Before I attended, I set some goals.  I wanted to identify and start relationships with any exhibitors who could be customers, partners or referral sources; or vendors who could help my business. I was also looking for sponsors for my upcoming Client Appreciation Dinner.  My goal was to sell my 10 remaining booths for my event, and I was eventually able to sell 7.

Be prepared to provide lots of information and analysis.  They like to see charts, spreadsheets, scorecards—anything that you can bring to quantify what results.  They buying decision is a process, and this type likes the process just as much as the decision.  Plan on it taking a while.  Plan on multiple visits.  And once you have provided them everything they have asked and you think you are about ready to close, plan on them asking for more.  If you are classic yourself, this won’t be surprising, and you’ll probably enjoy it.  But for others, this may be a little frustrating.  Just remember—they have to be right, so your job is to help them reach their comfort zone.

When you talk with this customer, emphasize partnerships.  Don’t talk too fast, and allow them plenty of time to think about what you are saying before they respond.  Show interest in meeting his or her team.  They are always concerned about how something is going to work.  If they are considering changing to your product or service, come prepared with a plan showing implementation steps.  They want things smooth, steady and with little disruption.

When you meet with them, expect to engage in what might seem like idle chit chat. But to this style, it’s not idle—it’s relationship-building.  So if you find yourself talking about their last golf game or the movie they saw over the weekend, that’s OK.  And the conversation might seem to go off track.  If you try to get to the point too quickly, they will feel uncomfortable.  The challenge that you will have is LISTENING.  Then the next challenge you will have is bringing the conversation to action and closure.  Just don’t try to rush things.  Remember, the most important outcome to this style is their relationship with you.

One customer you will encounter is the one who has a very dominant style. You will know them by their desire to dominate the direction of the conversation. They get to the point of what they want to know from you, and they usually want to know what you can do for them, what results they will see. And they really don’t want to know any more than that. And if you try to get too detailed with them, they start to feel uncomfortable with you. If that’s your own style, working with them is pretty easy. But if that’s not your style, then you need to adjust. Just remember as you are talking with them—get right to the point, answer THEIR questions and don’t be concerned that you didn’t get to give your entire pitch. And once they become your customer, continue to work with them in that same style.

I’ll be blogging about the other 3 styles in my next blogs!

So are you making good use of all the online marketing strategies available to your small business?   Facebook pages and groups create community around your business.   Take a look at ours and join in the discussion.   We want to get to know you – so go ahead and click the link above.

I often see two business owners in the same place financially.  One is struggling, or what I call  “starving” and one is what I call “hungry”.  Can you see the difference?  It’s an attitude, not the state of their financial being. 

Struggling or starving business owners are working  hard IN the job of their business, with their head down, running into things (challenges).  They just keep on doing what they know to do, getting the same results, taking what comes to them.  There’s always something in their way and eventually they give in and give up or close because they starve.

Hungry business owners, on the other hand, are working IN their business too, doing their job, but they walk around with their head up and don’t run into things because they can see where they are going.  They know things aren’t going well and they don’t yet know how to fix it.   But they are looking for help, proactively looking for new things to try instead of taking what comes to them.  They know that they will find it if they keep looking and they won’t give up until they find it.  They are hungry but not starving because they get bits of food (or success) along the way to keep them going.  They won’t stay hungry – they’re just passing through that stage.

Do you see the difference?  What kind of business owner are you?  I am looking for “hungry” business owners to tell your story here.  Our site is about giving you tools to feed yourself.  Don’t stay hungry!!   Come back and stick around!

Debra

So help me out – post some comments and let’s get a conversation started.  Here are some questions you might think about posting answers for:

Are you a small business owner or thinking about starting a business? Tell some of your business story.

What kind of resources do you look for online and how do you use them?   Do you consider yourself a self-learner?  Where else do you find resources to help you develop your business?

Tell me about your own website journey -  have you worked with professional web designers?  How has that worked out for you?  Post your site URL and discuss your site offerings.  Do you know your statistics and how many people you drive to your site?  Are you getting the results you want?

What is your online marketing strategy? Do you have one and how’s it working out for you?

These are just some of the things I have been thinking about.  Post your comments and ideas below – please!

Thanks  -

Debra

Marketing is an essential part of any business. Used correctly, marketing can increase your customer base and increase profits. Used incorrectly, it can be an expense that doesnt pay off.  

We have a workshop that can teach you how to market effectively. For more information, read this article.

Marketing

One of my earliest lessons in business was that marketing is mostly about attitude. Try taking this four-letter B-word out of your vocabulary…. BUSY. If you are too busy with the work you have, how can you take on more?

Building your business by word-of-mouth referrals is the most cost effective way to grow. Keep your attitude right and ask your raving fan customers for referrals.

#1 winning attitude! – “business is great and we’re looking for more”