Are You Losing Clients Because You Don't 'Toot Your Horn'?
© 2006 - 2009 Kendall SummerHawk
"Awe, gee shucks m'am" the cowboy said as he looked down, shrugging his shoulders while re-arranging the dirt with the point of his well-worn boot. "It ain't nothin'."
The shy, slightly embarrassed "Awe shucks" routine may be an acceptable response if you spend your days with cows and coyotes but it sure isn't a good response if you're a business owner who is full of potential and has a bank account you're ready to have explode.
To get clients to buy from you (and spend a lot more mo'ney than they perhaps originally planned) means you must get comfortable tooting your horn.
Now, if you're shy about this, and don't want to seem like you have a "big head" then you'll love the three easy tips I'm going to share with you. You see, the key to making these strategies work is how graceful, natural and supportive they sound to the ears of your prospective clients. No hard selling and no slick, slimy snake oil trying to trick people into something.
Just the truth, presented in a natural way that actually enhances your prospective clients' decision making process.
Toot Your Horn Strategy #1: Don't sell, tell a story.
Practice making your sales presentation richly woven with successful client stories. Make sure to include how the client was struggling to begin with and how different their life/business is now because of your service.
I experienced first-hand how effective this is when I recently changed health insurance carriers. The "sales pitch" (if you could call it that) that my new sales representative used with me was a string of stories told while sitting around my dining room table. Each story carefully illustrated how the insurance company stands behind it's members, even when other companies wouldn't. The stories were personal, moving and highly relevant to situations I or my family might find ourselves in.
Within ten minutes I felt this company cared about me, my health and my well being. Now, whether that is true or not I can't say, but I DID sign up for their coverage! I wasn't surprised to later learn that my representative, Tim, is in the top 10% nationwide for sales.
Toot Your Horn Strategy #2: Grab spontaneous testimonial opportunities.
Testimonials come your way all the time. Are you grabbing them or letting them slip through your fingers? Each time a client has a "win", tells you how great your service is or mentions what they've accomplished take the opportunity to ask if you can quote them on your website and in your marketing materials. Using their spontaneous words will read much more powerfully than a stilted, written testimonial.
Toot Your Horn Strategy #3: Brag on behalf of your clients.
When one of your clients achieves a "win", announce it to the rest of your clients or database list (be sure to get permission first). Your client will be proud to be profiled and celebrated and everyone else will enjoy reading or hearing about what someone else is accomplishing. You, of course, sound like the hero for orchestrating their achievement!
For example, one of my Platinum Inner Circle clients closed a $52,000 coaching contract just a few short weeks after joining my program. How did she do it? By powerfully applying the new brand we created for her to the selling process.
Did you notice how with each strategy, you're using someone else's words, story or situation to paint the picture of success your clients experience when they hire you? Now, doesn't that feel authentic, graceful and full of integrity?
My coaching request for you is to practice one or more of these "toot your horn" strategies with each prospective client conversation you have. With a little attention and awareness, you can easily make this a daily habit of success that supports you in closing more business, today.
About the author:
Kendall SummerHawk, Million Dollar Marketing Coach, delivers smart, savvy ways entrepreneurs can turn their hectic business into a smooth-running, fun, 6-figure money-making dream. To learn more about her book, Brilliance Unbridled, and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com
NOTE: You are welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end). I would also appreciate a copy of your reprint sent to kendall@kendallsummerhawk.com