How to sell anything to anybody...

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[Old Nikko]

Your dead on right BeerMan... the nightmare begins the moment you do the wrong thing, mess with folks, and walk on the wild side of ethical practices. With only a little extra effort, and having a satisfied customer in front of you, all it takes is ASKING if they wouldn't mind recommending you to their friends.

If you've done your job right, and delivered on all of your promises, it is more likely than not, you'll get that recommendation, that referral, and repeat sales to that customer.

Ain't life grand?

A few additional thoughts and notes...

The "how" of hunters and farmers is often described as either push or pull sales and marketing. As it relates, the push part is for hunters, and the pull part is for farmers.

The question being; Would you rather pull the plow - or push it? Which do YOU think is easier?

I thought so.  

Because I like to lead from the front, I find pulling something along a pre-planned path a lot easier than trying to force one thing into another. And... never mind discussing directional control and all that... because it's like an automobile, and why the steering is done from the front wheels, not the back ones! 

Pushing someone into buying something doesn't work very well in the real world, but leading them to where they want to be does, at least in my "not so darn humble" experience anyway.  


Here's a little something you may or may not be familiar with, but I am sure you can relate to. In a way, it's an introduction something new coming your way...

What You Think, You Become

Selling is a tough business. Land mines and pitfalls line the narrow path, and barrier to the way to success. One misstep can often lead to disaster in the business world today. So, how do you survive in this somewhat dangerous environment?

A look back in history reveals a workable answer that can put you in the drivers seat.

2500 years ago Gautama Siddhartha said, “What you think, you become.” His words are as relevant today as they were when uttered, perhaps even more so. They have echoed down the centuries, creating a positive influence in everyone who heard and applied them.

Whatever opinions and beliefs you may hold on the philosophical efficacy of this concept, the facts are undeniable: thoughts influence emotions – and emotions stimulate actions.

In these five words, “What you think, you become,” Siddhartha outlined a method of living and working that puts you in control of your life. You really can influence your own destiny and create your own future. It all starts with what you’re thinking about today.

Thinking about what you want to achieve, dreaming about possibilities, imagining a way of life the way you’d like it to be - and seeing yourself living it – some even maintain that doing so actually has an impact on the way molecules in this world arrange themselves.

Whether or not you agree, it can’t hurt to wake up every morning thinking about your aspirations and believing you can make them happen. No matter what your dreams are, seeing yourself as having accomplished your goal is a powerful technique, based upon an even more powerful principle.

The fundamental principle underlying this concept is that there are two ways of thinking about anything: You can think nothing is possible or you can think anything is possible.

Whichever one you choose becomes true for you.

You create your our own life - and it all starts with your thoughts. A desirable future will be there... if you create it today. It all starts with intentionally directing your thoughts toward what you desire.

Even Henry Ford agreed when he said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re usually right.”

And as a sales person, the way you feel about yourself has an enormous influence on how others feel about you. Why not start off the day with your thoughts aligned with what you really want?

It costs you nothing... and the rewards are as much as you can imagine... and more.

 

[Old Nikko]

Just for the fun of it, how's this for a "sales message headline"?

I want to change just one person's life...
Are YOU that one person?

Would that make you want to read a little further?
How does it make YOU feel?

Or is it one step over the line?

Inquiring minds... 

[Coach Judi]

Nick,

You said:

I want to change just one person's life...
Are YOU that one person?

This really resonates with me. In fact, it, all by itself, is the total focus of what I have been both "selling" and "delivering" for years.

As a Counselor, Coach, Educator, Crisis and Disaster Crisis Counselor, Psycho-therapist, Writer, or even as a Web Developer, Desktop Publisher, Graphic Artist, PC Trainer.... or anything else that I have ever done as a career, and where I have needed to "sell" and "deliver" services, it has ALWAYS been based on helping "one person" to "change" aspects of themselves or their lives which were causing them discomfort and exchanging them with fulfillments.

This reminds me of something a very wise Native American woman said to me when we were discussing a move I was considering. (I think I may have to paraphrase this one.)

She advised me to make the move and think about it as having slipped on a new pair of shoes. She said, "If they feel comfortable, leave them on."

Of course, in these very simple words there was a lot of wisdom, but, like all wisdom, you have to pretty much figure it out for yourself.

