The Worst Strategy for Selling Your Services
Archives: Daily Issues
Issue #2625
- WEALTHY: Is this medieval moneymaker the best way to prosper? (Jason Holland)
- HEALTHY: For women only: Get men to drool (Jon Benson)
- WISE: A proverb to apply to your self-marketing efforts
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- How to insult a potential customer (Bob Bly)
- An extreme technique for developing laser focus (Rich Schefren)
- It’s Good to Know… about online life after death
- Add “parry” to your vocabulary
== Advertisement ==
Gain strength and energy… without exercise?!
It’s time to drop that outrageously expensive gym membership and those heavy dumb bells. All that pumping, pulling, sweating, and unnecessary stress is NOT healthy…
Because so many of my patients strained muscles, ruined joints, and even suffered heart attacks at those fitness centers (or what I like to call “torture chambers”), I finally said, “Enough!” and found a safer way to keep in shape.
Discover the latest research the fitness industry doesn’t want you to know.
The Middle Ages vs. the Internet Age
Bartering, a practice straight out of the Middle Ages, is making a comeback in recession-era America. Stylists trading haircuts for oil changes. Massage therapists giving out sessions in exchange for lawn care. Almost anything you can think of is possible. And now bartering has moved to the Internet, becoming so popular on CraigsList that “business” is up 100 percent since January.
But why waste your time with bartering, negotiating one “deal” at a time, when there’s a much betterway to make money online. By starting an Internet-based business, your profit potential becomes nearly unlimited. Low cost of entry, a potential market of more than a billion Web surfers, and, if your products are digital, nearly free delivery costs, are just some of the advantages.
Think you don’t have the right product? There are thousands of moneymaking markets online, and more are added every day.
Not sure that you have the technical know-how? Today’s software makes building and maintaining a website as easy as sending e-mail.
So all you medieval merchants out there… stop trading and start selling.
[Ed. Note: Interested in starting an online business but not sure where to start? Early to Rise's Internet Money Club Independent Learner Edition gives you the "start from scratch" guide to creating your very own profitable Internet business. Get your blueprint to Internet success right here.]
“You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
American proverb
The Worst Strategy Ever Devised for Selling Your Services
By Bob Bly
The other day I got an e-mail from JT, a professional proofreader, who expressed her grave concern that she had found more than one typo among the dozens of websites I own.
“Can I be direct without being offensive?” asked JT. “Let me start by saying that my only reason for writing this e-mail is that I want to work with you, because I think we could both benefit from collaboration.”
JT continued: “You need a new proofreader – and if you do your own proofreading, you need to fire yourself from that job!”
Did I hire JT as my new proofreader?
No. Because I did, in fact, find her e-mail to be both offensive and self-serving. Yet many freelancers and independent contractors who render creative, professional, and technical services take a similar approach to self-marketing. And it almost never works.
The basis of this horribly inappropriate and ineffective method is: Approach complete strangers… point out a fault with something they are doing… and then offer your services to help them fix the defect.
On the surface, it seems sensible. You are doing someone a favor by helping them correct a defect that could be hurting their business, right? So you’d think they’d be grateful and reciprocate by hiring you to fix the problem you alerted them to. After all, you have already demonstrated your expertise, skill, and value by detecting the problem for them without charge.
But here’s the problem: Most folks, including me, don’t like unsolicited advice.
One of the inviolate rules of my life, both business and personal, is: Never give unsolicited advice.
Advice is valued only if three conditions exist: (1) The advice is sought after (i.e., the recipient asked for it), (2) it is not negative or insulting, and (3) it is constructive and specific.
JT’s e-mail to me violated the first and second of these conditions.
First, I didn’t ask her to proofread for me. So why should she do it?
Prospects prefer to work with vendors who are successful and in demand… not with those they perceive as desperate and needy. The fact that JT is spending her time proofreading copy for strangers without compensation tells me she probably isn’t very busy.
Second, she insults me – telling me I am a lousy proofreader and I should “fire” myself.
Customers buy from people they like. And we don’t like people who insult us.
Another problem with trying to win business by giving unsolicited critiques or advice to strangers is that you risk looking ignorant. That’s because you lack the background on their situation to know whether your suggestions are valid and warranted.
In JT’s case, she assumed I had a typo on a landing page because I’m a bad proofreader. She’s wrong. The real reason you can find typos on some of my sites is that I have literally hundreds of pages posted on the Web. And with my team already overloaded, we simply can’t always keep up with our proofreading and other tasks that are not critical to sales.
A better approach for JT would have been to point out the typo, and then say, “Are your proofreaders overloaded? Hire me to take on the backlog and get those pesky typos off your sites forever.” That would have been more appealing to me than assuming we stink at proofreading, which we don’t.
Finally, JT violates the Silver Rule of Marketing, first articulated to me by marketing consultant Pete Silver.
He told me: “It is always better to get them to come to you, rather than you go to them.”
By violating this rule and soliciting my business, JT placed herself in a weak position.
It may be that I don’t care about typos. (Not true, but there are people who don’t, believe it or not.) If that were the case, JT would be pursuing an unqualified prospect.
Even if I had been interested in her offer, she would have to work hard to convince me that she is the proofreader I should hire. I’ve never heard of her, have no idea who she is, and therefore certainly do not perceive her as an expert or top pro in editing and proofreading.
