December 1, 2013

Why some sell more and others sell less [use this to double your sales)

By JaneFrankland | business start ups, Established business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

Want to know how to sell more?

When it comes to how to sell more, why not make it easy on yourself?

That's what top sales professionals do.

How do they do it?

Well they do 2 things.

First, they go after what we (in the trade) call “low hanging fruit.” In other words they do the simplest and easiest work first. They do the work that will yield them the most return, the fastest.

In sales, it means this…

They go after the products and services that are easier to sell.
They seek out the easiest clients to sell to.

Second, they pick their horses.

Stay with me, as all will become clear…

Story time

In 2002, when my IT company was about 5 years old, we niched our offering down and were just starting to sell a new service, called penetration testing.

You can lower those eyebrows now – it's nothing sexual – just purely a technical term in information security! 😉

I'd been championing this as I knew instinctively that it was the way to go. To begin with, we went to market by targeting our existing client base. We then adopted a more scattergun approach. We did a lot of evangelising and educating. And, whilst it was great fun, few sales resulted and much time was wasted.

So, with the devil riding our back in terms of cash-flow, we had to find a way to sell more – FASTER.

What did we do?

Well, we changed our approach and went after the low hanging fruit.

As penetration testing was a fairly new service to the market, few clients were ready to buy. However, there were a small minority – the early adopters – who were, and they'd pay handsomely for it. We looked at their traits, considered why they needed to buy the service, what would be the consequences of not buying it and looked at what our competitors were offering. We then worked on creating a strategy, which resulted in a new ideal target profile and communication plan.

Things became much easier after that. Although our market was tiny, it was easy to target. With a clear message, and a good service at the back-end I have to tell you we mopped up.

Now it would have been easy to stop there but we didn't.

We went after our competitors with a vengeance. We targeted who they'd educated on the value of the service and then made them a more competitive offer.

As I said, we'd studied our competition to find their weaknesses and while many of our prospects were loyal to their suppliers, if we found a way to get in front of them, it was only a matter of time before they converted. As soon as we got our foot in the door, we'd bring up a number of things that we knew were important to their business and that our competitors couldn't do.

I'd also follow up by saying, “Don't ask your suppliers (our competitors) if they can do this, because they'll tell you they can. Instead have them show you whether they can do it or not.”

I got the sale 9 times out of 10 because I concentrated on the few things that we could do that our competitors couldn't. Of course there were other things that they could do that we couldn't, but I chose to focus on our strengths, not our weaknesses.

Pick your horse

So, whether you find it admirable to really work a sale, and take someone from not wanting your offering to eventually making them a client is up to you. Personally I find it nonsensical and a waste of time!

The story I've just shared with you forced me to focus only on those who were ready to buy. I then focused my strategy on how to convert them to be my client.

Think about it.

How many times have you heard the saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink?” How often have you been frustrated because your sales efforts have not resulted in a sale? How often have you gone after the wrong clients? Why carry on doing this? I say…

[box]“Find a thirsty horse; lead it to water; watch it drink.” – Jane Frankland TWEET THIS[/box]

How easy is it to talk to ‘easy' clients – those who get what you're selling – those who are ready to buy? How easy is it to send information to qualified leads? How easy is it wait for the next call or email or social interaction?

It's easy, right?

These are just some of the things that I teach my students in The DailyWins, a tiered program that's focused on getting you more clients. If you're interested, just sign up here and I'll let you know when the next program starts.

Now I want to hear from you!

When it comes to how to sell more, have you ever gone after the most obvious opportunities because they're readily achievable and don't require a lot of effort? Tell me whether you found it resulted in more sales or not. Leave your story in the box below.

With love and gratitude – as always,

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November 26, 2013

10 Tips for building a blog that “sells”

By JaneFrankland | business start ups, Established business, Marketing, New business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

How to build a business with blogging

How to build a business that pays your rent and fills your heart, without checking into the hospital for exhaustion. It sounds like mission impossible doesn't it? I'll answer that for you….

Yes!

Seriously, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about if you've ever tried to do it or are still trying to. Despite all of the challenges, I've got to tell you that it's worth the trade-offs and sacrifices you'll undoubtedly make along the way.

