So I shared yesterday’s post with a bunch of friends (just for kicks, not validation of course!). And one of my coach friends shot back stating “I sense a strong aversion to selling or being judged. Is that the case?”
Ouch! Of course, not!
I love to sell! Not in a crazy way but the kind that’s essentially helping other professionals solve their biggest challenges. We don’t call it selling in my part of the world. We simply call it matchmaking – matching our services to the needs of the clients and prospects.
And you should know that matchmaking requires one to build a solid relationship over time. It just doesn’t happen overnight. My concern is more around our focus on pitching all the time instead of actually become a resource who can solve a potential client’s challenges.
In the rare case where a connection is made, the conversations quickly convert into a transaction (where you ask and the recipient says “no” for the most part) by the second or the third message. If you’re wondering what could be possibly wrong with that approach, let me clarify: the recipient at the other end knows your game. And they’re patiently waiting for you to say “no” or say “yes” and throw you into an infinite loop of email follow-ups and chase.
Worth it? I don’t think so.
I believe it’s important for marketers and salespeople to build meaningful connections. That may mean carefully crafting a sequence focusing on adding value than sending a templatized mass mailer. Those tactics won’t cut it in the remaining 15 days or the whole of 2019 and beyond.
That said, I will be the first to say that building relationships and becoming a trusted advisor isn’t easy. It takes time. If you’re desperate or broke, it shows through your messages or the tactics you’re applying online. I would suggest that you get a job that would take care of the basics and build up a solid strategy to build relationships online. I know many small business owners and entrepreneurs who’ve done that one the slide. And I believe that’s a smart strategy because it allows you the time and space to nurture your relationships.
I’ve had another insight this morning (yeah, like literally fell off a truck!) about creating content natively on your either LinkedIn or Facebook (depending on where your audience is) instead of relying on smart curation (curating with your thoughts written all over it). And it doesn’t have to be an article or long-form content. It could be a video or audio with just the bare-essentials tech you need to get rolling. Your network and the platform’s algorithm have an affinity for content that’s original.
Like I mentioned yesterday, this becomes much easier if you have taken the time to identify your minimum viable audience. Your credibility goes through the roof, helping you establish your authority. I think it’s better to create content for a chosen few than for everyone that doesn’t resonate with anyone at all!
At the end of the day, we’re all here to sell our products or services but as an ethical marketer, it’s important for me to lay out what it means to seek connections, build and nurture relationships that may (or may not) lead to a sale. Because the sale doesn’t matter in the long run.