February 5, 2013

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As a general rule, potential customers will not buy from you or your small business unless they know you, like you and trust you. Unfortunately, many small business owners repeatedly make fundamental sales and marketing errors that immediate create distrust and the make it hard for customers to actually like them.

Here are the three common sales and marketing faux pas; including quick tips on how to correct them:

1. You make unbelievable marketing claims.

As a small business owner you will quickly learn that it is pointless to attempt to be something you are not. The intrinsic beauty of being a small business owner, or self-employed, is that you have a great deal to offer: one of your greatest assets is your personality … your brand. Larger companies spend a lot of money trying to cultivate what makes you unique.

Therefore, your potential customers should know one thing up-front: “What will they get (and what can they expect) with you and your products and/or services. Don’t make claims that you can’t back up.

The Internet makes the world a very small place. A majority of your customers have access to an internet connection, so rest assured that you will be “Googled” and compared to your competitors. That’s what customers do – especially when you are asking them to invest a lot of money with you.

How do you fix this?

Focus on your unique and key differentiation — what makes you special when compared to competitors.  Then communicate your unique benefits to customers, preferably in financial terms.

For example, if you do not offer the lowest price, illustrate how the extra cost is more than worth it. Focus on the benefits. Ask yourself what your customers are quietly wondering, “What’s in it for me?”

2. You are too focused on closing the sale.

One of the biggest business challenges associated with being self-employed and running a small business is the fear of not having enough customers to keep your head above water. This type of business fear can make you appear desperate–even when you think you are hiding it well. Desperation can easily seep through into your interactions with customers and when they notice it you can eventually lose the sale–the one thing you were trying so hard to avoid.

Customers can sense it and resent it when your sole motivation is to make a quick sale.

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