On the other hand, if you get prospects to come to you because of your reputation as a recognized expert or top pro in your field, you don’t have to do a lot of convincing or selling, because those prospects are already predisposed to hire you.
I would advise JT to stop wasting her time criticizing the websites of marketers who don’t want those critiques, and may even resent them. Instead, she should take steps to position herself as an expert – maybe by writing a column on proper English for a respected business magazine, creating a course on copyediting, or speaking at conferences.
Had she done that, I might have come running to her for help, instead of running away.
[Ed. Note: One of the best ways to position yourself as an expert in your field is to get your name and ideas out to as many people as possible. The Internet - with access to 1.4 billion Web surfers a day - is the perfect venue for reaching all those potential customers. Find out how to take advantage of the massive power of the Internet right here.
Bob Bly is the author of more than 70 books and an undisputed master of the art of selling. Subscribe to his free e-zine, The Direct Response Letter, and claim your free gift worth $116 ]
WANTED: Fast, Easy and Automatic Internet Profits
Sound good, but hard to believe? If you can suspend your skepticism, you could bank $800 a month in automatic income that flows every month into your bank account. These income streams could often be even more money, sometimes A LOT more…
Hang on to your hat, because one man used these simple techniques to bring in $187,296 in one day from following this plan! You can copy the same exact steps for bringing in money faster than you might imagine. And get this: you’ve got nothing to lose because there’s no risk. I guarantee this new program, called Instant Internet Income, does exactly what I promise. Click here to learn more and get started today!
Achieving Goals That “Can’t Be Done”
When people tell you something can’t be done, more often than not what they really mean is they can’t do it without taking themselves out of their comfort zone.
And that leads us to an entrepreneurial secret. I am going to show you the fastest and easiest way to develop laser-like focus. I call it the “back pressed up against the wall” mindset.
Pick a goal you’ve been struggling with – like getting your Web business up and running, getting #1 ranking in your niche, or finishing that product you started working on almost two years ago… Better yet, let’s pick an income goal. Let’s say you want to double your income within the next two years.
Okay. Now, let’s say if you don’t achieve that goal, the person you love the most in this world is literally going to die.
If that were the case, your back would be pressed against the wall. You’d suddenly get a lot more focused on achieving that goal because you would have to do it. Right?
I bet the first thing you would do is make much better use of your time. I bet you would stop watching TV, end pointless conversations midstream, stop checking your e-mail so frequently, and eliminate all the other non-essential crap and clutter you’ve let slip into your life.
Do that and your goal would be well within your grasp.
[Ed. Note: Rich Schefren - one of the world's best small-business strategists - knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful. The businesses he coaches have done over $500 million every year - piling up more than $1 billion in sales every two years. Visit his blog to learn how to streamline your business while skyrocketing profits.
And for even more goal-setting and achieving tips and techniques, check out ETR's Total Success Achievement program. No need to wait until next January comes around to set your resolutions. Get started today. ]
How to Build a Sexy Back
By Jon Benson
You know that part of a woman’s back that every guy likes? The “trench” that runs down the spine and comes alive when she wears an evening gown?
Well, ladies, you can build this part of your back with just two exercises – two hard sets of each:
1. Low pulley cable rows
Using a cable row machine, keep your back at a near-90 degree angle to the bench. Pull to the lower part of your stomach, right around the navel. The trick: Pretend there are cords attached to your elbows pulling them backward. This helps you focus on the back muscles. Then squeeze the muscles together and lower the weight slowly.
2. Hyperextensions
On a hyperextension machine, lie down, face toward the floor, and lower your body slowly. Pull it back up to parallel using your lower and middle back muscles. This forces you to focus on making the muscles, not momentum, do the work. (Don’t be afraid to use weight with this exercise, but build up to it.)
[Ed. Note: To build more muscle in less time while you burn body fat, pick up nutrition and fitness counselor Jon Benson's book, 7 Minute Muscle. It's a complete system for dropping fat and building muscle that's guaranteed to work for you. Try it for 60 days and prove it to yourself.]
For more easy-to-follow exercises you can do at home – plus dozens of strategies for getting fit and living longer – sign up for ETR’s natural health newsletter.]
It’s Good to Know: Online Life After Death
Online gaming, message boards, Twitter, blogging… For better or worse, many people live much of their lives on the Internet.
If you’re active enough online that you think your presence would be missed by your online friends and followers when you die, do this:
Put together – on a CD, flash drive, or even on paper – a list of log-in information and passwords for the various sites, blogs, games, etc. where you are active. Include instructions, or even a specially tailored message, for each site. It could be a farewell blog post, e-mail, etc. Give this information to a loved one or trusted friend and ask them to “close out” your online accounts in the event of your demise.
(Source: Associated Press)
== Highly Recommended ==
Fire Your Boss and Retire This Year Making Six Figures
Let me show you how to quickly start your own profit-generating business and enjoy life like never before because you are finally out of the rat race once and for all. Sooner than you think, you can have a business that has the greatest upside profit-potential, one that’s easy and enjoyable to operate and can be run from anywhere in the world…
If you’re looking for a new break and the opportunity of a lifetime, jump on this now.
Word to the Wise: Parry
To “parry” (PAR-ee) – a fencing term derived from the Latin for “to prepare” – is to ward off a blow.
Example (as used by Bernd Pischetsrieder, former CEO of VW): “I am not saying the whole group’s survival is at stake. But we have to act today if we are to parry the harder onslaught of our competitors tomorrow.”
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2009
Comments