Posts in "sell more of your work" Category — Page 7

Short scripts to sell more of just about anything

Since you’re in business, you’re inevitably going to find three types of people as you go about your days. Those who buy your product, those who have no interest in your product, and those who are on the fence about what you offer. People who are “thinking about it.”

It’s the last group we’re going to address together today, ’cause they’re the most likely to trip you up.

First, we both know they’re not thinking about it. They’re not sitting at home hemming and hawing about buying your stuff. They’re merely throwing up a blocker excuse to hide the REAL reason they haven’t purchased just yet.

It’s your job to stop “thinking about it” dead in its tracks.

Here are some options for what your potential customers are REALLY thinking.

10 things people mean when they say “I’m thinking about it:”

I’m embarrassed that I even want this.
Buying this feels selfish or indulgent. I’ve already spent so much money on ________.
This money could be used for ___________ instead.
I’ll do it later, when I have ____________ all figured out.
I want to but I’m scared.
I want to, but money is tight.
I’m afraid someone I love/trust will make fun of this choice.
I’m tired of spending money and energy on things that haven’t delivered on their promises.
I don’t trust that this will be as amazing as you say it will.
I don’t want what you’re offering, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings.

These reasons are often painful, so you don’t want to go blasting through “I’m thinking about it” with an e-mail that starts, “STOP BEING SO EMBARRASSED ABOUT BUYING MY _______.” Or “Your husband is a douche for not wanting you to buy more ____________.” Or “just STOP being scared already.”

There’s no need to GO ALL CAPS LOCK on anyone’s ass. (And it won’t work anyway.)

Maybe you’ll get to the real reason behind the “thinking about it,” maybe you won’t. That doesn’t mean you give up, it just means you’re clued in to a range of possibilities about what’s really going on in the mind of your potential customer-person.

I know your first inclination is to take “I’m thinking about it” for an answer.

“I’m thinking about it” even feels like an answer, so you’re tempted to leave that person who’s thinking alone. Only at some point the thinking has to end.

It’s your job to end “thinking about it” phase with the “f” word: follow-up.

Yup, follow-up. Which is a straight-up sales word, and which might send you off to dry heave for a moment. ::pauses while you go and retch::

I know you don’t want to check in on people who’ve inquired about your services to see if they have any more questions. You don’t want to “bother them” or “sound like a used car salesman” or “be pushy.” I know.

Only follow-up is not a dirty word. Following up is as simple as telling a person when you’re going to follow up (24 hours, 72 hours, a week, etc…) and then checking in at the time you said you would.

If you can say, “Hi, Just wondering if you had any other questions for me about _______,” you can follow up with your potential customers. They’ll be reminded to bring you back onto your radar, and you’re more likely to get either a “yes” or a “no.” Either way, follow-up brings an end to your voyage through murky, undiscovered territory, so we’ll call it a win.

Let’s show you follow-up in action with specific examples (and scripts! Hooray!) so you can see it for yourself. Nothing scary happening here, promise!

3 follow-up scripts to make action happen

Script #1: the basic follow-up.

Hey there, ______!

We had talked about ___________ on [date], and I’m circling back around to see if you had any additional questions for me.

Please let me know if there’s any way I can help you make a decision! If I haven’t heard from you, I’ll check again in 72 hours, so I can be sure I’m taking good care of you.

[your name]

In this script, you’re making room for questions to come your way, and you’re letting this person know that you’ll be back in 72 hours to check in again. This subtly lets the person know that delay tactics like ignoring the message won’t work, so they might as well answer you now. You’re also going to check in 72 hours from now, just as you said you would.

Boomerang is brilliant for this. It’s an app for Gmail that allows you to fling messages out of your inbox and decide when they’ll return. In this case, you’ve said you’ll follow up in 72 hours, so this e-mail can return then! Done and done, you’re a freaking follow-up maven. Nab Boomerang here.

Script #2: Invite talk of concern.

Hi, ______,

You had asked about ________ and I wanted to check in to make sure you didn’t have any other questions, comments, or concerns for me.

If there’s any way I can help you get [your product/service], let me know!

[your name]

P.S. I’ve got you on the calendar to check in again in 72 hours — want to make sure you’re taking care of. 😉

KRISTEN!! Why would I invite someone to talk about their concerns!?

When you make space for dialogue by asking about something like concerns, you often get the REAL reason people aren’t buying to surface. Sometimes you can overcome the objection, sometimes you can’t — but KNOWING keeps you from running through 3,783 scenarios in which it’s all your fault when a person isn’t buying. The real reason could be that a person’s marriage is ending, or she’s between babysitters, or he’s down to his last $470 and that won’t even cover rent for the month. The concerns people bring to the table are often issues you can do absolutely nothing about, but creating a space where honest communication can occur is incredibly powerful for connecting as humans.