She meant for me to make the move and then see how I felt about the change. If it was a good move and the change was comfortable, then that was where I should stay. If it was not, then I would need to change those shoes for other pairs until I found the right one that was comfortable and that I wanted to leave on.

What made me think of this particular analogy is that only "one person" can slip into those shoes at a time.

So, when I am "selling" any of the diverse services which I've sold over my lifetime of careers, I have only addressed that one person and tried to help them change their shoes until they found the one pair that felt comfortable for them... and then they kept them on.

My goal always was to keep directing them to good shoes until I heard them say "Ahhhh.. yes!" and then present a beaming smile... Then I had "sold" and "delivered" and my job was done with great satisfaction.  And, of course, if they knew anyone who needed more comfortable "shoes," they always sent them to me...

Strangely enough, since I had not solved the mystery of why I seemed to be a good sales person, but didn't think I could sell, until I just learned that I am a Farmer, and NOT a Hunter, I was also confused about why my success rate has been 100%... I've never failed to help that one person find a comfortable pair of shoes to leave on.

Now, you have led me to that answer, as well.

The answer is that I only ever "want to change just one person's life..." and that's the "one person" I fully focus on.

We become exclusive and full partners in the process until change to THEIR satisfaction has taken place.

It's all about them, never about me!

My success rate of 100% is because this attitude/strategy ALWAYS WORKS!! It's "client directed."

Seems this "old dog" just can't stop learning "new tricks" these days... thanks to your generosity.

(Please no dog biscuits... but I sure would love a big piece of carrot cake if you can spare one!)

 

[freebeer]

I want to change just one person's life...
Are YOU that one person?

Depends on the audience, but in general, I'd say no - it's not a good sales approach.  It's too "seller-centric".  The "buyer" doesn't want to change (or see the need to change) unless he's desperate AND has come to the conclusion that something has to change.  Why should I, as a buyer, give a crap about what you want?  It's what *I* want that's relevant to me (and my purse strings).

However, as a personally-held motto, "I want to change one person's life" (for the better, of course) can be a powerful personal mantra and motivator.

[Coach Judi]

Since people come to me for services specifically designed to help them "change" a situation in their life which has caused them distress to a better situation which relieves that distress and is satisfying or fulfilling to them, what I really am selling them is the "change" they are looking for... and "how-to" to bring it about.

Here's how I see this:

Any time a person perceives that there is a deficit of any kind in their life, filling that void is a "change" for the good isn't it?

I see this as true in my particular type of services, but I can translate this to tangible products, as well.

If a person has a car which is unreliable and causing them some sort of deficit, selling them a good replacement car to fill that void would bring about a positive "change" which should improve things for them, wouldn't you say?

The very nature of "change" is when something acts as a catalyst on one set of variables to make it a different set of variables.  It can go from positive to negative or negative to positive.

If someone has a negative set of variables, of any kind, and they wish to alter/adjust it to make it a positive set of variables, they attempt to accomplish "change."

Hopefully, your product or service would serve as a solution to a problem and would bring about a "change" from whatever deficit the problem caused to whatever "change" you, as the seller, could bring about to offer a satisfactory solution to your client/customer.

I think that any time a sales person attempts to solve a problem for a prospect by selling them an authentic product or service which honestly serves to solve their problem, they are helping that person to bring about positive "change" in their life.

I also think that this is why an honest, ethical, "Farmer" professional sales person must have comprehensive product knowledge, do an excellent job of probing the potential to find out what their needs are, and then clearly demonstrate to them how they can help them to bring about the "change" necessary to satisfy those needs.

Also, I don't really think it matters what the product or service is if it brings about the necessary "change" to solve the problem for the potential. Then we have the win-win of both the satisfied customer and the sale.

My reasoning is that if all things are perfectly in order, nothing is in need of repair, and there are no unfulfilled needs, the person won't be a potential customer in the first place because they won't be in need of any "change."

If I understand correctly, you are making a point for the "Hunter" types of sales person who attempts to satisfy his/her own need to bring in the sale regardless of whether or not the prospect wants or needs it. In that case, I couldn't agree with you more.

