EP 22: 4 Ways To Sell Your Programs, Products, or Services (That’s NOT 1:1)

Are you an entrepreneur who dreads the thought of 1:1 sales? You're not alone. You may have had a bad experience, lack sales expertise, or fear rejection. Whatever the reason, the truth is that without someone selling, your business won't survive.

But here's the good news: there are alternative ways to sell your programs, products, and services that don't require 1:1 selling. Today, I'll share four strategies for selling to get you started. But before we dive into the specifics, let's take a moment to understand the difference between marketing and sales.

While both aim to convert prospects into buyers, marketing and sales are distinct business functions. I feel it's important that I share this because most entrepreneurs want to skip the marketing and jump right into sales - and that's why they don't get the results they were expecting.

By understanding the difference between marketing and sales and leveraging alternative selling strategies, you can effectively grow your business without the stress of 1:1 selling.

The Difference Between Marketing And Sales

Before diving into the techniques I want to share with you today, it's essential to understand the differences between marketing and sales. While the two are closely related, they serve distinct purposes requiring different approaches. By having a clear understanding of these differences, you'll be better equipped to develop a comprehensive sales and marketing strategy that reaches your target audience and converts them into paying customers.

The Purpose Of Marketing

Marketing is a crucial component of any successful business strategy. It is the practice of creating awareness and initiating consideration of a program, product, or service. At its core, marketing is relational, focusing on building a connection between a business and its target audience.

The job of a marketer is multi-faceted, involving:

• Creating awareness

• Sparking interest

• Capturing leads

• Nurturing prospects, and ultimately…

• Setting up the sales team for success

By utilizing various marketing techniques, businesses can build brand awareness, establish themselves as experts in their field, and create a relationship with their perfect ideal customers.

There are several common types of online marketing that businesses can use to achieve their goals. These include:

• Content marketing: This involves creating content such as blogs, eBooks, and podcasts to build trust and capture prospects

• SEO: This focuses on optimizing website content to appear in search results

• Paid media: Involves placing ads to reach target customers

• Social media marketing: This leverages social platforms to connect with prospects and customers

• Email marketing: Allows businesses to reach their audience through targeted campaigns

By deploying these techniques effectively, businesses can build strong relationships with their target audience and drive conversions.

The Purpose Of Sales And Selling

Sales or selling is a transactional activity aimed at converting prospects into paying customers. Unlike marketing, which is focused on building relationships and creating awareness, the primary goal of sales is to close deals and complete transactions.

The role of a salesperson is crucial in this process. They are responsible for:

• Following up with prospects

• Determining if they're a good fit for the program, product, or service

• Presenting the best solution to the prospect based on their needs and desired outcomes, and ultimately…

• Closing the sale

There are various selling strategies that businesses can deploy, including:

• Inbound selling: This is a technique where the prospect initiates the sales process, such as scheduling a discovery call

• Outbound selling: This technique involves reaching out to prospects through outbound activities like calling, texting, or social media messaging

• Needs-based selling: Focuses on selling based on the prospect's needs or desired outcomes. In this strategy, the salesperson learns about the prospect's challenges and goals to determine if they are a good fit for the program, product, or service and lead the prospect to the best solution.

Combining Marketing and Sales

At our company, we understand the importance of using a combination of marketing and sales approaches to sell to our perfect ideal customer. By leveraging various online marketing strategies, we create awareness, spark interest, capture leads, and nurture prospects. Our sales team then follows up with those prospects, determines if they're a good fit for our program, product, or service, presents the best solution, and closes the sale.

It's important to think about marketing and sales as separate but closely connected activities that make up the customer buying journey. Both marketing and sales play a vital role in creating a positive customer experience - from the initial point of contact all the way through the sales process. By working together, these two activities can help businesses build relationships with their customers and drive revenue growth.

Why am I sharing this? Because as I share the 4 strategies for selling you can use in your business, you should think about your marketing and sales efforts as separate activities (but one's that are very closely connected) that make up the experience your prospect will have in the customer buying journey. 

4 Strategies to Sell Without 1:1 Selling

Many entrepreneurs feel overwhelmed by the prospect of 1:1 selling. But the good news is that various strategies can help you close the sale without relying solely on individual sales interactions. These strategies can save you time, increase your reach, and scale your business.

Email Campaign

An email campaign is a series of targeted and automated emails that aim to educate, engage, and convert prospects into customers. This strategy can help save time, increase reach, and scale your business.

One of the benefits of email campaigns is their cost-effectiveness. Compared to other marketing strategies, email campaigns are relatively inexpensive and can be personalized to the recipient. I love this strategy because the results can be easily measured, allowing you to refine your approach and optimize future campaigns.

To create an effective email campaign, it's important to segment your audience based on their interests and behavior. This allows you to send relevant content that resonates with the recipient. Craft compelling subject lines that capture the reader's attention and encourage them to open the email. Finally, include a clear call-to-action that guides the reader to take the desired next step, such as signing up for a webinar or purchasing a product.

Webinars

Webinars are online events that allow you to present your expertise, value proposition, and offers to a live or recorded audience. They are typically conducted using video and can be either live or pre-recorded.

One of the most significant benefits of webinars is the interactivity they provide. People can ask questions, participate in polls, and engage with you in real-time, creating a more engaging and personalized experience. Webinars are also a great way to establish authority and build trust with potential customers. You can position yourself as a thought leader in your field by sharing valuable insights and demonstrating expertise.

