Value your services, don't hesitate to offer them

These are trying times. It’s difficult to stay positive amidst all this uncertainty. It’s near impossible to remain optimistic about your business. How do you, smack bang in the depths of doom and gloom, go out there and tell customers that you can help them? How do you go out there to market your services knowing that your customers are going through some really tough times? Won’t you come across as being insensitive? Would you be perceived as being too greedy for your own good?

Well it depends.

Does it make sense to jump into the hole with your customers and commiserate about your collective experiences or does it make sense to step to the edge of whatever “hole” your customers might be in and offer them a helping hand?

The magnitude of this crisis is sinking in for many of us. What we considered a sprint is definitely a marathon. It means that if we were waiting for things to pass, settle down, or blow over, it’s time to face reality. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

There are many opportunities in front of us, if we would only breathe and sit for a while with “what is”.

The time for hunkering down and waiting it out is over. Your customers need your solutions and if you find it hard to go out there and let them know then this and not the covid19 crisis might be your problem.

Saying that you don’t want to come across as insensitive or greedy is a lie that needs peeling back to reveal the truth.

If you truly saw the value in what you have to offer, then why would you hesitate to go spread the word regarding your solution?

Primarily because you don’t see your value.

Entrepreneur and writer Ed Gandia says, “if you can’t sell yourself on the idea that you make the lives and businesses of your clients better, you won’t be able to sell them on the idea either.”

Selling to you first is key. I remember someone breaking down the IASM in enthusiasm – I am sold myself.

Don’t ever discount your solution as “nothing”.

Gandia has the following suggestions for breaking out of your negative belief cycle:

Take some time and do a quick inventory of all the clients you’ve worked with over the years.

1. Think about what you did for them and how you helped.

2. Think back to all the accolades you have received.

3. The testimonials.

4. The clients that have brought you into new projects again and again.

5. And while you’re at it, take a couple of minutes to think about how far you’ve come in your business. See how high you’ve climbed.

Enjoy that moment. Let it sink in. Rejoice in the fact that at one point, you never thought you’d be where you are today.

Believe in what you are doing. Recognise the value you deliver. Only then will you be in a position to approach potential clients, positively.

Speaker and author Julie Winkle Giulioni suggests that we treat this experience not as a waiting room but as a classroom.

She says “it’s time to recognise and seize the opportunities before us.”

Her recommendations: spend some time reflecting on these questions.

• What’s hardest for me right now and why? And what can I learn by working through the difficulty to find greater ease?

• When I look back on this time next year, what do I want my story to be about?

• How do I want to show up during this time? And what habits do I need to cultivate to make this happen?

You’ve got to get your mindset right before you do anything worthwhile. You have to always sell yourself first. Only then, can you confidently approach prospects and clients and increase your chances of earning their business.

Find out if there are any gaps in your sales and marketing efforts. Download your checklist at www.purple-marketing.com and if you are ready, you can go ahead and request your free marketing audit.