When I first started marketing, it felt like a chore. It was something I had to do, that I didn’t really want to do. I felt like my Marketing budget was a drain on my revenue, but I didn’t really have a choice. I had to do it. To me sales was a despicable task. Something that nobody wanted to do. My attitude was, ‘here is my product, here is what I do, take it or leave it’. Over the years of being a business owner, my mindset around Marketing and Sales has completely shifted. Sales and Marketing for your business are critical things to consider.
Marketing is just a filter
Filter out the people who aren’t in your core audience
The point of marketing is just to filter out all the people who are not your target audience and filter in the people who are in your target audience. You don’t want to try to work with everyone, it’s exhausting and it won’t work. What you want to do is to filter down to your core audience as quickly and efficiently as possible. Trying to follow up with people who are not in your core audience will deplete your soul.
Filter in the people in your core audience
Having meaningful conversations with your core audience will enliven and replenish you like nothing else. This is why we get into business, so we can help the people that our product or service is intended to serve. Good marketing will make it very clear to the public if your offer is speaking to them or not. For those who your message doesn’t speak to, they probably won’t even notice your ad. For those who your ad is written for, it should feel like your ad is speaking directly to them.
Focusing on your ideal customer
The best way to filter in your core audience is to get very clear about who your core audience is. Who are the people you are trying to serve? What are their fears, frustrations, goals, desires, etc.? When you have a very clear customer Avatar defined, when you know the problems they face and that you have a potential solution for them, you can target you messaging to them effectively. You can create messages that ‘speak’ to them and that will respond to.
Sales is about facilitating decision making
Sales gets a bad wrap
Many people have a negative association to sales, I know I did. It wasn’t until I met really good salespeople that I began to appreciate to value of a good salesperson. A good sales professional isn’t pushy and doesn’t pressure you. They are very knowledgeable about their product or service as well as their competitor’s offerings. Sales professionals take the time to get to know you and understand your unique situation. They don’t pester you, but they do make sure to be available if you need anything.
The power of a good sales professional
It wasn’t until I met really good sales people that I began to understand this. I felt a natural disinclination to them, but the more I spoke to them and asked questions, the more I began to appreciate their knowledge and perspective. The knowledge that a good salesperson has along with taking the time to learn about your unique situation allows them to be uniquely qualified to help you make a better decision. You might think that they are biased because they want you to buy. That is a factor to consider. But also consider that they don’t want dissatisfied customers, it isn’t good for their business to sell things to people who don’t want them. They don’t want you to buy unless their product or service is a good fit for you. Their goal is for you to be thrilled with your buying decision.
Facilitating decision making
We buy things to solve problems. You might need a car to solve a problem you, the car might actually solve several problems. It’s a big decision to make, it’s expensive and their are a lot of factors to consider. Your decision will be informed by your specific situation. Is the car just for you or for your family. What will be the main use of the car? How much can you afford? A good salesperson will take the time to get to know you. They will help you understand all the factors you need to consider so that you can make the best decision for you.
The core of your business
Sales and Marketing for your business are core things to consider. They are the areas you need to focus on in order to grow your business. Understanding how marketing works is critical to creating effective marketing. You need to be very clear on who your audience and how your product or service addresses the problems they face. Once you have identified your core audience and your ideal client, you will want to ‘get to know them’ as well as possible. You want to understand as much as you can about them.
Want to Learn More?
If you want to learn more about sales and marketing for your business, there are lots of good books and training available. The best training that I have found so far is the Entre Blueprint. This training will help you to understand the landscape of online business and discern the best path forward for you. The training will help you understand if online business is a good option for you, which type of business you should pursue and what your next steps should be. Is is a very powerful training. You can apply at the link below.