As you know, the other week I was lucky enough to interview the amazing abundance coach and big wave surfer, Mercedes Maidana. Give me a Hell Yeah! I hope you've watched the interview, as she shared some incredible tips to help you manifest more into your life.

This week, however, I’m excited and honoured that my friend Hilary Rushford from Dean Street Society has invited me to be a part of her Happy Hour Blog Tour, which is celebrating her new book launch The 4-Part Entrepreneur Cocktail. In her new book she tackles 4 main elements in business and blogging.

And, this is what I’ll be speaking to you about today. As one of 30 female bloggers and entrepreneurs from around the world, I’ve been asked to share my personal experiences around blogging, including both my struggles and successes.

Yay!

So this is exactly what I'll be tackling:

Why I started a blog and what motivated me.
How my blog has brought me joy and fulfilment.
How I've tackled the days/weeks/months when I didn’t feel like blogging.
What I'd encourage you to ask yourself before a) starting your blog; b) quitting your blog; c) taking it to the next level.

So here goes…

Why I started a blog?

When I started my blog a year last summer, it was purely to position myself as an authority in my niche. I'd just worked out what it was I wanted to do, having spent the past 16 years in IT, building a successful 7-figure information security consultancy. I was ready for my next challenge. I therefore wanted to build a platform that would enable me to connect with other like minded entrepreneurs who were starting out, and help them develop more business.

How my blog has developed

When I look back and see how my blog has developed I'm rather proud as I can see just how far I've come.

Interestingly, when I started blogging I was rather nervous. I actually felt like a caged animal and was afraid to “speak.” For a long time I'd written corporate copy for a very conservative, risk averse market, and I was genuinely wary of using my real voice and writing as me! I was worried about what my corporate peers may think, which was daft as they weren't the ones I was targeting. Once I opened the cage door, however, and tip-toed out, the beast was released…and it felt good. I was finally free – free to communicate on my terms. It was, and still is, incredibly empowering and a whole load of fun!

If you've followed me from the start you'll know that I began a blog with pure text, but that very quickly I added in video. I knew the benefits of doing so and despite my initial fears and hyper ventilation around being filmed, I soon found that I actually loved the medium. Furthermore, it got me more exposure. To date I've had more than 110,000 views, which is pretty good going for a newbie.

Whilst it is time consuming, I have to tell you that I've experienced the benefits. By using video I've been able to better connect with my audience, rapidly build trust and see conversions. On average it takes me about 3 hours to write and optimize a blog, but when I add in video, it doubles this.

How I've tackled the times I don't want to write

Often I'm asked what motivates me to be consistent with my blogging and it's this one thing. I don't want to let you – my audience – down. Out of all the months I've been blogging I'm happy to report that there have only been about 3 blogs that I've missed. Contrary to popular belief though, I'm not Superwoman, but I do try my best to impersonate her. She's pretty hot! 😉

Being serious for just a moment, as a single parent to 3 kids, I've got my hands full. Most of the time things get done, but every once in a while something slips.

How do I tackle the days when I don't feel inspired to write? Well that's simple….I don't write! I honour my creativity. Instead I wait for a moment or a day when I get the urge. Then I batch. Batching or chunking enables me to get more out of my time. I'll aim to write up 4 blogs in a day. That then takes care of the month's blogs. Easy peasy!

What I'd encourage you to ask yourself about blogging

Whether you're about to start, quit or take your blog to the next level ask yourself this one question….

What's your objective for your blog? Your answer will then determine your plan.

If you're like me and want to set yourself up as an authority in your niche and derive sales from a product and service, then I'd advise you to do the following:

1. State your objective. Write it down. Commit to it by telling others. This increases your chances. Ask yourself what does your blog specifically stand for; what do you want to achieve from it, and by when.

2. Make a plan. Ask yourself how often you're going to blog, whether you're going to use text, or video or a combination; who will blog – you or another or guest bloggers, will you be selling from your blog etc.