But, in the case of the "Farmer" type sales person, they are only dealing with prospects who have need of "change" in the first place, so the "Farmer" will probe to find out what the prospect needs and how their product or service can satisfy that need. If the product or service cannot bring about the "change" necessary to satisfy the need, the prospect will not become a client/customer.

If they can demonstrate "how" their product or service can bring about the positive "change" the prospect needs and the prospect purchases the means to that "change," then I see that as "client-centered or client-directed" sales because the "client" then has focused the "Farmer" sales person on the problem and the "Farmer" sales person has sold them the product or service to bring about the "change" necessary to solve the problem.


Isn't the entire purpose of "How-to" anything to help a person bring about the positive "change" that they seek?

Just my viewpoint.....

 

[freebeer]

Since people come to me for services specifically designed to help them "change" a situation in their life

Maybe that's true, but what you have to recognize at this point as what you have on your hands is a pre-qualified hot lead.  IE you *know* what you're offering is something they already acknowledge they need.  At this point it becomes a "servicing" exercise.  There may be further questions to nail down their exact needs to get to where they want to be "Do you want fries with that?"

It's a subtle but very important distinction - the customer has already pre-qualified himself in your particular scenario.  What I was talking about is the more generic situation that most sales folks run into on a daily basis - where the customer doesn't know he has a problem, or doesn't know there's a better way, or hasn't enough trust in you to open up enough for a serious dialog for the salesman to do his job.  Note that in my previous post I qualified my statement with "he's desperate AND has come to the conclusion that something has to change".

You can be desperate, but not see the need to change.  Think about all those people in a debt crisis - they are desperate, yet they refuse to change their habits, cut up their credit cards, etc.  Yes, they're desperate to have the problem go away, but they're equally desperate to hold on to their old habits that got them into trouble in the first place.  The best credit councilor in the universe can't help them unless they accept that change has to happen.

So getting back to our salesman, in the case of our desperate debtor, the salesman does not YET have a qualified lead.  Sure, you know you can help him with your services, but until you can sell him on your "path to enlightenment" it ain't gonna be a sale.

[Coach Judi]

Freebeer,

You sure have brought up more than one really important, and excellent point here. There's more stuff for me to think about in my view of the new horizon of Marketing and Sales. I guess I did forget that it is also necessary to attract the attention of people who have unrecognized needs when you know that you could help them bring about positive "change" if they only knew you were there and had the ways and means, and solutions for them.

Ah....  I hadn't thought about that one. Good point! 

I really can speak to the other example which you gave about people in debt needing to "change" and not realizing it... and not asking for that "change."

Having been intimately involved in just those issues for nearly 4 years, I can tell you that the clients came for help, but what they wanted was the lenders and credit card companies to "change." They did not see that they had to make any "changes."

They wanted me to provide services which would force the lenders and credit card companies to make life easier for them. Very few of them had a handle on the realization that they had only too willingly put themselves into a position where the lenders and credit card companies might have been all too willing to take advantage of their lack of financial maturity and responsibility.

As the "Farmer" sales person, my first job was to carefully spiral ever inward past their denial and defenses and finally focus them on the reality that they were the root of the problem and that I could provide them with the "how-to" for them to achieve positive "change," but it was not going to be the "change" they had asked for in the first place... but was the "change" that they needed to remedy the crisis which they were dealing with.

So, I think that your view and my view are just different, but very important, layers of the same issue... and I really appreciate your pointing this out to me.

These clients/customers were attracted by Marketing which offered them solutions to preventing them from losing their homes to foreclosure and to stop their creditors from hounding them. So, this was the "change" they wanted, but not the real solution to the problem and not the "change" which they really needed to make to solve their problems.

I had counseled clients whose histories did reveal that they had come through bankruptcy and cleared away all their credit card debts and had even modified their mortgages to reduce their payments, yet they were back in the same financial crisis all over again due to their own lack of responsibility.

In that case, I did more probing to see if I could determine if it might have been because they were not sold the right "changes" to solve their problems or if they were not willing to do the work to bring about those "changes." In that case, I did my best selling job first to sell them on the right "changes" to make.. and then I taught them the "how-to," which was really my "product."

In responding to your very excellent post, I am thinking that maybe I have a better understanding of what Dale Carnegie meant when he said "Sell the sizzle, not the steak."