Sometimes, of course, you can address concerns and make the sale. If a person is worried that her order won’t ship within 3 days, but you assure her that she can get it in 48 hours, done! She’s buying!

Script #3: for a potential customer you’ve already met or know reasonably well

In this case, you get personal. The more details you can add to show that you’re listening, that you understand the concerns being expressed, and that you’re a human who actually gives a shit about this person, the better your sale will be. (Also, the better your LIFE will be.)

_________!

I’m so excited to work with you, and I’m popping into your inbox to see if you had any additional questions for me about _________.

When we talked, you mentioned __________, and I’m totally going to ___________ as a result.

I’ll circle back around in 72 hours to check again, since I know you’re busy!

Talk soon,
[your name]

When are you going to follow up with every inquiry, question, or potential booking that crosses your inbox in the next few days? Set up a follow-up time frame — like 24 hours, 48 hours, or 72 hours — and then put it on your calendar.

Pencil that in, and you’ll find that you’re seeing more money flowing into your business without a whole lot more effort. You’re just mastering the art of being patiently persistent. And you’re no longer afraid of the “f” word: follow-up.

P.S. To learn WAY more about making money and follow-up, I recommend listening to episode 9 of the That’s What She Said podcast: Pay Me, Dammit! Listen in here or subscribe here.

come alive, make meaning, sell more of your work

5 ways to stop avoiding money so much

As a business owner, you have to deal with money every day in some way or another. But that doesn’t mean you and money are friendly, or even that you and money pay much attention to one another when it isn’t work related. Um. I get it.

In the category of “Things I hide from the rest of the world for $200,” Alex, I’ll take: I grew up in a trailer. Which, not surprisingly, means I grew up in a constant state of “not enough” around money. I hated the thrift stores where we had to shop. I hated that I couldn’t buy the newest jeans or the latest trends and that our books came from the library instead of the bookstore. I resented my used bed linens, my used furniture, and the used magazines Mom picked up for a dime at the Salvation Army. (Seventeen magazine from three months ago is NOT helpful to your developing thirteen-year-old self, thankyouverymuch.)

When I struck out on my own after college, I made a point of buying everything new. So long as it came with the pricetag still on, I was ready to buy it. And restaurants? After years of living in a town so freaking remote that food delivery simply did not exist, I ordered pizza and Chinese food and more pizza with abandon. I embraced my not-love of cooking. I bought new, shiny stuff. I ran rampant over my credit cards and opened more and made a big freaking mess.

Thus, I moved from a place of “not enough”ness around money to a place of sheer and utter denial of debt. Because I am a genius.

I ignored the problem for years, making minimum payments and embracing my good fortune as business took off.

Eventually, I paid off all the cards. Yay! But that doesn’t mean I paid attention to money in any sort of healthy, ongoing way. I clearly defined my money in one of two ways: “enough” or “not enough.” All those smart, intelligent investments I could be making and all those Roth IRAs I could be starting and…::head hits desk, snoring::

I avoided money like my Mom avoids rock concerts. It was there, sure, but I was NOT gonna pay too much attention to it. That stuff had the power to put me in a trailer again. It was much too powerful to manage, so I would just avoid, avoid, avoid…

A few things have changed recently.

Money Not-Avoider Practice #1: Get a money professional in your life. Namely, an accountant.

One: my accountant made me take a monthly salary instead of merely acting like I had taken a monthly salary at tax time. Karl is sure I’m getting the same paycheck every month, which means I can make an actual budget instead of having my income swing wildly from $14,000 to $.07. As you might guess, that’s great! And then awful! And so the cycle of avoidance continues…until you hire someone who loves spreadsheets and tax law to handle that shit for you. Then you’re less stressed and freaked out about everything dollars-and-cents related.

If you’re not ready for an accountant or don’t know where to start, listen to this interview with Connie Vanderzanden. Right now, please, she’s brilliant!

Money Not-Avoider Practice #2: check your credit score.

If you avoid money, you also avoid checking your credit score. (How did I KNOW, right!?)

That’s where Credit Karma comes into play. It’s SUPER fast and easy, and you can use the happy little credit simulator to see what happens if you’re good for the next six months — and what happens if you miss payments and try to open too many new credit cards. Without handing over your credit card and secretly paying God-knows-what surprise fees. I’m not an affiliate for them or anything, so if you’ve got a credit score waiting for you as a bonus with a credit card you own, awesome! Just…knowing is the first step.

Money Not-Avoider Practice #3: the daily check-in.

Just login to your bank’s app and see how much money you have available. Easy, right? (HA that’s a joke! This is SO HARD at first, until….it isn’t.)

This practice keeps you aware without actually having to DO much of anything. The goal is to be less afraid of your money, and checking in every day does just that — it’s exposure therapy meets daily attention.

