Are you connecting with new small biz owners just to sell them your products and services? Surely this is cruel?

If you go back in time to when you decided you wanted to start your first business, can you remember writing a business plan, projecting how many customers you would need to make the financials look like you could pay your bills?

Let’s be honest here, always my policy, I had no budget to spend when I started my first business, no money at all to spare. When kind, caring people who were connecting with me at networking events to tell me they could help me I felt quite excited that people could be so kind.

I soon came down to earth with a bump, what they actually wanted to do was to sell me their products or services without even knowing what I needed! Yes I do realise we are all in business to sell, but I prefer to find out what solution my would be client needs, versus assuring them I am a mind reader and know what they need!

If you could put yourself in the place of the person you are encouraging to purchase your ‘solution’ how would you feel? Let’s assume I am encouraging you to buy something from me; You are promised success & financial security if you just buy my XYZ and it’s a big fat lie? Would you continue to be a customer and refer me to others as a trusted business?

The World of business has changed and it’s never going back to the way it was, the hard sell, the cold calling, all effective in certain areas, but does not work for the majority of people today. Do you want to know why?

  • People don’t know what they want in the early days of starting a business. They have been burnt by trusting someone who told them they could help them if they purchased XYZ from them. Disappointment came early because the new business owner realised they were not ready for a marketing plan, a coach, a social media plan, a new computer, whatever, because they were still building their brand or struggling with who their target market was.

If we sell to someone who is not ready they will be disappointed and walk away for good. They will share their bad experience with others, reputations can suffer if we become known as ‘only in this for ourselves ‘. Today’s successful business owners are known for being community givers, for sharing and collaborating, for taking the time to get to know their connections. Large, well known organizations follow the trend of caring about communities and getting to know their connections, it’s all the rage now and it works!

If we continue to build a relationships with others, stay in touch, offer tips, ideas, brainstorm together, the pay off is well worth it. We become trusted, our relationships grows, and yes it takes time, but we retain the small business owner who, once they know what they want, will turn to us to purchase our products and services. They will become our brand ambassadors, our referrers, and stay loyal to us.

Don’t take my word for it, even though I know it works for me and thousands of others, do nothing or try something new, it’s your choice.