3. Determine your style of blog. Consider your voice and image. Research blogs that inspire you and consider making a blog board by using Pinterest. Remember to be yourself though – ALWAYS. When you're authentic with your voice and brand you'll stand out from the crowd. So many bloggers fail as they say the same thing as everyone else and people please, which is a total turn off. As Derek Halpern from Social Triggers says, get controversial….for what stands out gets remembered. He walks the talk!

So make your point and if your readers don't like it, consider it a good thing.

4. Build your list from day 1. Everyone advises you to have an opt-in (above the fold) and there's good reason. Quite simply, without a list you have no one to sell to! So create an e-Book, or a report, or a video series ,or some kind of offer to attract your target clients as soon as you can. Then use your autoresponder to keep in contact, add value and sell.

5. Make a list of all the blogs that you'd like to guest blog on. These are your new targets and will become as important to you as your clients and customers. Guest blogging is vital if you're serious about building a business from your blog. When you get this right it drives traffic (readers) to your blog like there's no tomorrow. So, figure out what sites you’d like to send you traffic. List your 1 dream blog that you'd love to get a link from. Then, list 5 other blogs that you'd also love to get a link from. Note, you can be ambitious and pick the biggest, but you don’t have to. Smaller sites that you think would serve your brand well will also do the job.

6. Make a list of all the guest bloggers you'd like for your blog. This can work in the same way as the point mentioned above if you chose your guest bloggers wisely. Ideally you want bloggers who have a reasonable readership so they can promote your site and send you traffic. You can check their ranking status on Alexa. Whilst this appears extremely strategic, guest bloggers have other benefits. They give you a breather from blogging, and they enable you to share valuable content, that compliments your services. This is always my favourite part – the value this adds to you.

7. Make a list of blog topics. Adopt the KISS (keep it simple stupid) rule by focusing on no more than 3. You'll then find that you have themes that stem from them. These tend to be the questions your target market asks the most. You can research these topics with your audience by asking them directly or alternatively go and do some competitive research. Sometimes you don't have to reinvent the wheel! Short cuts can be good!

8. Create and complete an editorial calendar. This enables you to get organised and to know what you need to write and by when.

9. Schedule times and dates for blogging and your blog broadcasts. This will help you stay committed to blogging. This has worked wonders for me as it's forced me to keep on track.

10. Be vigilant. Keep an eye out for comments on your blog. Having worked so hard, you don't ever want your readers to feel neglected at any point.

What 1 piece of blogging advice I wish I'd had

Although I started to build a list pretty quickly, as everyone advises, ironically, the one thing I wish I'd done sooner was promotion. Looking back I should have started to sell from my blog much earlier. You live and learn, euh?

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me how you stay motivated to blog and what your biggest challenges and successes have been. Share your stories and experience here and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

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P.P.S.

If you want a few more tips or candid thoughts you can read what Michelle wrote about yesterday and catch Hayley from The Tiny Twig tomorrow, and all of the other bloggers here. I cannot rave about their work enough.

October 4, 2013

How to sell with a sales framework [don’t use this if you’re happy losing sales]

By JaneFrankland | business start ups, Established business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

How to sell vs. how to lose clients

Ok, so not only do you not know how to sell, but you don't feel good about selling either. There's a surprise!

Let me guess. It feels icky, sleazy and every single time you attempt to “sell” you're reminded of that pushy, manipulative car salesperson you once met in your nightmares! Euw!

And there's no way in hell you want to be like that. Being a salesperson is not something you've ever aspired to be. You're a creative or a techie [wink, wink].

Well I've got news for you sister (or brother)….I've yet to meet a top performing sales person who's ever aspired to be in sales. Yes, seriously. Most of them (me included) just fell into it somehow.

Here's the thing too. No one is born a sales person. No one! Sales is a learnt skill. There's an art to it, or if you want to get formulaic – a framework and methodology. All the pros use one, although you'd never be able to tell. Furthermore, when they sell to you, you'd never really realize you're being sold to. You see, sales is just a conversation. That's what I was taught many years ago and it's what I teach my students in my sales program, The Daily Wins, and when I coach.

So if you're struggling to find a way to sell that feels authentic and integral, whether on the phone, Skype or in person, don't despair. I've got a sales framework you can use to teach you how to sell. AND [insert nominated swear word] me, it works! 😉 You don't sell over 7-figures/ year, year-on-year, in services using something that doesn't!

