Tag: sales

What Is Your Solution For Your Customer

November 15, 2017

It is all about selling and your customers. And as I mentioned previously in the other episode we’re going to start at the very basics of looking at who is your customer. Before we even talk about selling because if you haven’t defined who your customer is then you won’t be able to find them in order to sell to them.

Because not everyone is your customer.

Not everyone wants your gadget.

No everyone wants your information

Not everyone wants your newest Plumbing apparatus.

So you have to decide. what are you selling.

That’s the first step.

What is the outcome that your customers will get from buying your solution?

Is it something they desire?

Is it the newest golf club?

Is it something that is a solution to their problem?

What is your solution?

So first of all, you should really actually define what your outcome is as a result of using your product or service.

If someone was to actually use your product or service, what is their outcome and how will it improve their life?

What is the end results?

Will they have more money at the end of using your solution or are you just solving one little problem in their life?Maybe it’s time to define that little problem as to how small it is and decide if you can help by adding a few more other solutions to get it into a bigger solution and bigger results.

So first off, you’ve got to decide what you’re going to be selling as a solution.

What is that solution and what is the end results of that solution?

Next question.

Who would want that solution?

So you’d be surprised who wants your solution. At one point, I thought the coaches would want my solution for someone who is thinking of starting a home business in general. But actually I’ve found that for one of my products, I could actually have real estate agents who would be more interested in my solution. So that’s from doing the research and finding out that there aren’t that demand and the audience.

For example, I’ve found out on Facebook that the majority of people there in my audience are from 45 to 65. There are a lot of people out there at 45 to 65 who are starting another business in their life because they want to have the freedom and control of their own life in terms of having a business, so that was a big surprise. I thought it was just teenagers and young people who are on Facebook.

But then I’m not usually on Facebook.

So, what I’m trying to say is first you got to figure out what your solution is and what is the end result for that solution.

What is the outcome for anyone who might happen to use that solution?

And then go and do research on your social media in trade publications in your industry go out and talk to people in your industry about what kind of problems they have and see if they actually NEED YOUR solution. They may not need it because they already have a quicker way to solve what they want so that you’re going to have to find a way to have a solution that is a different, unique way of solving that problem.

So really before you can even start selling or even defining who your customers are, you have to decide what your solution is and what is the end result.

What is the process that you go through to use your solution and get a better outcome?

They always want to buy something for a better outcome, quicker outcome or a more fun outcome of all kinds of outcomes that are positive.

So before you can start even defining your customers, which we will do next time, are you even selling to the right customers. You have to know what your solution is that you have that your product or service solves in terms of what the problems might be or what do they desire.

So, start with the basics and decide what it is that is the outcome for your product or service. And then go and research with a few examples on customers and what they need and who they are and finding out who they are.

Now I’ll tell you bluntly, with our structural engineering firm, we didn’t have to do any of this research because basically people when you want to build and renovate a house and they need an engineer then we are the solution. Obviously, the only thing that is really required in terms of our solution is how we could be quicker; how we can be more responsive; on how we can be on call; for your client and get a good reputation. So we didn’t have to do too much research on what the market was because we have a pretty large market. So the competition was not too fierce in our area.

So just so you know I’m talking right now about online.

But of course we’ll also define offline research but before we can do any of that out, figure out what your solution is whether it’s a product or service that you want to sell.

What is it solving?

What is the end result for your client?

why would they want to buy it?

So have a look at that this week and see what you think about your solution for your business. Maybe look at what you’re going to be doing and see what is the end result of your solution.

That’s a very important task.

And then the next phase, very important, is defining your customer and who they are and where they are. So we’ll do that next week.

Categories: Run a Home Business, Sales, Solopreneur Success Strategies podcast Tags: Tags: customer, sales, selling, solution

Selling Sales You and Your Customer

October 25, 2017

Well today is Wednesday and it’s all going to be about selling sales and your customers.

Today, I wanted to start off by talking about how you don’t have to be salesy in order to sell as a human being.

You sell yourself all the time and you sell ideas that you have all the time.

When you were a baby, you would always try to persuade your mother or father that you wanted a certain food or that you would could see that either doing a tantrum or you would smile and be happy and you could make them understand that you wanted something. As you got older we were always putting our “best face forward” as they call it to people in your school. You wanted to have friends so you always either went with the crowd or you persuaded others you were someone to meet. You’re always persuading other people to do what you were interested in.
So, it comes to reason that “To Sell is Human.”

