| As a sales professional, small business owner or | | | | (a.k.a. qualified prospect) are each holding the |
| service professional have you ever suffered had | | | | opposite ends of a single rope. Now, you attempt |
| either or both of theses thoughts: I hate to sell, | | | | to push the rope. What happens? Nothing! You |
| but I need to pay my bills. Boy, if I could only do | | | | and your potential customer are no closer |
| what I love to do. A recent survey of 135 | | | | together and you just may appear to look a little |
| business consultants, executive coaches and | | | | foolish. |
| professional facilitators revealed these exact | | | | Now using that same visual, imagine your qualified |
| thoughts. | | | | potential customer pulling the rope. What happens? |
| In business, many are forced to adopt the role of | | | | You are now closer to your potential customer. |
| salesperson when they truly do not want to be a | | | | Obviously, you do not look foolish because your |
| salesperson. The reason is perceived as the only | | | | potential customer wants you nearer to her or |
| path to doing what they love to do. So this leads | | | | him. |
| to the obvious question: How can I earn a living | | | | To fully engage in education based marketing |
| by not selling? The answer is quite simple start | | | | means that you truly must be knowledgeable |
| educating. | | | | about: |
| In listening to a teleconference by Jay Niblick, | | | | - What you do |
| President of Innermetrix, his talk discussed the | | | | - The known and unknown needs of your |
| results of this survey and the concept of | | | | potential clients |
| education based marketing (EBM). Many service | | | | - The marketplace current and future trends |
| professionals engage in education based | | | | And it does not hurt to know as much as possible |
| marketing, but do not leverage to its fullest | | | | about the other resources available within the |
| potential or combined EBM with the traditional | | | | business community. When you embrace this |
| sales based marketing approach (SBM). | | | | approach of educating instead of selling, you can |
| Here are some examples of EBM: | | | | become the go to expert, the trusted advisor. |
| - Speaking | | | | TAKE ACTION SALES COACHING TIP: Revisit |
| - Writing Articles, Columns, Books | | | | your marketing and sales action plans and set |
| - Blogging | | | | some new goals using an education approach |
| - Engaging in Socratic Dialogues | | | | instead of a selling approach. Watch your revenue, |
| Imagine that you and your potential customer | | | | your love of what you do and your loyal |
| (a.k.a. prospect) or qualified potential customer | | | | customers grow as you quickly increase sales. |