The ‘how-to-sell' sales framework

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me your how to sell to prospect stories. Do you use a framework or methodology? What's working for you? Share your stories and experience here and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

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P.P. S.

If you want to learn more about how to sell, then my brand new sales program, The Daily Wins is launching this month, 18th October. Get on the list if you want in on the action.

September 26, 2013

How to sell more [revealing the secret no one tells you about]

By JaneFrankland | business start ups, Established business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

How to sell more and high fives!

Last week I wrote about how to sell more by leveraging off your internal team and/ suppliers – how to sell more: the sales pitch everyone misses. High five if you've implemented that already. This week I've got another group for you to leverage off and once again you won't have to incentivize them or pay them commission. Gosh it sounds like I'm about to make the sales team redundant, but that's not the case!

Before I tell you more, I’ve got two questions for you.

Here’s the first. If you could make one simple tweak to your company that would give you an immediate sales increase would you do it?

Of course you would! Who doesn’t want to make more sales?

Ok, next question. When a buyer is on your website what do they want? This answer is really going to surprise you.

They want to discount you. They’re looking for reasons not to buy from you. They’re making a short-list of suppliers, whether that’s at a conscious or subconscious level. They’re looking for signs that will put them off from buying from you.

And no one teaches you this! I go into all these buying behaviour patterns in my sales program which is coming soon.

So how do you stop them leaving your website without contacting you? Well, there are many ways, but in this post I’m only going to concentrate on just one of them.

Do it the sizzle and steak way (story time)

Imagine you’re in a restaurant. You’ve never been there before and you’re wondering whether it’s any good. You’re looking for some reassurance, so you ask the waiter some questions. To your surprise he responds with a question. He asks you, “If you were eating here tonight what would you pick from the menu?” He hands you the menu. You see the steak and answer, “I’d pick the steak.” He continues the conversation by telling you how wonderful their steak is, how it’s sourced, and how it really sizzles. You’re interested but still not convinced. He then says, “Look, let me show you.” He then calls over a waiter who's about to deliver a sizzling steak to a customer. You can see it now for yourself and it really does look good. He then introduces you to several regular customers who tell you at first hand their experience of the restaurant. By now you’re convinced so you ask for a table and the transaction is made.

The moral of the story is this:

[box]”If you want to sell more don’t just talk about the sizzle, show the whole steak” – Jane Frankland TWEET THIS[/box]

When a buyer lands on your website, you’re obviously not there, so you can’t help influence their buying decision. You can’t allay their fears or convince them that you're the right supplier. So, that means you’ve got to go the extra mile.

And, that's where testimonials come in. They back up what you say or as Robert B. Cialdini (noted psychologist) calls social proof. You see testimonials hold strong persuasive powers as they touch on both fact-based and emotion-based motivators that drive people to buy things. They reaffirm that your claims are credible and that your services are the real deal. They validate the feelings that a prospective buyer has for you too, and when done right, the message that typically comes across is authentic, sincere and extremely convincing.

5 tips to make sure your testimonials sell for you

Watch the video, or skip if you prefer to read the text below.

Tip #1. Get result-orientated testimonials. These are the most effective of all. When you help your clients or customers achieve something then you must show the value. Show numbers, currency, amounts and percentages. This will get your prospects attention and dramatically increase their response. Here’s are 2 examples: A) “The Daily Wins program is a great sales training program.” B) “Thanks to the powerful strategies I learnt on The Daily Wins sales program I made $15,000 in 2 days. I’ll easily quadruple my revenues this year. Thank you.” Which one do you think is more compelling and converts more sales?

Tip #2. Include full information on the client or customer who’s giving your testimonial. The more information you provide, the more believable the testimonials are.

Tip #3. Use photos, written responses, screen shots of emails or social media messages that you’ve been sent. Remember that saying, ‘a picture paints a thousand words?’ Well it’s true. We think in pictures so we retain information better if it’s presented this way. So paint the picture – literally.

Tip #4. Use audio and video to add even more credibility.

Tip #5. Story tell. This really steps social proof up a gear. You can do this through video or via case studies, success stories or interviews.

