How A Business Owner Got Out of His Comfort Zone with the Business League (And Three Tips to Help you Explain What You Do When Selling)

Many business owners struggle to make sales despite their efforts. The problem is, that those efforts come from inside of their safe circle, while the actual sales journey starts with getting out of the comfort zone.

Jared became a member of the Business League to meet new people and grow his business.?

This was when he finally stepped out of his comfort zone.

As a result, what he got out of the experience was much more than he expected.?

The connections he made and the education he received helped him propel his business to new heights.

That’s why he made this recommendation to everyone who struggles to make sales:

Step out of your comfort zone because doing so will help keep potential conversions.

You see, many businesses stumble when the time comes to sell what they do, even though the leads are there.?

The main reason for it is that they struggle to help people understand what they do. And playing it safe by staying in their comfort zone is a key factor in why this happens.

Fortunately, the three tips below can help.

The Tips

Tip #1. Understand Your Prospect’s Needs

Most often, there are three things business owners aren’t doing right.?

First, they lose potential conversions because they struggle to help people understand what they do.?

They also focus on the product’s features, rather than how someone can benefit from their products.?

Finally, they don’t follow up. Maybe they will send a proposal or have a conversation with a prospect. And once they mention the product, the prospective customer isn’t interested in it just yet. But by the time the prospect responds, the business doesn’t follow up.

You can avoid these situations by assessing your prospect’s needs, which will make conversions more likely.

Here are four pieces of advice on how you can do just that:

• Do as much research as possible on your target audience and ideally create a buyer persona.?
• Ask probing questions that relate to potential problems the prospect wants to solve.?
• Be mindful of the questions the prospect asks. These questions can often reveal the prospect’s problems.
• Segment the prospect’s pain points. Do they want to make money, save money, reduce time and effort, or maybe there’s a human need behind it?

Tip #2. Focus on What the Prospect Gets (Rather than How You Do It)

Business owners often make the mistake of focusing too much on the product.?

To find out if you’re doing that as well, ask yourself this question: Do you think your prospects care more about you or themselves when buying your product??

Rather than hearing explanations on how a specific business solution is innovative on a broad level, all prospects care about is how that solution is a good fit for them.?

That’s why it’s best to dedicate some time to understand what it is that your prospects care about and how your company will take a step forward on the solution.?

Also, you want to include testimonials or customer success stories as part of your content marketing. Prospects love to read other people’s experience with a service they are interested in.?

Tip #3. Follow Up After Having a Conversation

If you’ve been in business for a while, you may have learned that prospects often don’t buy services or products instantly.?

The mistake many business owners make is not following up after an initial conversation.

It’s not realistic to expect customers to go through everything themselves after a quick introduction to a product. But this doesn’t mean the first contact isn’t important – it’s quite the opposite.

You only have one chance to make that first impression. But the customer support journey doesn’t stop with the first conversation.

Needless to say, it’s crucial for anyone in sales to master the follow-up. In fact, a Brevet study showed that 80% of sales require at least five previous follow-ups, yet a whopping 44% of reps follow up only once before giving up.

Now, you may have reticence about following up, which is understandable. Salespeople know that they have a reputation for being pushy or even aggressive. Most of them quit pursuing a sale as a result.?

But if the contact has given you a firm “no” initially, it should be evident that there’s no need to continue following up.?

Now, let’s say you did follow up but you didn’t get any response. Your prospects may have a reason for it.?

A common one is that they are simply too busy. That’s why you need to be more creative in getting their attention.?

There are many things you can do to make your follow-ups successful. Here are three of the best ways you can do that:

• Use diverse methods

After sending a follow-up email or two and not hearing back from your prospect, it may be time to pick up the phone. Alternatively, go back to sending a few more emails. If the prospect is on LinkedIn or other professional platforms, you can follow up there as well.?

People prefer different communication methods. But if a prospect says to not contact them on the phone, respect that.?

• Provide value

This one may be obvious, but don’t try hard selling.?

Be creative with how you start the conversation. Ask the prospect how they’re doing. Keep the follow-up emails engaging by including links or videos on relevant topics. Finally, you want to let them know when special offers are coming.?

• Write catchy subject lines

This can easily be the make or break.?

Imagine going through thousands of emails per day. What are the chances of you opening one titled “Follow-up”??

So, always include the recipient’s name, use a conversational tone, and create a sense of urgency.?

After you’ve tried five follow-ups without an answer, it may be time to stop.?

But you can give it a final push with the so-called “break-up” email - you let the prospect know that you’ll stop contacting them.?

Sales Start Outside of Your Comfort Zone

Many business owners struggle to make sales even though they have plenty of leads. And it’s often because they don’t seem to connect with prospective customers in the right way.?

Jared shared a similar problem… until he decided to step out of his comfort zone and join The Business League.

The supportive community he became part of helped him approach clients from a different perspective, which resulted in a massive boost for his sales.

If you feel like getting out of your comfort zone could help boost your sales, The Business League has got your back. Consider doing any of the following and see how we can assist you to level up your business:

• Join our free networking workshop.?
• Join us for a networking event.?
• Book a Brainstorm Call with our team member.