Money Not-Avoider Practice #4: get grateful.

While the banking app is open, name three things you’re grateful for at the same time. That sounds woo woo as shit, but it’s actually training yourself to associate money with good things. (Because money avoiders don’t associate money with good things, and we can fix it!)

Money Not-Avoider Practice #5: make a date.

Finally, there’s the monthly money date. This is a time to batch your money concerns, attentions, and plans into one 2-hour block of time. It’s just you, your money, and the reward of your choice after you’ve spent some quality time together.

Maybe your reward is a glass of wine, maybe it’s a nice dinner, maybe it’s a trip to the bookstore and you’re not allowed to touch any books until you’ve paid your bills, checked on your accounts, and made a money plan for the next month.

A money date means you’re committed to your financial paying-attention-ness. Doesn’t mean you need to start investing or busting out the C3-RH-22b stock options.

You’re starting to pay attention. And you’re not avoiding money any longer. Those are VERY good places to start.

P.S. Money blocks aren’t your problem.

market like a mofo, sell more of your work

Why playing psychic equals booming business

This is one of the most powerful exercises I have to share in doing business. It draws the right people to you, helps your ideal peeps feel more at home, and pushes away those individuals who aren’t a good fit without any hard feelings. It’s also free and fast, so holy crap you should keep reading. 😉

“Playing psychic” means you’re going to make a series of statements that feel specific but that are actually quite broad, just like psychics do when they’re giving a reading.

For example (imagine my eyes rolling back in my head while I gaze into a crystal ball): you have a father and you own a pair of pants. You hate trying on bathing suits and love ice cream.

See? Easy. You could be like, “Holy crap! HOW DID YOU KNOW!!!??” or you could see what I’m doing: playing psychic.

Here’s why telling your people who they are matters: people want to feel seen. They want to feel as if you know exactly who they are and what they want. When you tell them exactly who they are and what they want, they freak out and heart you really hard.

If you’re reading right now:

You’re a creative, intelligent entrepreneur.
You’re not terribly offended by swear words.
You want to make meaning, connection, and cash as a result of your work in the world.
And (of course!) you want to go your own way, ’cause life as usual is for the birds.

Playing psychic in these statements enlightens the reader by helping them to know they’re in the right place.

If the first statement on a website in no way aligns with the reader’s values, they’ll probably go away.

That’s good. We like going away. People who don’t fall into these loose categories you’re creating aren’t going to be a good fit for your business.

The tougher the filters your clients have to pass through to work with you, the more confident you can be in the compatibility of your services and their needs.

The people who get your vibe and are your ideal clients will gobble up what you’re saying. The peeps who feel all ‘eeeeesh’ or ‘eh’ or ‘meh’ or ‘no thanks’ about you will hit the road, never to be heard from again.

Playing psychic helps them to go away faster. With less pain and wasted time and refunded money.

Statements like the ones we’re about to create make the time between a client’s meeting you and saying ‘yah’ or ‘nah’ much shorter, so you can focus on clients who GET you. Clients who GET you hire you, refer you to others, and come back for more when they need it.

Your turn! Think of the one dream client you’d like to clone over and over again. Write directly to that person in these statements, as you’re trying to attract more of the same.

You’re __________________ and probably __________ as well.
You are ______________ and _____________________.
You are not ______________________________________.
You love to ______________________, especially when _____________________.
Your ______________ could use a little help, and that’s where I come in!

Let’s try it again, Mad Libs style:

If you’re here, you’re probably __________________.
You’re ______________ and _____________________.
You’re definitely not ______________________________________.
You love to ______________________, especially when _____________________.
You know your ______________ could use a little help, and that’s where I come in!

Now, go off the rails and strike out on your own. Tell me 10 things about your ideal clients. You’ll find that they tend to share characteristics like “love fresh flowers” or “hate jazz music” or “really dig True Blood” or “like to be near water.”

Those characteristics aren’t coincidence — they’re signs of an ideal client! So think of every client you’ve ever loved, and play a game with yourself to see how many characteristics those peeps have in common.

No matter where you decide to feature this playing psychic copy, this tiny piece of writing is going to attract more of the right people for your business to you!

Hint: if you can’t think of things your people like or want to do or struggle with — what are the things YOU like or want to do or struggle with? Start there, and I’ll bet you’ve got at least 80% of what you write down in common.

P.S. How to be weird in a way that attracts your peeps and builds your business

market like a mofo, sell more of your work

9 ways to sell without being salesy

As a person whose love language is gift-giving, and who’s done gift ~~hoarding~~ buying this year, I’ve been taking careful notes of how to sell well and how to sell poorly: how to make the “ick” factor go off like a 5-alarm fire and how to keep the “ick” factor nice and low while amping up the warm fuzzies like a toasty fireplace crackling on a winter’s night.

