, our processes. And why wouldn’t we be? We’ve likely spent a good amount of energy perfecting them so they serve a wide audience, are unique enough that they’re not easy to duplicate, but are easy enough that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel everytime we onboard a new client. There is just one problem with this. Nobody buys your process, they buy your outcome. Nobody else cares about your process until they know you can help them.
Ninety percent of my clients never even ask me about my process. For most of us, the process doesn’t matter until you and your prospect agree on the desired outcome, and that you’re the one that can provide it. In fact, talking too much about your process is how you kill a sale.
Getting comfortable with discussing outcomes instead of your product’s features will help immensely. Instead of always talking up your products and services, the discussion should really be focused on the customer’s priorities, and what solves their problems. You need to listen to the things they care about and offer what will either make their life easier, or put them ahead of their competition.
People come to talk to you about your business for a reason, marketing is where you get to explain the reason. If you market to the right audience, the people who approach you are already interested in what you have to offer. At this point, to close the sale, it helps to present ideas and possibilities that they haven’t thought of yet. Now you’re in a great position to paint a beautiful picture of the solution that you are providing.
The thing that holds many potential clients back is the fear that whatever you offer won’t work for them, so market yourself in a way that is realistic, but presents what’s possible. That way, people are willing to have that initial conversation with you.
Think about the weight loss world. Have you ever heard a coach or dietitian talking about how miserable you’re going to be eating tasteless cardboard everyday for the rest of your life? Or how there is a chance you’re going to sprain your ankle running on the treadmill?
Of course not. The reason for this is because they are utilizing marketing strategies that present the outcome instead of the process.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to confuse marketing with sales. It may sound weird, but as an entrepreneur, your first initial impression isn’t about making a sale, it’s about opening the dialogue to see if your potential clients will feel like you are the one who can offer them what they need.
I know this process of balancing marketing and sales can be frustrating or confusing, and that’s totally normal. If you want the emotional and financial freedom to build a business you are proud of, check out Conquer Your Business events to learn how to get started!