In this case, selling the solution to the possibility of losing the home to foreclosure or gaining relief from creditors hounding a person day and night might be the "sizzle" and the real "how-to" for permanently making the necessary "changes" to overcome the current problem and preventing it from recurring in the future would be the actual "steak?"

Does this make sense? Is this what you are pointing to?

(NB: Yes, I'll take fries with anything!  )

Coach Judi ~*~

[freebeer]

Having been intimately involved in just those issues for nearly 4 years, I can tell you that the clients came for help, but what they wanted was the lenders and credit card companies to "change." They did not see that they had to make any "changes."

See what I did there?   

Knowing a little bit about you and your credit counseling history, I personalized the example to drive home my point.  In essence, you were "pre-qualified" to receive that particular message in that format - something you felt *emotionally* attached to and you had an equivalently strong response. Had I used another type of example, you would have probably been *academically* able to understand it but it wouldn't have had the same emotional impact.  (Someone else reading this forum topic would have seen the credit counseling example as an academic one, but it would have been a rational exercise for them, not an emotional one.)  Know your target and use the tool most suited for the job.   

In responding to your very excellent post, I am thinking that maybe I have a better understanding of what Dale Carnegie meant when he said "Sell the sizzle, not the steak."

Buying is an *emotional* decision.  They do so because it addresses one of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (to put an academic spin on the conversation).  They buy the Ferrari because they're afraid no one will find them attractive, or they buy the fad diet for much the same reason - perhaps *fear* that hubby will leave them for some young tramp.  Whatever.  But they buy to satisfy an emotional response.  They may use features and benefits to *rationalize* their purchase.  But the purchase itself is an emotional response.

The salesman's ultimate (and really, the ONLY) task is to tap into that ancient part of the buyer's brain that controls the "fight or flight" instinct and appeal to it.

(Selling B2B is a little different, because they have systems in place to thwart most knee-jerk reactions (buying committees, or procurement procedures, etc.) but selling to these still needs to address these very emotional needs.  "Your competition will outpace you if you don't have this" (fear), or "This will save your company $X dollars a year - and won't that look good at promotion/performance appraisal time! (ego)", etc.

[Coach Judi]

Freebeer,

Yes, you were pretty crafty, alright, in picking a venue that I would very much understand. Yes, of course, I took to that emotionally-charged example like white on rice. 

I fully understand the normal human needs as expressed by Maslow on his Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid, and I also know that buying is generally (ok, always?) an emotional process, but, given what we have been discussing, thinking about this takes me to another place...

[Another sidebar thought that keeps flying through my mind is that I know that statistically women do most of the purchasing... Is this because we are stereotyped as more "emotional?" ]

Given that there are both "Farmer" and "Hunter" sales people, surely there are differences in how each type both Markets to the emotional receptors of consumers and how they Sell once they have attracted them.

I know that emotional "buzz words" are used in advertising and that they are intended to provoke the emotions of consumers....  But what I am wondering is if there are any differences in how "Farmers" Market as opposed to how "Hunters" Market.

Do they use different techniques, different words? Would "Farmers" use words and graphics and media based on plans to develop a relationship and "Hunters" use different words, graphics, and media designed to provoke more emotional urgency so they can get in swiftly, make a quick sale, and get out?

Or do they both use the same formats and then handle it differently when they are finally face-to-face with the prospect?

As a "Farmer," everything I do is designed to be slow, gentle, low stress, inviting, comfortable, laid-back, non-threatening, etc.  When I see Marketing which makes me feel that I'm being manipulated, rushed, pushed along, told that I must adhere to immediate time limitations, etc., it makes me back away... My comfort level is poor and I feel violated.

So, this begs the question about whether the Marketing strategies are different for "Farmers" and "Hunters."  The best ads for me as a "Farmer" are the ones which show me that there are free materials which I can have access to with no obligations and that I can collect additional information and then decide to buy if I want to, but I won't be forced to do anything.

As a "Farmer," myself I know what attracts my serious attention and what repels me. Do sales people do their Marketing and Sales based on these considerations when they use what they know about Maslow's Pyramid to "exploit" (I don't mean that negatively) the normal human needs?

