Did curiosity really kill the cat?

Hey

Over the last two years I've spoken with 150+ freelancers. Do you know what every one of them has told me at some point?

"I hate selling"

In this first edition of my new weekly newsletter I'm going to offer you a super-simple strategy for making sales a whole lot easier.

Btw: you're subscribed because you kindly handed your details to me previously. If building an awesome solo business isn't your thing, I won't be offended if you hit the unsubscribe button.

Curiosity killed the cat (or did it?)

This?old proverb ?was used to warn against unnecessary investigation. Get too close, they say, and you're a goner. But in all my years onboarding clients, curiosity has never done me any harm.

In fact, it's been the driving factor in my success.

You see, the problem that so many of us have with "selling" is that we think we need to impress. So we spend a lot of time talking about our product or service, how great it is, what the client will get... all the while not giving the person in front of us a chance to talk.

And here's the thing: people LOVE to talk about themselves!

So my advice to you is to get curious. Stop?trying?to sell. Simply put: talk less, listen more.

Shift toward good conversation by asking good questions. Let's look at an example:

Client: We bake artisanal bread that we sell every day to local businesses, but we don't get enough orders through our website because the checkout process is complicated. Can you help?

PAUSE: right now you probably want to say "of course!" then begin asking questions about the checkout process. But let's try this instead...

You: Aah you're making me hungry! Thank you for sharing what's going on, but before we get into the detail, can you tell me a little more about how you got into bread-baking? I'd love to hear your story!

This is a curious question. It's not about the problem, the solution, or your service. It's about the client and their story.

What impact does this have??It builds trust.?And I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how powerful trust is in human relationships.

By slowing down and creating trust, you give space for a stronger relationship to emerge. From here, you can do?better work for more money.

And all you needed to do was get curious.

Until next time,

Matt Saunders

P.s. Here's how you can level-up your solo business this year:

1) By following my daily freelancing tips?on LinkedIn

2) By completing my?Freelance Business Strength Test ?to find out your areas for improvement

3) By enrolling on my game-changing?online course ?(for freelancers who want to find their niche, package their services and earn more money)

4)?By working with me 1:1 ?(for solo founders who are ready to start earning consistent ￡10k+ months - be quick, I take only two new clients per month)