The sooner you reveal
Your intent to do a deal,
The truth you won’t conceal,
And the better you will feel.
Revealing your interest in doing business is an important strategy for selling in your comfort zone. This refers to the process of letting people know what kind of a relationship you are trying to establish. This is not always a required step in the selling process. In some cases, your contacts already know that you are interested in doing business. When a prospect approaches you for assistance and you make a proposal to offer your services, then obviously your objectives are clear. But there will be many circumstances in which it will be beneficial, even necessary, to reveal your interest in doing business.
The Reasons for Revealing Your Interest in Doing Business
A lot of people you know may simply not make the connection that you are interested in doing business with them. Maybe you know people in an organization such as the PTA or an activity such as a baseball league. Your contacts may think of you as a friend or social acquaintance but not as a business contact. Perhaps you have contacts who haven’t yet perceived a need for someone with your skills. It just never crosses their minds that you could be doing business.
When you meet new people, depending upon the circumstances in which you meet, it may not be clear that you could be doing work for them. You may meet someone at a social event and the topic of what you do for a living may not come up. In these cases, you need appropriate ways of making known your interest in doing business.
Different Communication Approaches
There are many ways to reveal your interest in doing business. Your style can range from discreet to direct. There is no one style that will be appropriate for every circumstance.
Some people are very blunt about revealing their interest in doing business. For example, we have known people who would come right out and say, “I want your business.” Or they’d ask, “Why haven’t you sent me any work?!” They feel no compunction about being totally up front.
However, you may not feel comfortable being direct. One of our clients said, “I don’t like the hard-sell approach. I don’t want to sound like I am making a sales pitch. My style is to take people to lunch or a ball game and to be friendly. Gradually, they learn what I do, and if they want to, they can hire me.”
Stay tuned to this space in the coming weeks for an examination of strategies for revealing your interest in doing business.
For more marketing tips, check out our book Selling in Your Comfort Zone.