I do a lot of public speaking. And just this week I heard a number of small business owners in the audience commented on how hard business is right now, what with the economy and all…And how so few people are buying whatever it is they are selling.

Now, on the one hand, you can absolutely work to market your product or service as something they really do need to solve a problem or achieve a goal. That’ll help sales. Because when money is tight people have to justify every cent they spend.

On the other hand, you can narrow your focus to those who are still buying. And someone always is, even when most people aren’t. You just have to find them and speak to them in a way that resonates with where they are at right now.

Or, on the third hand (3 hands, I know…I’m a bit odd that way. Alien baby and all that…), you could find ways to get people to fall in love with whatever you’re selling.

If you can arouse that deep down desire—that “I gotta have that” feeling—you don’t have to do any selling at all. Because once we fall in love with something (or someone), we can rationalize and justify just about any choice or behavior if it helps us get the object of our desire.

Case in point. I’ve been thinking about buying a new mountain bike. My bike is fine, but I bought it back when I first started riding and didn’t really know what I wanted or needed. It was a good deal on a great bike so I went for it.

Fast forward to 4.5 years later and I’m a much better rider. Now I’ve realized that it’s not the best bike for me and my riding style. So I’ve been saving up to buy a new one.

Then, a couple weekends ago, I went to Whistler for a weekend mountain biking camp (Big fun. I highly recommend it!). And I got to demo a bike for free as part of the camp.

This was both good, and bad. Because I fell head over heels in love with the bike. It fit perfectly. The weight was just right. It jumped solidly and climbed like a demon. And I rode like a Goddess on it!

Little did I know it’s because it’s an amazing, hand-built bike with all the best components—and about twice as expensive as what I’d been budgeting for.

So when I got home I started trying to find ways to get my hands on one without paying full retail. It being the end of the season, I thought maybe I could find a deal. Or buy one used off eBay.

Turns out the bike is sold out everywhere. And the manufacturer isn’t making any more because they have a new model coming out next year.

Now the bike was playing hard to get. My passion intensified.

Although I looked at other bikes, trying to find one with similar qualities, nothing else seemed near as perfect for me.

Then, the lovely ladies from my biking camp emailed me that their demo bikes were available for sale. Needless to say I responded right away.

They sent me the details, and the price tag made me spew my tea across my desk. But it didn’t stop me.

I started figuring out ways to afford it, and justifying the price (It was in Canadian dollars, and the US dollar is worth more right now, so that’s a savings. They threw in an extra set of tires. More savings. Etc. Etc.)

I was pretty sure I was going to buy it when the clincher arrived in my Inbox…

“Normally we don’t let the demos go until after our last camp in mid-September, but no one has this one reserved and my folks are coming down your way this Friday. So if you want they could bring it with them…”

Done. Sold.

The fact that I wouldn’t have to pay shipping AND I could have the bike in two days pushed me over the edge.

So I agreed to spend almost twice what I’d originally intended. And you know what? I’m thrilled! Ecstatic even!! Plus I’m feeling rather smug that I managed to find a bike that is no longer available anywhere (stores, reps, the manufacturer—all sold out).

I can’t wait to pick it up today and simply stare at it and run my hands along its beautiful, charcoal and white top tube. Not to mention show it off to all my friends like a hot date. And of course ride it this weekend.

This is the power of emotion. Love triumphs over all.

No matter what you’re selling, or what the economy is doing, if someone falls in love with your product or service they’ll find the money to buy it. And they’ll do so quite happily because they’ve convinced themselves life won’t be as good without it.

So how do you make love happen?

Well, you’ve got to give people a way to test the wares. In my case, it was demoing the bike that did the trick. If I’d simply seen the bike, and its price tag, I would’ve walked the other way. But I rode it all day and that was all it took.

That’s why you get to test drive new cars too.

How can people get a taste of what you do?

Offer a test drive via a book….A free report…A free ticket to a presentation…A one-night stay if you come to look at a property…A weekend in the house someone is thinking about buying.

If you sell paintings, you could offer to bring a couple over to their home to see how they’d fit.

Seed the market by giving a few out as gifts to well-connected people. If they love it they’ll tell two friends, and ideally let them check it out.

Even if you can’t actually let someone try your products or services, you can certainly use your sales copy to help them imagine how good life would be once they have what you sell.

Imagine the ease…Or how nice it will be without X problem holding you back…Or how impressed your friends will be…Or how much happier their kids will be…Or how much less pain you’ll be in.

