When you hear the words “relationship” and “selling” in the same sentence how does that make you feel? Most entrepreneurs have a love/hate relationship with sales. You love helping clients solve their problems and you love making the sale, but you hate the actual process of selling.

And you don’t plan on marrying the client, right? So how much of a “relationship” do you really need? You’re offering a really valuable service or product, and if it appeals to people they’ll either buy from you or they won’t. Right? No. It’s not as simple as that.

Marketing is communicating with your clients about what they care about – their dreams, challenges, vision, hopes and fears and then building their trust by positioning yourself as the solution. Just like in relationships with friends and family what you do and say counts 24/7. You can’t show interest one day and then drop them the next. In everything that you put out there – your articles, blogs, presentations – you’re showing how you and your client are meant for each other.

Often we learn what to do by first considering what not to do, so let’s discuss 7of the biggest marketing relationship deal breakers you want to avoid:

1. Taking shortcuts. Your prospective client has already been burned by fly-by-night marketers who are out to make a quick buck and then disappear. So that’s always at the back of their mind, wondering if what you’re saying is too good to be true. Until you earn their trust, they’re not going to engage your services. There are no shortcuts to establishing a trusting relationship. It takes time and hard work.

2. Monopolizing the conversation with how great you are. Nothing is so boring as someone droning on about themselves. It demonstrates a lack of interest in anyone else. If you want to capture the attention of a prospect and take your business relationship to the next level, you must be interested in what your prospect is interested in.

3. Assuming you know what the other person wants. Choice is one of our biggest treasures. No one likes to be forced to do something. Nor do we like to be overlooked because no one asks us what we like. You need a crystal clear understanding of your ideal client’s specific challenges – the issues that keep them awake at night. This will help you position yourself as a problem solver and they’ll be magnetically drawn to you. That’s the beautiful thing in getting this right. You don’t have to go out and sell to them, because when you position yourself as the expert, they come to you.

4. Lacking sensitivity. Do you find yourself writing articles that tell people what to do instead of speaking to your prospective clients’ hopes and pains? Obviously they are troubled about why they aren’t succeeding, and it’s going to take some coaxing to get to their pain points because they don’t want others to know about it. Show that you really understand. It’s a costly mistake to falsely interpret what your ideal market needs.

5. Hiding your authenticity. People have an inborn “phony detector”. They can tell if you’re hiding and not being open. On top of that, people love stories that they can relate to. If you can convert your marketing message into a story that reveals your authenticity, you will draw people to you. When your ideal client sees the real you, they won’t be able to wait to work with you and will gladly pay your fees.

6. Being impatient. The “Buy it Now or I’m Gone” approach tells people you’re not interested in them. The smart marketer is looking for a long-term relationship, laying the groundwork by nurturing your prospects with valuable tidbits that builds trust. This saves you a lot of time, effort and cost because you’ve gathered a group of people into your community that are more than half way sold on what you offer. With a little more attention they’ll be eager to purchase even your biggest offerings. It makes no sense to neglect them while you’re out chasing new leads.

7. Sloppy appearance. We are judged by our appearance. So is our business. It’s imperative to create a professional online presence that appeals to your prospects. Make sure your business brand really represents who you are and resonates with your target market.

If you aren’t converting more prospects into clients, then the problem probably lies in the fact that you aren’t communicating with them correctly in words they understand. Successful entrepreneurs really have to know their ideal client deeper than they know themselves. There are no short cuts. It’s going to take time and effort, but you’ll be rewarded with predictable results as you build a community of people who love and trust you.

Predictable Results™ Assignment

Do you know your ideal clients as well as you know your best friend or sibling?  Work to understand your target demographic, by creating an imaginary person who embodies everything about your ideal. Be ultra detailed in giving this imaginary person a name, address, family, job, education, hobbies, values, charities, vacations, homes, cars, etc., and then picture this person in your mind every time you write or speak.

Need help? Call 1-800-267-3245 for a free 30-minute consultation to see how we can help you!

As a pioneering and visionary innovator, Sarah is a certified professional image consultant and brand strategist, speaker, trainer and author. Her company, Illustra Business Coaching, provides leading-edge business building strategies for small business owners & entrepreneurs who wish to take their company to the next level.

Illustra Business Coaching
Copyright © 2014, Sarah Hathorn, AICI CIP, CPBS
1-800-267-3245, [email protected]
This article may be reproduced only in it’s entirety, including the above bio.