Your Clients Buying What Youre Selling

Writen by Kimberly Stevens

Linda felt like she had reached a plateau in her cleaning business. For the past 3 years, she'd run the same ads in the same publications with the same results. She would generate enough new clients to make up for the ones she lost due to normal attrition, but she was never quite able to get beyond her mediocre success.

"I feel a little stuck," she shared in our last call. "Every time I try running another ad or sending another mailer, I only generate enough new work to make up for the additional cost I've expended. I can't hire an additional employee until I get more work, but I can't seem to get more work. I really want to make more income for myself and my family and think I could do it if I could just get some of these new marketing strategies to work out."

My next question threw her -- "What are you selling?" "What do you mean? I'm selling cleaning services," she responded. "No, what are you REALLY selling? Or look at it this way, what are your clients buying?"

It took a couple more rounds before she understood what I meant. Many service business owners run out to the marketplace without a clear understanding of what they are selling or what their clients are buying. After awhile, they start getting clients by the shear fact that they've approached enough people to generate some interest. The problem comes once they've reached a plateau and can't seem to grow beyond it.

It's like golf. Anyone can learn to hit the ball and, if given enough strokes, get it in the hole. They can even become pretty good ... but only sometimes. The rest of the time, they are hooking or slicing uncontrollably. They never play a consistent game. The key to success in golf is technique. If you do the right things consistently, you'll play a good game every time (well, almost!).

In business, it's the same thing – you need to do the right things consistently. Almost anyone can learn how to make a sale. It might not be in record speed or at a profit, but they can make the sale. The key is in being able to generate sales consistently up to and beyond your plateau.

Linda thought she was selling cleaning services, but upon closer investigation over the next couple of weeks, she learned that her clients were buying something a lot different. Based on surveys she conducted with her current clients, she learned that they hired her because they were buying:

• more time to spend with their spouse & children

• a clean house (not actual the actual "cleaning" service)

• time for themselves & their personal interests

• stress relief for taking one thing off of their plate

• marital bliss (no more fighting over household responsibilities)

This was a light bulb moment for her. She realized that her ads and mailers were selling a "cleaning service" when in actuality her prospects and clients wanted to buy a solution to their problems – not enough time, fights with their spouse, harried lifestyle. If she could provide the solution to just one of those pains, she would be serving her clients well.

Then quicko, chango, switcheroo – she re-focused her marketing efforts to focus on solving her prospects' problems and began targeting overworked professionals and families with children. These simple changes helped her finally grow beyond the plateau where her business had stalled.

So, ask yourself -- are your clients buying what you're selling? What are you currently selling? If you contacted your clients this week, what would they say they are buying from you? Are you sure? Why not jot down a few questions that you can ask your clients during short, phone surveys this week?

Don't have enough clients to do this yet? Perhaps you can work it into your conversations with prospects? Ask them why your service does or does not sound like something that will benefit them. Yes, I know this is hard, but the answers are your ticket to faster success.

Afraid to do this? Then it's even more important! Trying to sell the wrong thing to the wrong people is just extending your learning curve and the length of your journey to sustainable success. So go for it!

About The Author

Kimberly Stevens is the author of the ebook series, *The Profitable Business Owner: A Step-by-Step System for Starting & Running a Successful Service Business*. Download Sample Chapters & get her free MiniCourse, *The 10 Most Common Mistakes Business Owners Make & How To Avoid Them* at: http://www.askthebizcoach.com/ebooks.htm

kim@askthebizcoach.com

Selling Your Self In A Service Business

Writen by Lance Winslow

If you are a consultant or you are in a service business one of the most important things you need to do is to place yourself in confidence in the customer's mind. This is not as easy as it sounds of course however if you fail to do this you cannot expect to get the account or the client. And even if you do get the client it will only be for a short period until someone else comes along who can provide peace of mind for the customer.

Selling yourself in a service business is very important and some people take its to the extreme and end up trying to use trickery or fake-ness. If you are selling to another business and you are approaching a business owner generally the business owner will see through your trickery and your professional attire.

If you string along the Bull too much they will just consider you another fast-talking, smooth salesperson. Having been in business for 27 years and met many a person that try to snow me; let me tell you this brings hatred into the mind of your customer.

Simply acting professional and wearing a suit and tie is not selling your self. You must be very careful in how you approach your clients and customers. Your customer must know you know what you are talking about and they must feel confident in your abilities. How can anyone feel confident when you are BS ing them? Play it smart stock using trickery and the BS, listen more and know what you are talking about. Excuses and BS walk. Consider this a 2006.

Lance Winslow

Build Business Value Before Selling A Business

Writen by Steve Martinez

I normally write about selling strategies, today, is no different. I'm sharing insights on how you can improve your success at selling a business. As you read this, try to take the buyers perspective.

We sold our home a few years ago. Like most home owners, we wanted to maximize the value of the property and increase our Return On Investment (ROI). We took the advice of our Realtor and invested in key areas of the home to make it stand out in the neighborhood. We replaced carpeting, updated appliances, painted the inside and outside and improved the landscaping. Our efforts paid off handsomely. The home sold quickly and we had several excellent offers.

Savvy business owners, who want to sell a business, want to maximize the business value. Business owners must improve the profit value of the business to make it attractive. Most business buyers are looking for businesses with significant potential and rising sales. Many of them are looking for turnkey operations they can operate for a profit. No one wants a business that doesn't have good operational systems unless, they are looking for bargains. In some cases a business owner must improve several systems of the business to make it much more attractive to potential buyers. It is best to approach these areas well before posting the business for sale.

If we had attempted to sell our home before the improvements were completed, we would never have reached the high selling price we achieved. In outside sales, a salesperson must improve the looks and appeal of the service or the product they are selling. If we can't improve the value proposition, we won't be able to convince the buyer that our product or service is worth more than competitors.

Business Systems Will Improve Sales Value

One of the reasons franchises sell for higher prices is the perception that successful systems are in place. Look at Mc Donald's or my favorite hamburger place, In-N-Out. The hamburger system runs like clockwork and it is always a treat to savor the taste of a double, double hamburger. When you watch the people at an In-N-Out make the fries or the burgers, you know they have a well honed system. You also know the meal is freshly made to perfection.

If you plan to sell a business, there are key areas of buyer evaluation. Buyers are looking for Financial, Operational, Marketing and Sales systems that work seamlessly. One of the areas I want to point out is how a selling system can add significant buyer value.

If a business has a marketing and sales system that builds and strengthens customer relationships, it improves value. However, this can't be based on something that could leave after the business is sold. For example, if the business has a salesperson responsible for building and maintaining key accounts, a new owner may perceive this as a liability instead of an asset. If the business has a selling system that is supporting the salesperson, this is definitely an asset to the business. The same is true with the production or operational systems of a business. Instead of listing a key employee who is the only one who knows how to run a complicated piece of equipment, a business seller would be wiser to invest in and promote a simple and efficient production system anyone can operate.

by Steve Martinez, Selling Magic Mastermind and Sales Process Automation Guru http://www.SellingMagic.com/.