Whatever you sell, you want people to see themselves already owning it and how wonderful that would be. Once they picture themselves in the driver’s seat, if it’s a good fit for their wants, needs, desires or problems, love may start to bloom.

Have you ever fallen in love with something that was out of your budget but you found a way to buy it anyway?

Do you have a great way for people to test drive what you sell?

If so, I’d love to hear all about it, so please leave a comment below…

[tags] small business, Marketing, sales, emotion, selling [/tags]

If you’re a speaker, author, coach or consultant you’ve probably had to deal with people asking for free advice.

The problem is, giving away your time and expertise doesn’t make good business sense. And unless you handle the question (and the questioner) properly, you could lose a future client.

I just read a terrific article from my favorite small business money coach, Mikelann Valterra, on how to deal with this. Her suggestions are so practical and valuable I just had to share. Here’s what Mikelann wrote…

One of my newsletter readers recently wrote me with this question:

We are often asked for “advice” or asked “can I pick your brain?” which often ends up being far more than just one question. These kinds of inquiries often are more like consultations. How can we stop giving away our valuable experience for free?

This is a wonderful question–one that I know a lot of us can identify with. First of all, when people corner you and ask for “quick” free advice, it is because:

• They truly don’t understand the complexity of what they are asking
• They are in their own world and unaware of how much time this is really taking
• They don’t know you offer consultations on this exact issue
• They are simply trying to get something for free

Or any combination above.

The first rule of thumb is to set an external deadline. “I have about five minutes before I need to go/ meet so and so/ make a phone call”. Yes, of course we can simply say that we are only going to give them so much “free time” but this often feels uncomfortable. So coming up with an external deadline makes it easier, even if you fake it.

But here is some food for thought. When people ask for free advice, it is really a marketing opportunity. Think of them actually saying, “Are you really an expert on this? Can you really help me? Please educate me on how to use your services.” Instead of saying all of that, they simply ask you a “quick” question as a means to test you. (They don’t necessarily do this consciously.)

So try this response. “That is a great question. It is something I consult with people on all the time. When I meet with them, I cover these related issues….. I bet you can see how complex this is. Do you want me to send you my latest newsletter?”

For example, if someone asks me a “quick question” on how much money they should charge for their service, I respond this way– “That is a really good question. I do a lot of rate-setting consultations, as you can imagine. In a two hour session we cover issues like how to go about the research, what differentiates your service, and what are the underlying emotional issues that may be getting in the way. Then we develop an actual strategy to raise your fees. Do you want me to send you a great article I just wrote on one of these aspects?”

The point of your response should be to:

• Establish your credibility
• Educate them on how to work with you
• Create a connection (if you want one)

I hope that helps.

What do you think about Mikelann’s suggestions?

How do you respond when people want a “quick moment” of your valuable time?

Please do leave a comment below.

Copyright © 2008 by Mikelann R. Valterra and the Women’s Earning Institute.

If you would like to read more about Mikelann’s personal take on earning issues and get more tips, check out her blog: http://www.myselfemployedlife.com

Get more terrific tips from Mikelann on Earning What You’re Worth at http://www.womenearning.com.

If you’re struggling with how much to charge, or how to structure your rates, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Mikelann’s Rate Setting Toolkit at http://www.ratesettingtoolkit.com.

[tags] small business, rate setting, giving free advice, marketing, Mikelann Valterra [/tags]

If you’re looking for new ways to grow your business, and make more by doing less, join me on Wednesday, August 27th when I interview Sheri McConnell

Founder and President of the Association for Web Entrepreneurs on her secrets for turning what you know into cash.

Ever thought about writing a book or ebook, starting a membership organization, or doing your own coaching programs, seminars or teleseminars? Then you won’t want to miss this info-packed interview.

Because whether you want to create a new, home-based business, or just add another revenue stream or two to your current business, Sheri is going to show you what it takes make it happen during this one-hour teleseminar.

Discover:

• How to build a very profitable six-figure business just by leveraging your knowledge and the knowledge of others
• Which information products and services will help you reach six figures faster
• What tools you need to systemize your business
• Which marketing techniques are long-lasting and work for you long after you implemented them
• How to create a lifestyle that allows you to live more passionately and achieve financial independence at the same time.
• What techniques you must put in place to build a strong foundation for your business

Can’t make the live call? No worries! I’ll be taping it, and sending a link to the audio to everyone who is registered. That way you can listen in whenever it’s convenient.