Of course, there’s a book called “To Sell is Human” by Daniel Pink that I’ll go into it further another time but I just want to say you don’t have to be intimidated by the idea of selling because you’re doing it every day;

you’re giving a first impression to someone new that you meet;
you’re showing people you’re interested in what they have to say or you’re ordering people around
always whatever you’re always selling and always having a certain face that you put forward to other people.

So, what we’re going to be talking about is first how we’re always selling anyway so it shouldn’t be foreign to you and to not be intimidated by the idea of selling but I’m going to be talking sort of backwards in terms of we’ll be talking about because we are talking about the customer first because really “it’s not what you’re selling as much as what your customers want.”

Of course, first you have to define who you think your customers are and what they want before you can approach them.
Give them a solution to what they want to buy and what their pain is or what they desire to have.
So we’re really actually not going to be talking about selling so much as trying to understand who your customer is and what they want what they want to experience with you and what they enjoy and all those kind of things. So, first of all, we’ll probably be talking about the actual process of selling itself and we will be talking about how you can give a good impression to others in terms of selling and how you can be more human in your selling and use your human skills as you are.
Now you don’t have to become that enthusiastic loud salesmen of the old days because with (of course) podcasting as we have now and being on video, you can still be human and connect with others and be engaged by these type of media.

So, in Season 1, I talked about first defining who your customer is and how you can do that as well as researching what they want and where they hang out so that you can find out where they hang out and connect with them there and obviously figuring out what they actually want rather than what you think they want and then selling them the solution to what they want.
Then after that develop the relationship such that you can also then give them what they need in terms of what they want as well.
So as long as you can learn how to define what they want and give them that solution then you will be able to sell very easily to them in terms of having a transaction of money for what the solution is that they want to have from you.
Of course, we’ll be talking about my business and with my husband as well as other businesses and how they work and how they sell and how they market and also offline as well as online. A lot of offline businesses can go online and become more internationally known so that’s awesome. We’ll be talking a lot about how to market yourself and probably growing your business because we’ll be talking more about the internet. But today I just wanted to mention to you that first.

It’s about your potential customers and do you know what they really want.
You don’t have to sell or be salesy.
You can just be human and use the way you are.

We’ll be talking about that further in a later episode. Use the way that your personality is and you can then match it or change it to match your customers personalities such that they feel that you’re an old friend and that it’s not a matter of selling.
It’s just a matter of being human to human and realizing that you have the solution to what they want.

So I know that sounds all very confusing but I certainly thought I would start out with an introduction to selling and then we’ll be going on to understanding that selling is not about you, it’s about your customers of course.
First you have to figure out who your customers are.
So we’ll see you next week and will be starting on finding out who your customer is and what do they want.
So ask your questions or ask yourself that question over the next week and maybe you’ll find out that the people that you thought were your customers aren’t actually and other people and others who actually want your solution that you hadn’t thought about selling to ..so see you next week. Subscribe on Itunes.
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Categories: Run a Home Business, Solopreneur Success Strategies podcast Tags: Tags: customer, run a home business, sales, selling, solopreneur success strategies

Be True to Yourself

February 26, 2015 jgardner

The Customer is not always right!

Guest Post by Ken Keis of

Opinion: A view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter; belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge; a formal expression of judgment.

Yes, there are times when our clients have concerns to which we need to respond, such as the package arrived damaged or later than we promised. In workshops during the height of the customer-service trend in the early ’90s, I actually taught that the customer is always right—but no longer.

Who has your ear? Who is providing you with feedback?

Several years ago during one of our Assessment Systems Certification Workshops, an individual shared that he did not like CRG’s leveraged affiliate business model. He was so upset that CRG would pay him a fee for his referrals, he asked for his money back on the session. He thought it was unprofessional to honor others with a referral fee.

Note: He was the only person to ask for a refund in over 10 years. His business has always struggled. He means well but he is not respected in the business community as competent businessperson. This is not a statement of judgment but, if I am going to seek counsel, it would be from individuals far wiser, more successful, and more experienced than I am.

Should I change CRG’s business model because of one contrary opinion among hundreds of positive ones? Of course not, but sadly, many people would.

Here’s another example.

One of my colleagues, a member of the National Speakers Association, had just completed a keynote address—1 of about 50 a year for which he is paid a significant sum—when an audience member approached him and started in on how she could help him with his speaking style. If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it!

