Where many marketing conversations get off-track are the ones you have with yourself, before you even pick up the phone or initiate the handshake. As independent professionals, usually at the helm of solo businesses, we sometimes find ourselves facing daunting internal obstacles as we try to begin our day's marketing activity. With no one in our office-of-one to help with a confidence booster, an important resource to have in our self-management toolbox is a means of submitting the negative self-talk for an internal Second Opinion.
Let's imagine you're about to pick up the phone to follow up on a promising contact you met a few days ago. You recognize that the clammy hands gripping the phone are a sure sign that Fear of Rejection is in charge. You've convinced yourself that the voice about to answer your call is just waiting for an excuse, any excuse, to hang up. What to do? Time for a Second Opinion!
The Department of Second Opinions draws on that part of yourself that knows enough to question the self-defeating voices by asking, "How real is this?" Buttressing its wisdom is the recognition that a conversation underlies every marketing activity as sub-text, a conversation that's usually unspoken. While we may tend to think of marketing as telling people what we do, in fact all our marketing activities implicitly ask a question: "Do my services have potential value to you?" When Fear of Rejection is in charge, the door slams shut on any potential conversation. "Do my services have value?" "No!" End of conversation. But what if you stay in the (unspoken) conversation and wonder, "What are they actually saying no to, and why?" They could be saying no to having the conversation now, or to a perceived misfit between their needs and your services, or even to the person they couldn't say no to 10 minutes earlier!
Viewed in this light, the imagined door slamming shut in your face shifts to a swinging door. Even if it shuts, you're likely to come away with useful information about the needs of this prospect, or about how to better position your services for your target client. Even if it shuts on him or her as a prospect, you've gotten the word out to one more person about your services.
Another conversation stopper, particularly seductive for service professionals: "I Can't Sell Myself". This one actually negates any conversation from the outset, presuming instead that rather than talking, you have to convince or even manipulate the prospect. A Second Opinion might point to a more promising line of inquiry such as: How do I quickly and accurately inform myself about my prospect's needs and present my services as an effective solution?
Shifting the internal voices ? abandoning the conversation-stoppers or door-slammers and instead framing a question - gives you a good chance of getting off on positive footing for the actual conversation. It's very helpful to remember that even if the prospect says no, this doesn't have to be your last opportunity. When you relax into the conversation, into listening and asking as well as telling, you may hear an interest or need that has no direct connection to your services but provides a basis for staying in touch. This will indeed have been a successful marketing conversation! Good luck.
About The Author
Nina Ham, certified coach and licensed psychotherapist, is principal of Success from the Inside Out, providing individual coaching and teleseminars to build the skills, attitudes and habits for sustainable success in your career or business. Mail to: Nina@womenssuccesscoach.com, subscribe in subject line, for free monthly e-zine, or visit http://www.SuccessfromtheInsideOut.com.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
I would like to share a disturbing little secret with... Read More
No matter how big or small your business is and... Read More
Your business is making profits, but where is the cash?... Read More
Junk mail. We all get it. And it goes straight... Read More
On an introductory call, your voice is your instrument. During... Read More
Everywhere I turn, I'm being asked to weigh in on... Read More
Growing up in the South, I used the phrase "big... Read More
Do you know why your customer won't buy? You've given... Read More
ReferralsA substantial part of your business can come from referrals.... Read More
Here are five sure-fire ways to guarantee you will not... Read More
All customers have a choice to make. Sometimes that choice... Read More
Obtaining merchant status will help to increase your sales. Consumers... Read More
I've found that winners say "I choose to." Whiners, on... Read More
Direct sales can be your ticket to a profitable home-based... Read More
When buying something, you can buy in one of two... Read More
Would you like an easy way to track the performance... Read More
To be more effective at developing relationships, one should always... Read More
Health insurance lead generation systems provide a stead stream of... Read More
1. When you make your first sale, follow-up with the... Read More
Steps - it is unrealistic for most salespeople to expect... Read More
"Which is your best CD?"Ever get that question? My band... Read More
A key method of our survival in the business and... Read More
The success of a small business depends upon a steady... Read More
After careful consideration, we have chosen our vendor, and it's... Read More
Selling is just a whole lot easier when you know... Read More
Where many marketing conversations get off-track are the ones you... Read More
Ahh. Selling. Sometimes, this is a word that is dreaded... Read More
There are seven major reasons why adults continue their pursuit... Read More
In some situations, attempting to intimidate the other person will... Read More
Is cold calling dead? And if laws are being passed... Read More
So it's finally come time to sell the business. After... Read More
Everybody is familiar with the old retail chant, "Location, location,... Read More
There are 3 ways to grow any business:- Get more... Read More
I've been using a technique that has helped me to... Read More
Color psychology is the biggest question I receive on a... Read More
"Hello, is (pause) puh-TREE-shuh home?"So started my weekend lesson in... Read More
Web sites exist for essentially two purposes. The first is... Read More
"Which is your best CD?"Ever get that question? My band... Read More
We would all like to think that our product or... Read More
Smart buyers will always ask for a better price. Unfortunately,... Read More
Last issue we talked about what motivates people to buy... Read More
A closing question asks for a final decision. A trial-closing... Read More
Remember those school exercises that started "Compare and contrast....yada yada... Read More
Occasionally EGOPOWER readers send me questions or topic suggestions that... Read More
They say if you wait long enough, a style you... Read More
Health insurance lead generation systems provide a stead stream of... Read More
When it comes to buying mortgage leads, there are many... Read More
Lead Generation is vital to all businesses. All companies try... Read More
The multi million pound cosmetics industry is acutely aware of... Read More
Any company in today's global economy must eventually face the... Read More
GIVING Vs "SELLING"Never lose sight of the importance of providing... Read More
Freebees--Freebees--FreebeesWHY PAY, WHEN "YOU CAN HAVE IT FOR FREE?"There are... Read More
Female mannequins are very common in clothing stores. They are... Read More
You have a great product, but it's not flying off... Read More
Growing up in the South, I used the phrase "big... Read More
We use this method to find new cleaningcustomers, and it... Read More
Here's a chilling thought. If you were to die tomorrow,... Read More
There are many fund raising ideas on the market today... Read More
What methods can we use to install confidence into your... Read More
Psychological Tricks in Selling By Stephen Bucaro In this article,... Read More
Several weeks ago, I conducted a "Mastering the Cold Call"... Read More
Have you ever wondered why some people use long sales... Read More
The traditional "Quotation" was originally devised during the Industrial Revolution... Read More
Make sure you target women. It's true for almost anything... Read More
How do you get people's attention and build their interest... Read More
The leads marketing delivers to the sales team never seem... Read More
Sales |