Now that I'm aware that I am an effective and successful sales person based on understanding that I am a "Farmer," I still have a total void when it comes to Marketing.

Can you make sense of what I'm trying to ask here, since I realize that I'm stumbling around very badly, and give me some practical Marketing "How-to" that I could understand and use?

Funny how when you feel so much in the dark on a subject, it's hard to pose an intelligent question!

 

NB: Yes, I will have fries with this, too, thank you very much! 

[freebeer]

I'm at a bit of a disadvantage in the discussion of "Hunters" vs "Farmers" because I use the term differently.  (I use it to describe how individual sales people go about their job:  Hunters seek new opportunities, whereas farmers are more passive - they plant a seed and hope, if all goes well and according to plan something sprouts.)  It's not exactly the same thing within the same context, so I'm a little hesitant to use those terms.  If nothing else it'll only confuse me.

Now getting to your question about how Hunter vs Farmer Marketing, "marketing" is different than "sales" or "salesmanship".  (Let us not forget that the title topic is "how to sell anything to anybody".  Sales is where the rubber hits the road - it's the actual contact between the purchaser and the seller.  Marketing, while encompassing the sales role, is a little broader and addresses (in classic academic terms) the four "P"s - Product, Price, Promotion and Place.  A very key role (and some will say the ONLY role) of Marketing is to generate qualified leads for the salesman.

I think what Nik was saying about Hunters vs Farmers is more of a company's overall philosophy of long-term sustainable growth.  This, of course, reflects in the Marketing and Sales roles.  But you can have both (I'd even say that you need both) in a successful growing business.  The Hunters are needed to boldly go where no order book has gone before, and you need the Farmers to milk what you've got when the cows come home.  (To horribly mix metaphors.)

[Coach Judi]

You make another very good point here. I've only learned that such a thing as "Farmer" and "Hunter" style sales exists and I was told just that by someone else who really didn't give much explanation. 

There's some logic in your presentation of "Farmer" style as more "passive," but to me that feels like it might define only the Marketing part because when I'm working with clients selling them on the idea of "change" and how I can serve them, I am anything  but "passive." In fact, I'm VERY directing...   

But I don't know how to attract the client so that I can sell them. That's the Marketing part that I have yet to explore from the "Farmer" perspective as compared to the "Hunter" perspective. I'm sure they must be different.

I think I may be stuck on this subject at this point until Nick comes back.

Thanks for shedding some light from a different perspective. It certainly demonstrates how complex this subject is and why Marketing and Sales are both very Specialized Arts and Sciences.

I'm anxious to learn more....   

Please keep it coming >>>>>>>>>>>>

Coach Judi ~*~ 

[freebeer]

But I don't know how to attract the client so that I can sell them.

This can be really difficult - particularly in the early stages of a business, because you're chasing around in all directions.  But it comes down to one very basic tenet: Know Thy Customer  That can take a long time to determine, but it is really really important otherwise you're just shouting in the wind.

There are techniques you can use to narrow this down and to allow you and the organization to focus, but you need to know WHO your customer is, then find which ways you have to reach them.

The Salvation Army doesn't advertise their services (other than to raise money ) on the Internet.  The poor, homeless, alcoholic doesn't have an internet account.  They head off to the Bowery district where their customers can be found in greater numbers - not to the local country club - where they can reach them.

Profiles help a lot.  What does your customer look like, what are his behavior patterns, how does he normally procure your type of services?  These questions will give you clues on how to best reach them.

[freebeer]

Here's a blog post from a fellow who blogs just on the art of salesmanship.  I recommend the blog for anyone who is a salesman, or has to manage them.  While his focus tends towards the business-to-business sales profession, much of what he discusses is relevant to the B2C crowd, too. This particular post is a fine collection of common sales errors.  I figured it was relevant to our discussion here.

http://www.bnet.com/blog/salesmachine/19-common-sales-errors-and-how-to-avoid-them/15614

[Coach Judi]

Thanks Freebeer.

I really appreciate your contributions to my knowledge base and for all those who read our posts here at the ECN. It's all about education and sharing and it's a wonderful asset, one I certainly am grateful to have.

I have to run out for a while but your previous post sparked some thoughts and I want to come back and respond later.

