Hello my beautiful friends and welcome to another episode of The Hayley Osborne Show. I’m Hayley and I am so glad you’re here. This is episode 53.
As a reminder, you are a Superhero business owner. You know how I know this? Because you have started your business (or are thinking of starting your business) and that is the very first step. Scary, yes. But if it was easy everyone would do it. Which is why they don’t because running a business is hard. It’s risky, it’s challenging but it is also the most freakin rewarding journey you can go on. Well, I think so anyway. Amen!
If you want your business to be a success, then you better know how to sell. And not in a sleezy way, but in a genuine, caring, friendly and relationship building way.
The word sell, or sales or anything along the lines where you are asking someone for something in exchange for them to pay you is indeed sales. But it’s how you go about doing this that defines you as a business owner and sets the scene for the relationship you are about to enter with your customer. And you want it to be a good one right. Genuine is where it’s at.
Your audience are attracted to emotion and energetics, it’s your job to tell the story, bring the emotion and really show off your energy, because your vibe attracts your tribe.
1. Understand your customers and their needs
Having a strong understanding of your audience, your customers, their wants and needs, is essential. Taking the time to build trust, loyalty, and relationships with them requires effort in order to have a successful business. If you can’t put in the effort then you definitely won’t get the output of the success you desire.
Things have changed in the business front. Your audience, the demographic you are seeking across the board want one word from you = REAL. There is a time and a place for corporate robotic content and there is nothing wrong with this, but there is also your ability to blend in your personality OR your brands personality into this type of content.
Learning what drives your audience’s decisions and communicating with them on a personal level allows you to show that you value their time. Gaining insight into audience trends and behaviour reveals valuable information about what satisfies them from both short-term and long-term perspectives.
2. Teach yourself how your services benefit your audience
Write it down. Over and over and over.
You want to write it down as if you are speaking to rooms of different people. Those that are your target audience. If you were in a room of parents, how would you address your service or product. If you are at a corporate event how would you talk about it?
Learning the benefits of the products and services through and through can be so advantageous for your business. This is your edge. If you need to take yourself away from your office to sit in your “creative space” then this is what you need to do. But you need to put in the time to get really good at what this looks like for you.
So many times I’ve had business owners come to me thinking they just need to run Facebook Ads for example to sell more of their products. BUT let me tell you in big letters: This is usually not the answer. It always ends up being something deeper that needs to be addressed. The Facebook Ad is the quick fix…maybe. Not the long term fix. The long term fix is the sit down and write down every which way your services (or products benefit your audience).
Honestly, by understanding exactly how you help and what value you can provide to your audience and future customers, you’ll gain a competitive advantage. When armed with knowledge about your offerings, you’re better able to develop meaningful marketing messages that accurately shape the benefits of your products and services, giving all those 10’s of thousands of potential customers a reason to choose yours over another businesses.
Don’t underestimate the power of truly knowing what it is that your business provides deeply; it makes all the difference!
3. Develop strong communication skills
Effective communication doesn’t have to be complicated, it’s as simple as making an effort to build relationships and focus on what others are saying.
It involves active listening, asking questions and most importantly, self-awareness. This awareness benefits your ability to recognize the emotional needs of each person you communicate with and adjust your tone accordingly.
There are also some practical steps that can help develop strong communication skills such as gaining knowledge in certain areas, reading influential books or taking a course or two, like Superhero Marketing, my signature membership.
If you’re feeling the pull to do something different in order to help your business reach that next level, then this might be for you. Don’t forget for a second, small business is the backbone of the economy and if you’re listening to this, then that’s you. I built this membership to demystify local area marketing, arming you with all the tools you need to help you become the superhero marketer in your business.
If this seems like it’s outside of your comfort zone, don’t be discouraged; start learning. What got you here, won’t get you there. Clear and intentional communication is key so strive to make sure that your point is delivered in the best way possible!
4. Have a positive attitude
When you keep a positive attitude, you open yourself up to greater opportunities and possibilities. Having a positive outlook can reduce stress and enable you to handle life’s challenges with more confidence.
Having a positive attitude makes it easier to maintain relationships and create new ones. It’s honestly amazing how much your mental perception can influence the way you experience life.
So, set aside some time each day to focus on being in the right frame of mind and enjoy the difference that it makes! Not only to your bizo but to the rest of your relationships.
5. Confidence is the key
Pitching your service or product to a potential customer can be daunting, but it’s essential to show confidence in yourself and services you are providing.
Remember presenting your service or product doesn’t mean a hard-sell; soft-selling is the way forward when convincing customers of the value you provide.
Practice makes perfect and when you have one person that wants what you have to offer, you refine refine refine until you nail it. It does get easier.
6. Listen to your customers carefully
One of the most important strategies you can use to make sure you have long-term success is listening to your audience and especially your customers carefully. Listening to your customers not only allows you to better understand their needs and expectations, but it also helps you create a sense of trust and develop an honest connection with them.
In my experience, through a combination of surveys, interviews, feedback requests and customer experience studies, your business can gather a wealth of valuable insight that can inform practically every decision you make.
After all, customers are the lifeblood of your business so take time out of your day to listen and understand what they have to say!
To sum up today’s episode:
- Understand your customers and their needs
- Teach yourself how your services benefit your audience. The work starts on the inside.
- Develop strong communication skills
- Have a positive attitude
- Confidence is the key
- Listen to your customers carefully
That’s all for this week my friend and I will catch you next week for another episode of The Hayley Osborne Show.
