Marketing is not just about buying ads and social media, and for some weird reason, people think it’s easy to make money, especially when you are selling coaching or consulting services. They think you make money because you’re brilliant. But you know the truth. Selling a service isn’t just about being brilliant. There’s a crucial element that goes unnoticed — your selling strategy.
Another misconception is that a “selling strategy” is just about having the right “sales pitch.” But it’s not. In this post, we lay down the three critical pillars to a successful selling strategy.
1. Copy
Prospects love a good sales pitch. It’s one of the main reasons they buy, and you know that businesses put a lot of time and energy into crafting that perfect pitch to convince customers to buy their product.
But what if you could skip the sales pitch and go straight to the sale? Instead of watching your buyer squirm on the couch while you deliver a lengthy sales pitch, you could just hand them the product and say, “Here you go, you’re welcome.” Doesn’t that sound like sales on steroids? Well, that’s what copy is all about.
A perfectly written copy convinces your prospects to buy without needing to speak to you. And in a world where people are buying most of the products and services online, it’s more important than ever to make sure your words convey your message to your customers.
Your copy acts as your online salesperson, and its value cannot be understated. When you’re selling anything online, it’s the copy that speaks to the client and makes the sale.
So the first step to a successful selling strategy is to craft the perfect copy for your business that convinces your prospects to buy without needing to speak to you.
2. Positioning
Businesses struggling to gain traction are often told that they need to “find their niche” or “position” their business. But what does that really mean? It’s a bit like buying pants. You could choose the pair that’s in style, even though that doesn’t fit you, or you could find the pair that fits you well and makes you feel good about yourself.
Of course, the choice of pants here is just a metaphor for your business, but the idea is the same. You want to find a position, or niche, that fits you comfortably and allows you to thrive.
Now, what does this has to do with a sales strategy? I’m glad you asked. Your prospect will most likely buy the pants that fit him well and make him feel good about himself.
So, the key to positioning your service is to focus on creating a unique value proposition that clearly identifies your service (what you do) and its point of difference (how you do it). Your unique value proposition will help you create a compelling marketing message that will attract the right clients for your business.
Know that you’d also need to do thorough competitor research before coming out with your unique value proposition. Prospects will not buy just because it’s a cheaper alternative. More on this later.
Remember, sales is all about the customer, and positioning is all about your customer. Your ability to position your service will determine how you appear to your customers. And trust me, it is one of the most effective sales and marketing strategies you can use to attract and retain customers.
Now the question arises, how do you find the right positioning? To do that, you must understand your target market’s needs — and the best way to do that is to get to know the people who represent it.
Sales professionals can spend days, even weeks, preparing a pitch to a prospective client. But if they have the wrong information, they’ll fail to connect. So, spend time in your target market, talk to people, identify their pain & problems. When you gather enough understanding of your target market, positioning your service will be easy and straightforward.
3. Offer
It might seem obvious that your product’s price should be set to a point where you make a profit, but you know that it’s more complicated than that.
One of the first questions you should answer when developing a new product is what the price point should be. And the price point is determined by your target market’s perceived value of your product. Being too cheap isn’t a solution either. Your prospect won’t just buy your service because it’s cheaper. Always strive to strike the right balance between positioning and offer.
Here’s a tactic worth trying when you’re trying to identify the right price point — asking your customers what they think. Most salespeople don’t ask their customers for their opinion — at least not until after they’ve closed the deal. And even then, it’s usually only a “how do you feel about it” kind of question. Why not ask your customers more upfront? Ask them what they’re looking for and what would make them feel comfortable about making the purchase. What’s the best way to do this? Ask them about what their biggest concern is about making the transaction. And, if they’re willing to tell you, ask them what would make them feel more comfortable.
The more people you do this questionnaire with, the more accurately you will find the right offer — the one for which people will willingly pay you.
Conclusion
The best salespeople are not born, they are trained. A great salesperson always has a plan of how to handle objections, when to provide more information, and when to ask for the sale. Similarly, a successful selling strategy strikes the right balance between copy, positioning, and offer. Your copy persuades and handles the objections, positioning helps you stand out from your competition, and a perfect offer adds icing to the cake. If you have these three pillars supporting each other, know that you have built a successful selling strategy.
Is there another pillar that helps you perfect your selling strategy? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll make sure to mention you in the post with a backlink to your website.