The 3 B rule for getting testimonials

If you’ve trouble getting testimonials don’t get mad. Instead, adopt the 3 B rule – bug, then brag, then bribe!

Make a list of clients who’ve got great results. Ask if they can write up a testimonial. 99% of the time they’ll be delighted to do this. Unfortunately though, they’ll probably forget or be so busy that they won’t have time to do it and as a result you’ll not receive it. If this happens simply offer to write the testimonial for them and then send it to them for approval.

Sometimes as a last resort you’ll have to make this exciting to them. One way to do this is by offering an ethical bribe. For example you could run a contest and offer a free prize or discount to whoever writes the best testimonial for you.

If you’re just starting out and don’t have any success stories, approach leaders in your industry and ask them for endorsements. Send them an example of your work and remember to include a WIIFM (a what’s in it for me) statement or plea in your email.

Finally as an ideal, have a mixture of testimonials – some from industry leaders and some regular Joes. Prospects buy from those who they can either relate to or aspire to being.

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me your how to sell more stories. Do you use testimonials and case studies to increase your sales. What's working for you? Share your stories and experience here and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

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September 15, 2013

The sales pitch everyone misses [it makes you look dumb if you’re doing it]

By JaneFrankland | business start ups, Established business, New business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

Make the easiest sales pitch of your life

Yes, this is the sales pitch everyone misses. FAIL!

And, to make matters worse it is one prospect that’s probably your easiest sales to close. The prospect will become one of your most loyal clients and they’ll be in the relationship for the long haul. They’ll even sell for you too without you having to ask or incentivize them. And, no, it's not your mum!

Bet you’re desperate to find out who they are, aren’t you?

Ok. I’ll put you out of your misery as I can't bear to see you make this mistake. Your easiest sales pitch you're ever going to make is to your internal prospect i.e. those who work alongside you, but who aren’t involved in active business development or selling.

Think about it. Other than you, who can define the features, benefits and values of your product or service?

They may not have “sales” in their title or be paid commission, but this group should definitely be encouraged to promote your business, recognize opportunities and position the organization for growth.

And that’s why I teach all my students, who come through my sales program to view this group of prospects as ambassadors for their company. These people are your stealth sellers. They’ve the power to be an extension of your sales team and deserve the opportunity to buy into the company’s future and success.

Equally, their actions, attitudes, comments, or lack thereof have the potential to threaten a sale or lose a client.

So keep them happy, keep them motivated and train them up!

Story time

I remember the first event my business ever did. It was 2002 and my third child had just been born. She was actually 5 months old. The event was at one of the largest shows in Europe for our industry sector. Anyway, as we wanted and needed to make an impact we had the whole company actively selling. They all knew our vision and our mission as we’d (or more accurately I’d) indoctrinated them at their induction. I wanted to get their buy in from the get-go. They knew exactly how to approach prospects as I’d given them training before. They were hyped about it too and did so well. The team united and as a result the clients we brought on board from that event stayed with us for over a decade. The revenue generated accounted for millions. The team’s efforts and commitment to what we were trying to achieve were exemplary. They pulled together and made me proud.

And this is how it should work for you – even if you're a team of one! By selling yourself and your product or service to your internal client or team or even to your suppliers you’ll:

Increase your revenue more quickly
Increase your repeat business
Generate more leads or referrals
Leverage time and resources

Think about it. Who does the following?

Carries out the promise of the sale i.e. the deliverables?
Answers general inquiries?
Creates the product or completes the service?
Checks on the order status?
Handles complaints?
Delivers the products?
Explains the features?
Handles the billing questions?
Markets or packages the goods?
Collects the invoices?
Follows up on the procedures?

Throughout each day your consultants, and those staff in accounts, admin, human resources, operations, production, logistics and marketing all have countless interactions with your clients and prospects. Regardless of whether you own your business, run the department or sell a particular product line, you have the power to impact your own revenue growth by selling your value to the internal client.

