Business-Building Ideas From Terry L. Brock
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Many professionals are under tight regulatory restrictions about what they can and can’t do in marketing. For instance, a financial planner cannot use certain language to promote her practice or she’ll run afoul of government overseers (NASDAQ and others). A life insurance agent can’t guarantee a rate of return on investments. Overall most of these regulations seem reasonable and most people would agree at least with the principle of not advocating something that can’t be proven or guaranteed.
But how can a professional market when marketing is considered too pushy, to “in your face” or simply illegal? Well, I’ve got some very good news. Today, not only do you have some new tools that can help but they work more effectively to generate more sales.
Sounds interesting?
Well, you can do it by using a different approach that has worked very well for many professionals selling services for years.
Become A Trusted Adviser
It is not easy, but it is simple. Instead of talking about your products and services and trying to sell them, listen to the other person and earn their trust. Of course, this is no secret but it is something that not enough do in selling.
Recently I had the privilege to speak in Hawaii to a group of top producers for a successful life insurance company. I had the chance to interact with them one-to-one and in small groups asking questions about what they did and how they did it. To a person, every one I spoke with demonstrated professionalism, kindness, courtesy (there’s something rare in our society!) and a genuine interest in me. And no, they weren’t trying to sell me life insurance as they were paying me as the guest speaker!
Yet, as I spoke individually with each of the people I encountered they demonstrated a genuine interest in me, who I was and what was important to me. They listened. They were very helpful. Not one of them even mentioned life insurance for me. Besides, I didn’t live in the same state as most of the people I spoke with so they couldn’t sell their products to me anyway!
However, they had become so comfortable with helping others and asking questions that it came naturally. No wonder that many of these people were multi-millionaires and producing top revenue year after year.
In the area of social networking today, you do best when you become the trusted source that others turn to for help. When you provide value without any sales, you do well. As people get to know you and like you they can develop trust in you and what you say. After you’ve attained the level of 1) Know, 2) Like and 3) Trust then people can 4) Engage on the level of business with you.
Using tools like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin work best when you are specifically not selling what you do. Instead, become a friend. Become that trusted advisor. Then as people know, like and trust you they will be more inclined to engage with you commercially. Social media is ideally designed for Relationship Marketing vs. the old pushy method of selling.
So, the good news is that you don’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) pushy. You are much more effective when you sincerely and genuinely help others. Share your message in a soft, informative way. Think of the examples of the wonderful life insurance people I met. If I needed life insurance, you bet I’d want to contact someone from that company in my area to talk about my needs.
There’s an old saying in sales that has been around for a while and is more true today than ever: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” In an age of too much Twitter, Facebook, email, 24 hr. cable, phone call selling and narcissistic people — this is a breath of fresh air.
This is marketing when you’re not allowed to market. It helps people — and helps your bottom line!
Copyright (c) 2010, Terry Brock and Achievement Systems, Inc. Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and professional speaker who helps businesses generate profitable results. He can be reached by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com. Join the Twitter adventure with Terry through his Twitter address: TerryBrock. Join Terry’s Facebook Fan Page at: http://www.facebook.com/SpeakerTerryBrock