Another advantage of webinars is their ability to generate leads. To participate in a webinar, attendees are usually required to provide their contact information, such as their name and email address, which can then be used for follow-up marketing.

To create effective webinars, it's important to choose a relevant topic that will resonate with your target audience. Promoting the event in advance through various channels, such as social media, email, and your website can also help to drive attendance. Finally, providing valuable content that solves a problem or answers a question for your audience is critical to keeping them engaged and interested in your business.

Workshops

Workshops are in-person or virtual events that provide people with hands-on training, skills, or knowledge related to the entrepreneur's programs, products, or services. They are an effective way to engage with prospects and customers and can differentiate the business from competitors. Workshops can also be an excellent opportunity for networking and building relationships.

To create an effective workshop, you should start by defining the learning outcomes. What do you want your audience to learn, and how will you measure success? The next step is to design interactive activities that are relevant to the learning outcomes. This could include group discussions, case studies, or exercises that allow people to apply their knowledge.

It's important to provide follow-up resources after the workshop, such as additional reading materials or access to a community where students can continue the conversation. This helps to reinforce the learning and keeps everyone engaged with the business.

Groups

Group programs are a great way to provide personalized attention and value to multiple clients or customers simultaneously. They offer several benefits, including scalability, community-building, and learning opportunities. You can save time and increase revenue potential by serving multiple clients at once. 

One effective way to leverage group programs is through Facebook groups. Facebook groups offer a free and user-friendly platform to host discussions, resources, and live events. However, to create an influential Facebook group, there are some tips that you need to consider:

1. Define the purpose and rules of the group, and communicate them clearly to members. This will help members understand what to expect from the group and how to engage with it.

2. Provide valuable content and engagement opportunities like Q&A sessions, challenges, or guest expert interviews. This will keep members engaged and interested in the group.

3. Encourage participation and feedback, and respond to questions and comments in a timely and respectful manner. This will help create a sense of community and belonging.

4. Use analytics and surveys to gather feedback and improve the group's effectiveness over time. This will help you identify what's working and what's not, making necessary adjustments to improve the group's engagement and effectiveness.

The Importance of Marketing

It's important to remember that while the strategies for selling mentioned above can be effective, they rely heavily on good marketing practices to build relationships with prospects as you nurture them through the buying process. Entrepreneurs should focus on building strong relationships with their target audience through effective marketing strategies, such as content marketing, social media marketing, and relationship-building techniques.

By consistently delivering valuable content and engaging with their audience, you can establish yourself as an authority in your niche and build trust with your prospects. This can lead to higher conversions and long-term customer relationships.

The 5 Stages Of A Sales Funnel

A sales funnel is a framework representing the journey prospects go through when becoming customers of a business. By understanding each stage of the funnel, entrepreneurs can create targeted marketing and sales strategies that increase conversions and revenue.

1. Awareness: In this stage, prospects become aware of the existence of your business. This can happen through various marketing channels, such as social media, content marketing, or paid advertising. The goal is to grab their attention and make them curious about your brand.

2. Discovery: Once prospects are aware of your business, they may show interest by taking a specific action, such as signing up for your email list, following you on social media, or attending a webinar. This stage involves capturing their contact information and building a relationship with them.

3. Evaluation: At this stage, prospects start to evaluate your business more closely. They may visit your website, read your blog posts, watch your videos, or listen to your podcast. The goal is to provide them with valuable content that educates, inspires, and engages them while also establishing your authority and credibility in your niche.

4. Intent: As prospects get more familiar with your business, some will start showing a higher level of interest and intent. They may schedule a discovery call, register for a live event, or visit your sales page. The goal is to provide them with a clear and compelling offer that solves their problem or meets their needs and motivates them to take action.

5. Purchase: Finally, in the last stage of the funnel, prospects become customers by buying your product or service. However, the journey doesn't end here. It's essential to follow up with customers, provide them with a great experience, and encourage them to become repeat buyers and brand ambassadors.

By understanding the five stages of a sales funnel, you can design marketing and sales strategies that meet prospects' needs and move them smoothly toward becoming loyal customers.

The Reality of the Sales Funnel

To truly understand the sales funnel, let's examine an example of a common misconception among entrepreneurs. Imagine a client who wants to fill a room for their event and thinks sending out a few emails will do the trick. The reality is that it takes more than just sending emails to convert prospects into customers.

The sales funnel consists of five stages that are crucial to the process of turning a prospect into a customer. These stages include awareness, capture, nurture, offer, and follow-up.

The first stage is awareness, where a prospect becomes aware of your company through various marketing efforts, such as social media or advertising. The second stage is capture, where you offer something of value, such as a free resource or discount code, in exchange for the prospect's contact information.

Once you have their contact information, the next stage is nurture. This is where you create content such as live calls, blogs, or podcasts to engage and educate your prospects. After that comes the offer stage, where you present an irresistible offer to entice the prospect to buy. Finally, the follow-up stage is critical, where you answer any questions and overcome objections to help the prospect make the final decision to purchase.

Mastering Sales To Grow Your Business

The sales funnel is a crucial concept to understand if you want to effectively convert prospects into customers. By recognizing the importance of each stage and implementing the appropriate strategies, you can guide prospects through the funnel and ultimately increase sales.

It's also important to note that content creation plays a vital role in initiating the customer/buying journey and nurturing prospects throughout the funnel. Overall, a clear understanding of the sales funnel can help you make informed decisions about your marketing and sales strategies and ultimately drive business growth.