Is it possible that the speaker does not want to change his style? After all, his style is why the decision-maker paid him a significant amount to speak.

And why did that total stranger think it was appropriate to share her thoughts without asking permission?

It appears that almost everyone has an opinion, but few are qualified to provide one.

Have you changed your business model (or direction of your life) because of other people’s opinions?

What would your life or business look like if you changed it to fit everyone’s (in many cases, unsolicited) opinion? You certainly would not be living your purpose.

That is why the customer is not always right. People have issues and we want to do right by them, but we can’t own their stuff. The research shows that no matter how gifted a presenter you are, about 5% of any audience is not going to like you. Yes, we want everyone to like us, but that’s not going to happen.

About 15 years ago, I stopped using participant evaluation forms with a numeric 1-to-10 measuring format or any mention of the lunch and the facility. I found a high percentage of the group was more interested in complaining about the lunch than addressing the workshop content. The session was about sales, leadership, living on purpose, and so on. The lunch had nothing to do with behavioral transformation!

In one workshop, I got both these comments.

Best presentation on Sales that I’ve attended in my 20 years in this industry
Worst presentation I have ever attended
Whose opinion matters? Neither! In the end, you must feel comfortable in your own skin. That’s why Self-Worth is so important to our success. If we constantly change because of others’ opinions, we stand for nothing.

The “customer is not always right” mindset applies to all areas of our lives.

My point is this: No matter who you are or what you do, unsolicited opinions and comments will be offered. Many will have no merit and should be completely ignored. That includes “well-meaning” family members and friends who are judging the way you “should” run your life or business.

Unless the advisor has a track record of success in the exact area you need, why would you listen?

Here are some examples.

Someone who has no children tells you how to parent.
An individual who has had no success in investing tells you how to invest your money.
A career counselor who dislikes his or her job is counseling you on how to live your life on purpose.
A person who has never been successful in business tells you how you should run your company.
An average or below-average sales rep tells the sales superstar how to improve his/her sales performance.
A marketing specialist who is struggling for business themselves wants you to hire them.
An individual who has never supervised others tells you how to lead a team.
The list goes on…

In the end, you must live your own life and run your own business. Don’t let dysfunctional clients, individuals or uninformed family and friends inject their opinions into your space. Be respectful, but simply say No.

That’s why I stopped seminar evaluations altogether. The only feedback I need is from the decision-maker who invested in my session.

Unless you are one of my trusted advisors, I am not interested in your opinion about my presentations. After 23 years and 2500 presentations, I know myself. I have my own personal style and I am not going to change—nor should you—just because a minority did not like something.

Of course, there are some exceptions, such as feedback from individuals in authority at work and those you trust the most. Even then, make sure you are not being forced to be someone you are not—or expected to compromise your values in favor of another person.

I encourage everyone to stand in your personal and professional space with confidence. You can choose to seek wisdom from others but you must be watchful of the qualifications of your sources.

When you are confident and clear about who and what you are, others’ opinions will no longer impact you. You don’t need validation because you are secure in yourself. And negative feedback will not take you out.

Review the action steps to confirm possible items where you can improve and not let others drive your agenda in life.

Action Steps
Your Customer is NOT Always Right!

Are you completely clear about what is important to you, in all areas of your life? If not, what do you need to confirm?
Have you allowed unsolicited opinions from customers or unqualified individuals to influence your life and business? If Yes, why have you allowed that to happen?
What has listening to others’ ill-considered opinions cost you in terms of direction, confidence, and success?
Decide this moment that you will not allow ignorant opinions into your personal or professional space. What do you need to change or shift to achieve that objective?
The reality is that if you stand for anything, someone will disagree. If you never have anyone disagree with you, are you living authentically or are you simply trying to please others?
Feedback is an important part of growth; proactively select your group of advisors to make sure they have a proven track record of success in the area where you seek counsel. Make sure those individuals will tell you the truth—not just what you want to hear.
Set an objective that you will take the necessary steps to mature to a level where the opinions of others do not matter.

To Know Thyself and keep Strong in face of others opinions

To clairify your values and style, complete the CRG’s Values Preference Indicator (VPI) and
the Personal Style Indicator (PSI) to get to know yourself better so you are less influenced by others.
To understand how your level of self-worth is affecting your success, complete theSelf-Worth Inventory.
To help you understand your tendencies and what is important to you, read Why Aren’t You More Like Me?“!