Thanks again for keeping your watchful eye directed here and for the generous spirit which shares the bounty with those of us who need it.

Later...

Coach Judi ~*~ 

[Coach Judi]

you need to know WHO your customer is, then find which ways you have to reach them.

[I wish someone would tell me how to do a quote. When I select what I want to quote and then hit the "quote button, it takes the entire post and I have to edit it. I know I'm doing something wrong but I can't figure out what. ]

Now, to respond and maybe explain why my confusion about Marketing and Sales exists.

My target "customer" is the person who is in trouble and needs the kind of help that I can give but has no money. People with the money can buy help just by opening the Yellow Pages and picking a "Therapist." Folks in trouble who have no money are the ones in trouble. They can't do that and, if they are lucky, they can qualify for Medicaid, maybe, or some grants and then, if there is some free clinic in their community, they can make an appointment there to get help.

So, again, my target "customer" has always been the person who needs help but can't afford it. I don't worry about the folks who have a big bank account and spend thousands of dollars for years of therapy. In some cases, for them it's like buying a friend who they can count on to listen to them, which can be a good thing, and in some cases it's a status symbol in some social groups and therapist see their clients as the "cash cows" who pay their expensive rent, mortgages, and luxury cars. Those are NOT my target "customers." They have as much "help" as they want. They don't need me.

What I am going to say next will surely sound arrogant to those who don't know me well, but I have had many dealings over the years with other professional Counselors, Therapists, Educators and I've met some who I thought were pretty good and some who scared the heck out of me because they were exploiting their clients/patients/customers on many levels... some only for growing their own fat bank accounts and some for growing their fat egos. 

I even had two professionals tell me years ago that the best way to select a good Therapist was to first determine their "mental health." In my many years of professional counseling, and also in my personal experience, I have learned the wisdom of that advice.  I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in my profession and have been both uplifted and horrified.

Over and over, I have been able to step back away from myself and the services that I provide and see that I truly am, and always have been, and will always be... the BEST on all accounts. Since I have only as my goal to help those who need the help and have never had any interest at all in growing a bank account or an ego, all of my energies and resources are always funneled into doing what I can to help my clients overcome the adversity in their lives which is making them unhappy.

There is no adversity within the Human Condition that I have not encountered from the worst things you could possibly imagine (such situations as abuses of all kinds, including adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and even murder) to the struggles to make marital and career changes to help the client move toward happiness and success. 

I've never met another Counselor/Therapist/Educator with the wide diversity of experience, tools, skills, or success that I have stored away in my toolbox. To me, they are wasted if I can't use them to help those who really need them and can't afford to buy them. And, I also have never felt that these people in need would be best served by those whose goals are to develop big bank accounts and big egos.

How do I know these things? I know them because my clients have been telling this to me for years. They have reported to me over and over how they went to this or that professional and spent all kinds of money they could not afford, or their insurance paid for therapy sessions, and they got nothing at all out of it. When they found me, we got to work and they found the solutions they needed and they left with smiles on their faces and I received the only "profit" that I ever wanted.. smiles, appreciation, thank you's, and hugs and kisses.

In most cases, they went away after we reached their goals and I never saw them again. That's how it should be. When you don't hear from them again, it's because they no longer need you. That's the whole point to counseling sessions... to help them shoulder the burden and teach them how to solve their own problems, and then shift that burden back onto their more-capable shoulders, kiss them good-bye, and send them on their merry way.

********************

You also said (and I figured out how to insert a quote but not document that you said it):

Profiles help a lot.  What does your customer look like, what are his behavior patterns, how does he normally procure your type of services?  These questions will give you clues on how to best reach them.

Because I DO need to pay my bills, even though I've never had any desire to "get rich" or have any excess, I have needed both a way to find my "customers" and some means for income for my services so I can pay my bills and remain available to keep helping those who need my help.

I found a way to throw one rock to hit two birds on this account.

I realized early on that my target "customer" would make an appointment for help at the local social service facility in the community. There were various types and some where funded by Medicaid, some by HRS, and some by both private and public tax payer dollars in the form of grants. 

I also learned that until a person decides that they need help, they really won't benefit from help no matter how much selling the helper does to try to help them. 