When I’m actually tempted to buy something I 100% don’t need, someone somewhere has mastered the art of selling without being salesy. It’s a subtle practice, but one you can master with a careful eye and a bit of practice.

Here are my top 9 ways to sell without being salesy:

Make an honest recommendation to a potential client about what they should buy — even if it’s not something you offer.

Add 5 images of a product to its current description on your website.

Use this phrase everywhere: “If you like ______, you’ll love _______!”

Share a client success story. Their goal plus your product or service equals client success!

Endorse other goods or services in addition to/right next to your own.

Feature before and after videos of any part of your business process or your clients’ transformations.

Personally respond to e-mails in a pleasantly persistent way. (Use the f-word: follow-up.)

Forget logic and ‘being professional’ — tell me why my heart should care about what you’re offering. In other words, get weird.

List 3 nitty gritty, ultra-specific benefits your business provides for peeps. (Give special attention to the ones no one knows about because you’ve never mentioned them anywhere!)

Share the ‘why’ behind a single product or service, not just the ‘what.’

You’ll want to pick up a copy of Introverts at Work: sales and marketing alternatives for quiet entrepreneurs if you’re afraid of selling, suck at selling, or want more information just like this to help you move your magical creations without feeling like a douchenozzle.

P.S. 30-second sales tweaks that don’t suck.

market like a mofo, sell more of your work

What to do when you have no clients

You’re freaking out about your lack of clients. All your friends are all, “I’m all booked up for the year!” And then they give you that little victory smile that means they’re really proud of themselves, and you try to be proud of them, too. Only you are flipping about about how you can’t afford to freaking pay the rent, let alone pick up a Hug Me Elmo before Christmas rolls around.

Having no clients forces you to make personal connections.

If you want business starting today, another Facebook blast or blog post isn’t going to cut it. You’re going to have to get personal, and you’re going to learn a ton about selling in the process.

First, gather a list of the contact information of all your past clients. And I mean ALL. Rummage through your e-mails, your order forms, your service notes — whatever you have — to find the e-mail and snail mail addresses for your past clients, as well as their phone numbers.

Next, come up with a reason — otherwise known as an incentive — for each one of these past clients to book your services.

“I’ve got lots of space on my calendar and I’m just calling to see if you’d like to pay full price for no reason” is not going to fly.

You’ve got to give them a reason to book your services right that instant, on the phone.

An incentive is just an extra special reason to book or buy.

For example, you might offer an extra fifteen minutes on the phone for a consultation, a handmade batch of your famous brownies, or a gift card to your favorite coffee shop. A single serving of whatever you’re selling, whether it’s a mini mascara, a few of your famous caramels, a single digital image, or a design tweak that usually costs extra.

Whatever you choose, make sure your offer is generous and shows your clients something you personally love.

Recently, one of the peeps I gave this information to replied, “Starbucks. Everybody likes Starbucks, right?” Only SHE didn’t like Starbucks — so no, that’s not a good incentive. We kept talking, and it turns out that she adores a local brew pub. Her clients are all local to her, so she’s basing her incentive around that: gift card for two beers and a popcorn, anyone?

When you’ve found something you’re excited to give and your clients are excited to receive, it’s time to take action.

Call each one of those past clients on your list and offer them the incentive. YES CALL STOP FREAKING OUT YOU’VE GOT NO CLIENTS, REMEMBER?

It can go like this: “Hey there, I just wanted to let you know I’ve only got 3 spots left for the rest of the month, and I want to make sure you get one. You’ll get my amazing services, plus a $20 gift card to Barnes and Noble for putting down your deposit right now.”

If you have to leave a voicemail, be sure to leave a time frame to claim your amazing offer — I suggest 24 hours. If you get a live human, it’s a once-and-done thing. No hemming or hawing or getting back to you in order to claim the incredible freebie. Just move on, wish ’em well, and get to booking your next client.

If calling makes you run away to throw up in the toilet, come back to me. You can do the same thing via e-mail, but it won’t be as effective. Personal e-mails are great — phone calls are better. (Also if the phone makes you want to throw up, you’re probably an introvert and should buy this book immediately.)

Before you get all freaked out and say you would NEVER be okay with getting a call like this — think about it. Think about if your dentist actually called to invite you to get your teeth cleaned.

Not his assistant, not his receptionist — but the man himself. Likewise, think about if your massage therapist or your hair stylist or your graphic designer noticed that they hadn’t heard from you in a while and called to check in. You wouldn’t resent them, you’d be like, “HELL YES!! Sign me up!”

Gather your contact information, create a promotion, and be brave enough to reach out and call. Your empty calendar will be looking better in no time.

P.S. This is a totally feasible marketing option for introverts, and more quiet-with-a-capital-Q options are discussed at length in the pay-what-you-can-priced Introverts at Work!