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What if one day Starbucks stopped selling coffee?
No, seriously… Think about it!
What if one day, you wake up bright and early in the morning before work, and you feel like drinking a cup of coffee. So you head on over to the closest coffee shop to get a quick pick-me-up.
When you get there and place your order, the baristas seem unsure about what they’re selling and tell you, “Sorry, we’re not selling coffee today!”
I’m sure you’d be confused. Why the heck isn’t Starbucks selling coffee?!
The same goes for your business.
Somewhere over the last decade – the whole idea of being “salesy” and “pushy” in marketing has become taboo.
So often, I meet coaches who tell me, “I don’t want to sound salesy when I sell!” or “How can I sound less pushy in my pitch?”
STOP that!
You are doing yourself and your clients a disservice when you focus on “not trying to sound salesy.”
Think about it. That’s the problem. Treating the “pitch” as the only moment you’re selling. When you do that, it does feel salesy!
What you need to know is that you’re selling all the time.
#1 – You’re constantly creating demand by building anticipation. You want them to know that you have an offer that can help them.
It feels icky if you pull a bait and switch and just pile up a bunch of free content and then slap an offer on at the end. If you do that, you leave your people spinning, thinking they just got duped unknowingly into a sales pitch.
#2 – You’re constantly selling your ideal clients into their greatest possibility. Inviting them to rise up and claim, “YES! I want that life/result/business!”
You’re demonstrating what it takes to be successful and guiding them to decide if they are ready, willing, and able to go after their dreams. Giving them the power of choice fuels their belief in themselves and strengthens their confidence to go after what they want.
#3 You’re constantly enrolling people to graduate each phase of the buying journey.
The buyer’s journey goes like this: From recognizing they have the first sign of an annoying symptom to putting a name on their problem. Then, you guide them to see that there are solutions out there and help them decide the path for them. After that, choose the best offer to provide them with the solution they desire.
If you guide your ideal clients through their journey, they are sold onto you before you even ask for the sale!
But if you skip these steps and use the “pitch” as the only moment you are selling… you miss out on the chance to serve your audience and get rid of the “ick factor” associated with selling.
So, back to the question: How do you market yourself without sounding pushy?
The answer is simple, focus on serving.
Focus on understanding the client’s needs and how you can help them.
Focus on what they have to say and use the language they use to describe their challenges and desires.
Guide them through the phases of the buyer’s journey from a clean place of service.
Notice every phase should create a buy in and demand to leap into the next phase, which finally leads to you having the opportunity to be their hero and help solve their problem.
Don’t be afraid to sound salesy because the sale will naturally happen if you are enrolling them step by step along the way. Remember, you are always selling… well before the actual pitch.
That’s when you have people lining up ready to say, “YES!” without sounding salesy!