So, if the clients come to me because I am actually working for one such agency as a Counselor or Therapist, or Educator, they are somewhat "pre-qualified" because they are ready to seek help and they are also qualified for the necessary funding which will pay my salary so that I can help them.

In addition to this, I have always maintained a private practice and the clients who have come to me have been more middle-income folks who can pay as they go and usually have either been referred to me by word-of-mouth (the best advertising there is) or they have found my web site, read my vitae, and have called to talk to me.

Most of these clients can afford my services and have had bad experiences with other, more expensive "professionals," and they come to me anyway even though I have never taken insurance.

I never ask them about their ability to pay, but I do not require contracts, so they make appointments with me at their convenience and when their budget permits.

The more wealthy folks usually expect their insurance to pay for therapy/counseling services. It's a part of their lifestyle, and expectation, so they may not make an appointment with me unless I have "sold" them over the phone (which usually I do), and they decide that paying me out of pocket might be worth the expense.

If they have had counseling elsewhere and are still looking for help, I usually am successful at "selling" them at least an initial appointment. With rare exception, if they come for the initial appointment, they continue until their problem is solved.

I move very quickly through sessions and seek closure as quickly as possible with my private clients, which gets them to their solutions quickly, saves them money, and does not make me "rich," but does help me pay my bills, which is all I really care about.

I want them to find effective, quick, and permanent relief and own the knowledge and tools to solve their problems on their own throughout their lifetime with no help from anyone else, but to know they can come back to me if they need to.

I see my job always as an "Educator" and offer myself to them as a 'tool" to "teach them how to fish." Because this has always been so successful, I have never found any reasons to change it.

********************

There are two problems, though. Well, actually, there are three problems:

1. An economic crisis in the country always means budget cuts and all budget cuts start with Education and Social Services, which means that the funds which pay for the kind of help I bring to impoverished clients gets cut and I lose my job and the clients lose me. That has happened many times, which is why I have in most cases maintained both a private practice and a real job, either full time or part time to supplement my income.

2. The local community has suffered 14% unemployment and people are struggling to buy food, so my target "customer" has no money at all to pay for such services as mine and they would regard them as a "luxury" at this point when they are frantic to buy food and keep their mortgages paid.

3. It has sadly been my experience that many of the so-called "non-profits" which are funded by taxpayer grants are actually committing fraud and see the grants as "cash cows" that they covertly drain.

In such cases, the clients need people like me more than ever because the funds which are supposed to pay for their help are really going into the deep pockets of the crooks at the top of the "non-profits," so if the clients get any help at all, it's because of the good hearts and souls of the workers willing to endure the discomfort of going deeply into the trenches to give help out of love and mostly on their own time. There's a lot of bleeding which goes on inside those trenches!

Because of the "non-profit" status, the administrators develop fat bank accounts but use the "non-profit" status as an excuse to pay counselors very little, so they also struggle to feed their families and pay their own mortgages.

Some counselors do this kind of work because they are not competent enough for better employment or self-employment, which is why so many government-run social service agencies find themselves in trouble so often as children fall through the cracks in the "system" and are abused and often killed. 

But there are also "Mavericks" like myself who are compelled to be the advocates for victims, feel a deep and compelling responsibility to help the innocent abused and helpless, and who have so much concern for the state of the nation and its citizens, and so much love they need to give, that they will give the last drop of their blood if they must... because they are needed and they take that responsibility VERY seriously.

Sadly, we are often viewed as "financial failures" and "business failures," but we proudly see ourselves as "life successes," so it can cause a great deal of confusion.

So, as you might imagine, it can be difficult under these conditions to translate and define such terms as "Marketing, Sales, Customers, Profits, Business...." in my profession.... but I'm trying really hard because I can't really do my job as well as I want and need to unless I fully understand these issues so that I can help those who are suffering so much financially in today's faltering economy.

If I am to help now, I need more financial tools geared toward Small and Micro Business success because this is now the urgent need of the people who I see as my "target client."

Now maybe you have more insight into what it's like in my world....and the level of knowledge that I am seeking.

Thanks for you help. I really need it and I really value it.

Coach Judi ~*~   

[freebeer]

Marketing/selling your services to those who can't sustain you (ie pay) is a non-starter for a business model.  Period. Drop it now and look elsewhere.

