Effective Strategies to Promote Your Business Without Selling: A Guide for Entrepreneurs
We get it. “Selling” your business or services can be awkward and uncomfortable. While some people have a natural knack for selling and persuading, most of us don’t. Through the years, we’ve heard things like, “I just don’t want to bother people,” and “They will come to me if they want my product/service,” and “I’m just not sure how.” And all of these thoughts are valid. But…
Your business is amazing, and in a highly competitive market, you will need to “sell” it confidently (not in the way you are thinking) to get the profitability you deserve.
But how? Read on for our top three tips.
Leveraging Digital Marketing for Business Promotion
Branding, websites, email marketing, blogs, and social media are all ways to “sell” your business without having to have that in person face-to-face interaction with your audience–but it’s just as important. Investing in these things matters, and all offer unique ways to promote your company. Each of these pieces creates your digital identity and when carefully crafted to meet the wants and needs of your desired clients and customers–will grow your following and your business exponentially. Make sure you prioritize these “behind the scenes” marketing features. They aren’t just set it and forget it. They take time and a strategy to execute them well to make an impact.
The Power of Personal Business Connections
In addition, your strong digital presence will need to be partnered with personal touches in order to maximize your effectiveness. There is only so much you can gauge from a screen, and feeling your dedication, passion, and values through a phone call or an in-person conversation cannot be matched. Network and mean it! If you are better in small 1-1 settings, double down on that. Ask people with businesses you admire to coffee-no sales, just to connect. Email and ask to chat with a business who could benefit from partnering with you on an event or a product. Authentic connections are the best way to be top of mind when those folks DO need a product or a service that you happen to offer.
Shift Your Mindset for Success
It all boils down to the belief you have in your business and what you have to offer. Ask yourself these questions:
Does your offer genuinely help people?
Does your service improve their life or business in a tangible way?
Does your business add value to another person or company?
If the answer to any of these questions is, “Yes,” it’s time for you to change your mindset about “selling.”
Rather than thinking about how agonizing it is to bring up what you have to offer, recognize that you have something that can help people and you need to share it. You would be doing people a disservice not to tell them about something that could benefit them and help them if they are struggling. You text your friends about books you’ve read that can change their life, right? Or a product or service that will make their life better in some way? This is no different. If anything, it’s more important to share your business, because you can vouch for its amazingness personally. It’s time to flip the script and realize that “sharing,” is not sleazy like “selling”. It also happens to be way more successful and easier than traditional selling.
While every conversation won’t result in a new client or sale, it will expand your network. You will be surprised at how simply sharing what you do with others authentically will amplify your reach, boost your confidence and in turn, impact your sales.
If you hate “selling,” don’t do it. Instead, share. Use digital marketing and personal connections to share the amazing business you’ve built and how it can help those around you. We call that a win-win!
