Offline Consulting - Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Marketing and Positioning?

Hi Bayo,

You're right - I've heard a lot of people pitching me these services too.

Since I also offer them I like to hear what people are saying.

In my experience they're almost always in their own head and thinking of everyone as a prospect and looking for a chance to get their details and push their stuff to them.

This might sound like sensible logic, but any experienced business owner or marketer has heard it all before and it's easy to shut down any chance of business if you come across as having no interest in them and just pitching your stuff.

They usually seem to think they know more than you even when they have no idea what you know (they've probably been told that any amount of knowledge puts them ahead of 99% of business owners) and are so busy trying to sell you on their service that they often don't take the time to see who you are, what you do and how they could help.

I do outsource these things too, so I do give people business for SEM services, but if they just talk about their service and don't ask about my business - I never give them work.

Andy

The best thing you can do when trying to talk to a potential client is instead of trying to push onto them what *you* think you can help them with, find out what exactly *they* perceive they need help with.

Most business owners love to talk about their business and most of them will be very open and honest about what's going right and what they think is going wrong. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Let them talk. Ask a few probing questions if need be, but it's always best to just let them do most of the talking initially.

I picked up this tactic from Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. He gave an example of where he was at a social function and he got into a subject with the person he was talking to and they kept going on and on about it. Dale was genuinely interested in the topic so he didn't mind him going on about it. Dale barely said a word to the guy. Yet, the guy later told a mutual friend that Dale was one of the best "conversationalists" he'd ever met.

This is a very poignant and important point. Also, a tactic from NLP that really works, when someone tells you important things you should repeat it back to them when they are finished. You should try to say it as close to exact as possible how they said it to you back to them. For example, if someone says: "Well, my sales are slipping I'm just not getting the volume of people into my store as I used to." Then you would say back to them: "So, your biggest issues right now are that your sales are slipping and the volume of people coming into your store isn't what it used to be?" Again, people will respond favorably to this because they know you're paying attention to them.

I'd also say that him murdering your name was bigger than -1, probably like -100+. Again, Dale Carnegie points out that the most important words in the world to every individual is their name. If you mess that up, from the start you're severely limiting yourself on accomplishing anything.

I have a "different" last name. When people murder it, and are trying to sell to me I pretty much tune out anything else they have to say. It only takes a moment to ask how to pronounce it. Whereas, if you don't bother to ask me how to pronounce it then I can't be bothered with what you're trying to sell to me. I really won't even be listening to what you say if I don't outright cut you off and tell you I'm not interested. On the other hand, if you ask me how to pronounce my name I will at least hear what you have to say.

It is very, very clear what the problem was here.

This guy didn't ask you a single question!!!

How is he supposed to know what you need, what your business is about or even how to pronounce your name if he doesn't ask questions and listen?!

You can't provide a solution, if you don't know the opportunity. People just don't get this. They just pitch and talk, pitch and talk... and never give any consideration as to how to actually talk to a potential client.

In my initial meetings, I do less than 10% of the talking.

The reason that new offliners tend to do most of the talking is the same reason anyone new to sales falls into this trap. They're afraid if they stop talking the prospect will shut them down.

Questions get the prospect talking, and once they're talking they won't push you away.

Heh, I love how during that whole conversation not once did he ask you any questions...even his opening line was a statement!

Asking questions = showing you're not just a pitchin' salesman

Cheers,

~Dexx

So I'm guessing he didn't take the time to ask you what you did, what your needs were, etc?

Reminds me of the calls we get occasionally from SEO / directory firms.

Caller: Hello, how are you?

Me: OK [in a slightly wary and disgruntled tone because they don't know me, so why ask after my health, and also cos I'm sure this will be a sales call]

Caller: Would you like to be in our directory [blah, blah]?

Me: No, thank you - we do our own marketing.

Caller: But [blah, blah].

Me: No, it's all right thanks.

Caller: What do you do?

Me: [Wondering why they don't know] Marketing. That's what we do for others. We don't need someone to do it for us.

Caller: I see. I understand. Well, if you agree today, we can do you a special offer.[And so on. None of them can give stats, etc, that might help change my mind, and none asks what I would need from it.]

Me: What part of this conversation did you not understand? Thank you and good day.


~ Jacqui