Can you promote your business without being pushy? And if so how?  In response to The Paradox: Doing (or Not Doing) the Work to Live Your Dream, Martin Lindeskog left a comment saying that he’s “allergic to the pushy sales people.”  I am too.

And because of this allergy, I certainly don’t want to become the thing that I hate – the pushy sales person. But when you’re a business owner, sales is a part of the game or you could eventually find yourself out of business. I mean you do have to make money at what you do or it’s really a hobby.

So how do you sell your goods and services effectively without being pushy? 

It’s all about exposure, relationships and systems.  At the core (these are the steps that will get you started) you want to:

1. Expose what you have and why it matters to as many people as you can.
2. Build relationships with the ones that follow you home.
3. Establish a system ahead of time for how they will interact with you, find out about your goods or services and buy them from you (when they’re ready) and as easily as possible.

But there’s more to exposure than just opening a store and telling your friends. You have to get out there.

What is the best way to build a profitable, ongoing relationship with your potential clients? 

Consistent and engaging messages across multiple platforms.

In other words, you need a brand message. And if you hate the word brand, then think of it like this – you need something that you consistently represent and stand for. So that when people encounter you or information about you in social media, on your website, in videos, in magazines, in newspapers, they also encounter a consistent message.

Just keep this mind, there has to be a system behind your marketing and a system behind your sales. 

Nine times out of ten, the strategy work required in understanding and setting this up will take a little more time than you imagined on the front end, but will save you a lot of time and frustration on the back end.

You will have to decide what marketing platforms you will use first, because you can’t do everything at once. And you’ll need to choose your team.

You will have to determine exactly what you have for sale. And when you’re selling services you have to turn them into items that feel as concrete as walking into the grocery store and picking up a loaf of bread. People need to know what they’re getting in order to feel comfortable shopping with you.

At the core, you need to care about what they need and want, understand what they need and want and provide it in a platform that they need and want. When you do that, it’s easier for people to shop with you.

Courtesy: Small Biz Trends

About Jamillah Warner

Jamillah Warner (Ms.J), a poet with a passion for business, is a Georgia-based writer and speaker and the Marketing Coordinator at Nobuko Solutions. She also provides marketing and communication quick tips in her getCLEAR! MicroNewsletter.