Examine your current operating culture and assess the following:

Do all your employees know your vision and mission?
Do all your employees know exactly what you’re offering?
Are all your employees actively engaged in selling and promoting the product?
Have you defined what the organizational philosophy is that drives the employee/customer interaction?
Have you communicated that to everyone too?
Have you created an environment in which each and every connection brings value to your clients?
Do all your employees know what the value proposition is?
Do all your employees know why your market needs what you’re selling?
What benefits are received from your offering (savings, efficiencies etc)?
What makes your offering special and differentiates it from the rest?
Do all your employees know what opportunities look like?
Do you know what they do when they recognize opportunities?
Do all employees have the training and tools to convey your offerings (features, benefits and value)?

Figure out how you can impact each and every person in your organization. Do this at an individual and department level. Make the effort to include all staff as having a stake in the sales results and business success really helps to increase sales. If you’re a solo entrepreneur, and a team of one, think about your suppliers – those you outsource to. Treat them as an extension to your team. Get them buzzing about what you do.

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me your stories. Have you ever tried to do a sales pitch to your internal team or even to one of your suppliers? If you've done or still do it, do you offer any rewards or incentives? Share your stories and experience here.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

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August 10, 2013

Six tips for increasing your social capital

By JaneFrankland | New business, Sales, Selling | No Comments

Social capital – game on!

In my last blog I wrote about having a social media detox. It was time. It was well needed. Now I'm clearer in thought than ever about its value when it comes to selling. Social selling and social capital is what it's all about!

I don't need to tell you that the game of sales has got harder….but I'm going to!

It has! We're living in a digital era now. Technology and social media have changed everything.

We like, we follow, we subscribe and we link up. We post, we tweet and share – day in day out! We're oblivious to what life was like pre social – before. We're all inundated with messages and distractions. We're more busy than ever and never have there been fewer hours in the day to get our jobs done.

Urgh!

We're being told to “listen” and to share content so we can know our prospects and clients better and improve the relationships. We're being told to get friendlier and to express our vulnerabilities – to aid connection. We're online telling our stories and the world is taking note.

Much has changed, but also … much has not.

So, I’ve got a CRAZY question for you…and it relates to social selling.

How often do you go on social media for prospecting and selling? I'm talking about the 3 biggies for social selling – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – not quite the full Monty, but not too far off.

I know you're active on there, and I'm guessing that you're on certain platforms more than others (as they're fun) for quite a lot of your day. Obviously you're on them to drive your business forward. I know you wouldn't dream of being on there just to see what everyone else's doing. Or, even to”socialize” in the hope that your connections might buy from you. That would be plain silly!

So give it a moment, and think about it…

How often do you go on your social platforms? My guess is that you're on there at least 3 times a day if not more, for about 30 minutes, right?

Social Capital

Now I'm going to tell you something that quite frankly blew my mind. IBM reported that each additional relationship to your network is worth $948 to you (i.e. 100 relationships are worth $95,000! Now that's not quite enough for an Aston (my favourite car) but that's enough to buy a Porche!)

This is your social capital. The value of your network. It's a bigger asset than it ever was!

So if this interests you, watch my latest video where I reveal 6 tips to help you build your social capital and put your social media efforts into a social selling context – even if you're selling B2B.

It's time to delight your prospects, clients and customers, but I'll reveal more in a mo.

Cue video

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me your story. Are you using social media to sell? If so, please share your stories and experience here and let us know what's working and what's not.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

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July 12, 2013

How to use color as a sales tool

By JaneFrankland | Sales, Selling | No Comments

Color psychology marketing

Call me weird (I'd argue smart) but when it comes to selling and business development, I love using color psychology or more accurately, color psychology marketing. Apologies once again to the Brits. You can see, a week on, I'm still sinning (that's a British joke that's related to spelling) 😉

Tomatoes – Tom-ate-oes…

Ah let's call the whole thing off!

Ok, back to business!

My last post was all about using color to categorize your prospects and communicate in “their language” but this week's post is all about using color psychology marketing or color as a sales tool to influence buyers. So, I'm going to be delving into its use from a brand and presentation perspective.

And I can tell you something… this is powerful, and it's going to be good.

The reason why…

Color is your silent sales tool. How? Well it's the language of our subconscious. We make decisions based on color all the time and by using it correctly you can literally get the edge on your competition at a very intuitive level.