Lines on the call are limited, so go here now to make sure you get to listen in…
http://www.success-stream.com/teleseminar-4.html

This is not a one-hour pitch fest. It is down and dirty information sure to help you achieve your business dreams! Plus a little live Q & A at the end to make sure all your questions are answered.

I hope you can join us on the call. I know I’m looking forward to picking up a few powerful tips to catapult my own business.

[tags] Small Business Teleseminar book ebook how to membership organization income [/tags]

The growth of Internet sales is causing some interesting tax issues for small business owners and casual sellers.

My bookkeeper has spent hours on the phone with the IRS trying to figure the best way to handle the new Washington State tax regulations that went into effect July 1, 2008.

You see, the system for local retail sales tax in the State of Washington has gone from an origin-based system to a destination-based system. Basically, how you tax goods now depends on where the product is shipped to, not on where the product comes from.

This applies to electronic products like e-books or audios that never go in the mail as well as physical products sold and shipped to anyone in Washington (as opposed to bought at your retail location).

The problem is that, in addition to everything else a small business owner has on their plate, we now have to know the sales tax for every city and county in Washington and set up our shopping cart system to charge accordingly. So far this is proving to be a huge pain in the butt!

I haven’t come up with a good solution yet, and neither has my shopping cart system. At this point, it’s likely that I’m going to just estimate the best average rate based on where most of my Washington sales come from, then hope it’s enough to cover what I actually owe at the end of the year (Uggh!). This is so not how I like to do business!!!

Has anyone else found a way to handle this latest set of tax laws?

If so, please share by leaving a comment below.

You’d be helping a lot of other small business owners out, and if your suggestions work for me, I’ll even send you an electronic copy of my latest publication “101 Practical Marketing Tips for growing Your Small Business” as a big Thank You.

Get all the details on the new tax regulations here:
http://dor.wa.gov/Content/FindTaxesAndRates/RetailSalesTax/DestinationBased/MoreSST.aspx

[tags] Small Business, Washington, Online Sales Tax, Regulations Laws [/tags]

I was just reviewing a marketing plan for one of my clients. Clearly, they had taken their time and thought about their plan. But they missed a critical piece. And its one most small business owners don’t ever think about. Yet it is the key to making your marketing work for you…

You see, this client had done all the background work quite well…She knew her target market, her mission, her unique selling proposition, and even had some great ideas about where to market and who to market to.

What she didn’t do was think about exactly how, and in what order, she plans to get in front of her target market.

The reality is, people are bombarded with input these days. Ads, brand logos, junk mail, TV, Internet, music, the list goes on. So chances are they may not even notice you until they’ve seen your name, ad or message a bunch of times.

Think about it…How many times have you driven past the same store or billboard, or flipped past the same ad, before even noticing it’s there? I do that all the time, then usually find out whatever-it-is has been there forever.

So you’re going to need to get in front of someone multiple times before they really even take note…Then another bunch of times before they finally decide to take action.

In fact, stats these days estimate that someone has to see your message anywhere from 8-18 times before they’re likely to buy. And that’s assuming you’ve got the right message going to the right target market.

If all you do is send someone a packet of info once, and maybe follow up with a phone call, you’re probably just wasting your time (and theirs).

Because unless you get lucky and happen to hit them right at the moment when they need your solution, they probably aren’t going to buy right then and there. Though there’s a good chance they may be interested at some point down the road.

So it’s your job to figure out how you’re going to keep getting in front of them over and over again. And there’s a boatload of ways to do that. You’re only limited by your imagination, your budget and your target market.

Here are a few examples…

You could do a multi-step direct mail campaign where you send something every week or two for a few months.

Or a sales letter, followed by a phone call, followed by meeting, then another mailing piece.

Or ads that drive people to your Website to download a free report, followed by a series of email autoresponders and a regular newsletter.

Of course, once you’ve gotten in front of them a few times, you want to keep the momentum going and become a “familiar face”. Not drop off the face of the earth and be forgotten.

So at a minimum, you want to keep putting something of interest or value in front of your prospects at least once a month. However twice a month, or even once a week, is even better provided you can commit to making it happen week in and week out.

Consider putting out a regular print or electronic newsletter (or both!). Then creating targeted quarterly specials to encourage prospects to take action.

Whatever you do, just make sure it’s not all sales pitches (no one sticks around for that). And make sure you keep doing it. You may have to wait awhile to see results, but once you do, as long as you keep your marketing engine running the business should keep rolling in.

[tags] Small Business, Marketing, Tactics, direct mail, sales letter, newsletter [/tags]