The Number 1 Marketing Mistake

Recently, I have been on a networking spree. I have been attending one networking meet after another. It’s been wonderful to hear people’s stories and learn about their businesses. However, I am truly shocked by how little people know about marketing. 80% of the people I met could not truly articulate what it is that  they did. And 95% of the people I met made the number # 1 marketing mistake in my book-

They Jumped the Gun!

That’s the American way of saying they rushed into their pitch.

Here is an example:

Sally- Hi, I am Sally. I am a consultant.

Me- Hi Sally. Nice to meet you. What kind of consultant are you?

Sally- I help businesses.

Me- That’s great. How do you help them?

Sally-Oh, with whatever they need really.

Me- (thinking to myself)-Does she clean offices? I doubt it.

Sally-What do you do?

Me- I help independent professionals who are struggling to attract more clients.

Sally- That’s wonderful. I think I could help you. When can you get together? I would love to tell you all about my business.

Business relationships are a lot like personal relationships. You can’t rush into anything. If you go too fast, you will scare the other person away. Most people think that business is done this way:

Meet–>Sell–>Re-Sell

But that’s wrong. Business is actually done this way:

Meet–>Connect–>Build Trust–>Share an Experience—>Sell.

If you are thinking "But Shama, that would take forever," think again.

The 5 steps above can be done in a matter of days, but a successful sale needs to follow that order. The bottom line when it comes to selling is- friends buy from friends. If you aren’t making friends, you aren’t selling.

The BEST selling advice I can give you is to SLOW down. You want them as a client. You know you can help. You are just itching to jump on board and save the day. Still, slow down. You have a better chance of getting the client if you do.