You see, you need prospects, clients and customers to connect with you in order to grow your business. That's obvious, right? Well, color connects you to a person, brand, place or product. It sparks initial interest and draws you towards making a purchase.

Color psychology & consumer buying behavior

To illustrate this point quickly, I'd like you to think of the last time you bought some clothes. Were you not drawn initially to the colors of the clothes?

Yes?

I rest my case.

Whatever your business proposition, your prospects need to like, believe and feel your authenticity in order to respond to you. And that's why all of your promotional material needs to have a consistent message that resonates with your offering. Having an awareness of, and choosing to use the most appropriate colors will not only enhance the overall look of your brand but it will also help to communicate your message. I wrote about this a while ago: how to find your perfect brand color.

Research on consumer buying behavior, color psychology marketing and color consistently informs us of its importance in the way that we understand and interact with the world around us. Color really does matter. Color evokes a mood that affects an emotion, which in turn creates a reaction or response.

For example, did you know that we make a decision about how we feel about someone within 15 seconds based on color alone? That could be a decision on whether your customer picks up your product or not! Or, whether they stay on your website or not. Or, whether you come across as someone who's approachable at a networking event. It could be the difference between making a connection with you or leaving your product or service on the shelf.

Now to someone who's built a 7-figure multi-million dollar business from scratch before, and sold and bought in order to achieve this, this is profound for I had no “conscious” clue! However, their are reasons why I got it right and was able to instinctively build my business successfully using the power of color, but that's for another post.

Anyway, now that I understand the principles of using color as a sales tool this new found knowledge makes me smile. When you understand that color is emotive and that buying is an emotional decision then it's vital to use color in a way that appeals and communicates what you're offering.

Why would you want to get it wrong?

When you're selling and growing your business you need everything to line up. Color can help you do that. It's a powerful persuader; a visual communication aid. Through the design of your brand or the products that you sell, you have an opportunity to speak to your clients and customers at another level – at the subconscious.

Color at it's core, is a signalling system that influences mood and behavior. It works on our feelings and sends messages to the brain faster than words or shapes. It's a non-verbal language that persuades, and you can use this to influence your prospects, customers and clients to buy subconsciously. Get it right and your brand or product will look authentic, you'll build trust, increase loyalty and grow your sales. Get it wrong and you'll drive business away.

The creation of attractive packaging, branding or any graphic communication is the design alchemy between style, form, font and color. The aim of which is ultimately to appeal to our senses. Of all the different design elements, color is the ‘sensorial ingredient’ which we perceive as visual and yet it has the ability to alter mood.

Increasing our awareness of the effects of color and how we react and respond to it visually and emotionally, means we can then understand how to use it to influence the way we want others to feel and think about our product or brand.

As your ‘silent sales tool’ color offers you the opportunity to speak directly to the heart of your audience. If you get the colors right, you promote the most positive perception of your ‘proposition’ – and then the rest falls in to place!

So here are 3 tips to help you do that.

3 tips for using color in your brand

1. What do your brand colors tell your customer about your product? Select the 1 –3 key colours that best capture the core values of your business. These are your primary colors. Select secondary colors to support them. They may be either lighter or darker versions of your primary colors, or complementary to them (e.g. blue and orange). This can have the effect of intensifying the core colors and bringing a palette to life.

2. Don’t confuse your customer. So often I notice that brands may keep the same design style but change the colors across different media. Remember – using the same colors consistently in all of your communications will increase customer recognition and build trust.

3. Maintain the visual harmony. Select colors that belong in the same tonal group and so share the same characteristics. This will maintain the integrity of the brand and its message. Your designs will be more fluid and have a creative edge!

Now I want to hear from you…

Tell me do you use color psychology marketing in your brand? If you do, what impact have you seen on sales and business growth? Just share your wisdom here and let's help one another. If you don't use color psychology, let me know if you're interested to learn more on this by dropping me an email.

Thanks for participating!

With love and gratitude – as always,

P.S.

Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this post, please send them a link. You’ll find web designers, interior designers, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.

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May 10, 2013

Selling: the biggest myth in sales busted

By JaneFrankland | Sales, Selling | No Comments

The one thing no one tells you about selling

People buy from people, right?

