It's Time For Show And Sell!

By Tatiana Velitchkov © 2002

Imagine picking up 2 competing product catalogs with 2
different messages on the cover.

The first one says: "Let us tell you how much our products
cost."

The other one says: "Let us TEACH you the most effective
ways to be attractive to the opposite sex."

If you automatically decide you'll read the second one and
throw the other into the trash, then you would've proven
one of the best business strategies to be true: In order
to become a successful seller, you have to be a teacher,
too.

Good Morning, Clients!
----------------------

Whether you sell a product or provide a service, it pays to
view yourself in the role of "teacher" rather than "haggler"
when dealing with existing & potential clients.

"Teachers" maintain an attitude of sincerely wanting to help
people achieve the best results possible, and clients
invariably pick up on this attitude.

And although "teaching clients" may take a little more time
than cutting to the chase and directly talking about specs
& prices, it actually brings in 3 MAJOR BENEFITS that
affect your business in the longer term:

* Benefit 1: More Clients Will Trust You

Teaching clients about the ins and outs of your product and
industry gives them the impression that you're an authority
in your field -- and this could be the most advantageous
position you could ever have.

Being an authority means (in your clients' minds) that
you'll provide them with the best service, that you'll be
worth every penny of your price, and that you'll make an
excellent recommendation to their associates & friends.

In the business world this is called "trust," and once you
earn that, a satisfying relationship ALWAYS follows.

* Benefit 2: More Clients Will Approach You

In the process of educating clients, you might encounter
people who ask questions that aren't directly related to
your products, but still have a lot to do with your industry
in general.

Although this signals that the client is still "shopping
for services," don't ignore this important opportunity.

The fact that your prospect chose to ask YOU instead of
someone else already puts you in a unique position to
demonstrate how you (and your products) can become even
more worthy of their trust -- and ultimately of their
purchases & investments.

* Benefit 3: Potential Clients Become COMMITTED Clients

Because by the time they are ready to use your services,
all your teaching would have prepared them enough that they
now know EXACTLY what they want and need.

These are no longer the kind of prospects who would ask you
to "fax them a quote and set an appointment to discuss it."

Instead, these are the ones who say "this is what we need,
tell us how much, so we can write you the check."

There's less talking and more buying -- all because you
chose to be "the teacher that sells."

Teaching Styles = Selling Strategies
------------------------------------

So how do you become an effective "teacher" to your clients,
while running your business successfully on the web? Here
are 4 of the MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES that you can use
today:

1) Articles On your Website

You've seen them before, and you'll see them over and over
again. Mainly because they actually WORK!

Time and time again, business owners who regularly post
"free articles" on their sites report getting clients from
as far as Timbuktu, and encounter opportunities that lead
to Japanese businessmen sending them checks without meeting
them face to face.

This is because those regular articles on their websites
have taught their prospects all they needed to know about
the person (AND the business), so by the time they wrote
their emails they were more than ready to commit.

So whether you decide to cover "Tips & Advice," "News &
Updates," or "Lessons & Inspiration" in your own free
articles, just make sure that you DO post them on your site
on a regular basis... because they're the surest way towards
pre-selling success.

2) Booklets & Ebooks

Once you have a good enough number of articles (both on your
site and off it), you can decide to compile them all into a
print book or an ebook -- both of which you can use for even
greater profits!

Use these books as value add-ons when clients make a
purchase, or as prizes for contests you hold on your site.

Better yet, if you feel that the information contained in
your books are valuable enough for your target market --
AND if you have ceased to archive the same articles on your
website for free -- then you can even sell them as stand
alone products by themselves.

This not only increases your sources of revenue; it enhances
your reputation as an industry leader, too.

3) Mini Courses

Another possible offshoot from your web articles would be
"mini courses" -- short lessons & seminar sessions that you
can give both for a fee and for free.

You can administer these courses via autoresponder, through
a mailing list, via teleconferencing, or even through a live
seminar audience.

When prepared adequately and delivered successfully, these
courses can become another source for additional profit --
and another way to pre-sell potential clients into trusting
and hiring YOU.

4) Guest Appearances (On Print, Radio & TV)

Now that you have all these books, articles, and seminars
under your belt -- or even if you don't have them yet --
another way to get free publicity is to make yourself
available for interviews and guest appearances, particularly
in publications & programs that effectively reach your
target market.

Announce your willingness & availability to talk about your
expertise through your letter heads, calling cards, mailing
lists, and press releases.

Even if you get only one high profile media exposure out of
all this it would still be enough -- and it wouldn't have
cost you an additional cent!

A Final Word
------------

One word of advice though, from one entrepreneur-teacher to
another: Remember to keep on learning!

Knowing the things that you know NOW should never make you
feel complacent and think that it's enough. Good teachers
know this; good businessmen and salespeople should know it,
too.

So keep yourself updated with the latest trends in your
industry, attend seminars & classes given by other industry
leaders, and keep on reading & keep on asking.

Not only will these help you keep your client relationships
stronger.

They will also improve EVERYTHING about the way you do your
business, and strengthen your position as a brand &
industry leader.

© Tatiana Velitchkov