I am amazed by the “gurus” out there preaching how to get people to spend thousands of dollars with your business. Create an email list, mail it every day, and somehow those people will magically throw money at you. There's a better way that small business owners and sales representatives have been using for the last century.
Want to know the secret to getting more business?
PICK UP THE PHONE AND TREAT PEOPLE LIKE HUMAN BEINGS!!!
When someone requests small business coaching, I do email them.
Once.
Then I pick up the phone when I get a chance and give them a call to see if I can help them. What I'm doing isn't exactly cold calling; it's calling people who expressed interest in my services to see if I can help them. Even though I'm not cheap, most of them sign up on the spot.
Don't Call Everyone
I don't pick up the phone and call everyone, though. When someone signs up as a subscriber, I don't call. I let them go through the automated email sequence, and sometimes they sign up for coaching. Sometimes they spend a few bucks on a workbook.
You can't afford to call people to sell them a $5 item, but if someone has expressed interest in your premium product or service, that's a hot lead. Pick up the phone and talk to them.
Stop treating prospects like random strangers and talk to them like a human being. Don't be a pest, but follow up with them too. While many do sign up on the first call, a number of my prospects take a handful of calls before they turn into customers. I'm courteous of their time too as I'd expect someone to be of mine. If they're in the middle of something, I ask when a better time to speak is, and call back then.
Better Yet, Make Friends
If you want to improve your sales, stop filling up people's inboxes with spam, and start making human connections. Go where your ideal clients hang out and talk to them. Knock on some doors. Make some friends.
Selling is not about what the customer can do for you; it's about what you can do to help them. Help enough people, and they'll be happy to refer their friends and pay you for your services. As Zig Ziglar once said, “You can have everything you want if you just help enough people get what they want.”