Well, yes and no.

You heard me right!

Bar humbug. Buggery pollocks! [a pollock is a fish, wink, wink!]

Yep, you've been misled, but don't feel bad. I was taught the same thing too about selling and it's not all wrong.

You see, whilst people do buy from people they know, like and trust, there's a little more to it than this. And, it affects every bit of sales and marketing work that you do.

So let's be crystal clear…

When it comes to buying, this is not about you. The only reason anyone's talking to you is to meet their own needs, wants and desires – to get their problems solved. It has nothing to do with you so don't pamper your own ego for one more second.

Cue story…

Now that I've cleared that up, let’s pretend your name is Anna (sorry if you're a bloke – just get into character). You love what you do, but you can’t seem to get enough clients in the door. You’re getting pe-ed off, you're feeling discouraged AND you’re worried you might even need to quit this entrepreneurship ‘malarkey' and go back to your job to make ends meet. The thought fills you with dread. You're pursuing your passion for goodness sake! You know people would chunner if you jacked it in. So you take action.

What do you do?

Well as you're smart AND you know what you're doing, you'd go back to basics first. You'd look at your ideal client avatar, your messaging and then how you're selling. BUT [here it is…] You'd do so via a filter of emotional intelligence.

Let me explain…

Emotional intelligence

When I asked a group of entrepreneurs how they felt about the word selling and sales people recently, their answers didn't come as a shock. They largely boiled down to this:

“It depends on how much I want what they’re selling. If I want it, and they know what they're talking about and they're not pushy, then I like the process and the people selling. However, if I’m not sure I want it, or they don’t know what they’re talking about, or they're trying to push something on me, then I don’t like it (or them for that matter) at all.”

Their answers were judgemental, yet insightful as they revealed an emotional connection (or disconnection) between the buyer and vendor i.e.

Emotional desire (if it is what I want)
Intelligence (if they know that they're talking about)
Emotional approach (if they're not pushy)

They all required an emotional satisfaction filter and it's this that's the key to selling (and marketing for that matter). This is the one thing that no one teaches you:

[box]”People buy feelings, not people.” – Jane Frankland TWEET THIS[/box]

Furthermore, the more competitive an environment is, the more they need this; and the more apparent it becomes amongst the suppliers who aren't providing it.

So, if you want more clients and sales, your task is simply to help your avatar feel emotions and to emotionally connect.

Now, there are lots of ways to do this and a tonne I could write about it here, so I'm going to have to tackle this in several blogs. Let's look at an aspect of your sales copy here, which is essential if you're selling online.

Video break

Sales copy

I was reading a blog by Ash Ambirge, from The Middle Finger Project the other day. That woman is smart! And, she talked about this in her blog – selling anything in one paragraph or less. She spoke about product descriptions and how they don't help sell anything. She had a point. Aside from SEO I personally couldn't see any value either, especially after she'd highlighted the obvious! Doh!

The first thing she talked about was building desire. Your prospect or client has to desperately want what you're selling. And, one of the best ways to inspire the feeling in your avatar isn’t to describe the product; it’s to describe who they’ll become with the product.

You need to help them envision. Help them picture. Write the story! Empower them. Make them feel good. See J.Peterman for an example.

Sales relationships

There's no denying that writing great copy builds an emotional connection with your avatar, but another way to do this is by building strong relationships with your prospects and clients face-to-face, or over the phone/Skype.

Using Anna as my muse, she used to think that the key to selling her products and services was by showing her clients what she knew and what she could do. In her early days of sales she'd go on and on about features and benefits. When she became wiser, she realised that her clients actually came (and stayed) with her on account of the relationships she'd built with them. They'd come to feel comfortable with her as a person. She made them feel good about interacting with her. And, she'd mastered emotional intelligence to do this.

Now I want to hear from you…

Do you use emotional selling techniques at all? What selling techniques can you recommend? What part of Anna's story resonates with you? Have you tackled it at all? If so please leave me a comment in the box below.

P.S. If you know anyone who could benefit from this insight, take a second and send them a link to this post. You’ll be helping me… and THEM!

With love and gratitude – as always,

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