Now you've touched on a few things (and even before you got to them, certain ideas popped into my head).  How do other services who cater to people who can't pay manage to do it?  They market their services to someone who CAN pay.  Be it government, on a consulting or referral basis, or some other entity.  Let's look at senior care services.  While some seniors can certainly afford such services, many can't or simply won't - ie they've been independent all their lives and can't see paying someone to come in and wipe their counters and bottom.  But their too-busy, but otherwise affluent son's and daughters can!  Whether it's a guilt thing, or care, or whatever, it's the sons and daughters of the elderly who often make the decision to engage such services AND pay for it. (Or pay for it out of the parents' estate that they now control.)  At any rate, the decision maker is the son/daughter, not the actual receiver of the service.  You market to the kids not the parents.

With regards to credit counseling, who stands to benefit when a person learns to straighten out their finances (aside from the person/family itself).  How about his creditors?  (banks, credit card companies, IRS, etc.)  The faster they get straightened out, the sooner they can start paying that back - if at all.  Sometimes a company who has such a person on their payroll, who would otherwise be a star employee, might consider investing in them a little to straighten them out.

Or perhaps a company wants to ensure the long term success of their employees (this is "very in" these days).  So you create a course, or lecture series on how to manage your money *before they get into trouble in the first place*.  Nip the problem in the bud.  win-win.

Just some ideas I'm throwing out here.

[Coach Judi]

Freebeer,

Thank you for demonstrating how to use "change" to find new business opportunities by walking around the same situation and seeing new aspects of it that have not been visible before—mostly because there was no need to see them then.

Yes, I have thought of some of what you have suggested...and even tried some. The successful children of seniors I had not thought of, but it's a great idea since funds for government-funded services and donations for United Way have dried up. Today's Entrepreneurs need to be more creative in their thinking and look to secondary sources to find new "customers," just as you suggest. It's a great lesson to keep in mind.

It's not possible to offer freelance services or joint ventures to any agencies funded by private grants or tax dollars. They have way too many rules and regulations. Introducing such ideas to private credit card collection agencies or attorneys dealing in foreclosures, short sales, and loan modifications often leads to them stealing the idea after asking enough questions to fill in their information gap.

It's interesting to see the feeding frenzy and how it operates. You would think that people would be more willing to cooperate and that stores would be more willing to bring prices down, but it seems just the opposite out there as some have the attitude that they are going to squeeze the last golden egg they can get before the goose finally dies. Maybe my "Farmer" attitude blinds me, but I don't see that as a good business practice to attract and keep customers. I guess I could be wrong, though.

The other thing about me is that I'm an Entrepreneur through and through and the idea of working for "the man" is only something that I've been willing to do as a means to an end as my investment to keep me moving onward toward my Dream.

I've owned 14 small businesses, all of which supported me and my responsibilities, and both my parents were self-employed professionals.

Working for others has been wonderful at times and it has also proven quite unendurable at other times. I am so self-directed and independent, and have always been way too competent to require supervision.

I've been hired before by a public college. school board, and a major private hospital to create major programs and was given the freedom and respect to create and run them as if they were my own businesses.  Those were win-win situations which I loved and they always benefited those cherished "target clients" who would not have been able to afford the services on their own. I loved those valuable experiences and was sorry when they were running smoothly and it was time for me to step down and turn them over to the institution which had hired my services.

I've sold my services into employment only when it was vitally important for some reason of higher priority, usually more on a part time or temporary basis. Some of those occasions proved unendurable, but there was a greater cause driving me and I endured anyway. But I made sure that I learned every possible lesson so that I could offer more value to my future clients.

Where I've been able to combine part time work with social service agencies and my private practice, that has been a pretty good balance for me. Since I have no lust for material wealth, I can get by on a modest income. Times are different now, so I've had to deal with some changes to accommodate to them, but always with my philanthropic Dream foremost in mind.

As a Small-Micro Home-Based Business Entrepreneur I have a Dream and a well-established short-term and long-term goal set with strategies and a Business Plan in place to keep me on the right track. I do for myself what I teach my clients and I teach my clients what I have learned from my own life experiences and not from hearsay, speculations, or theories. I live it, experience it, learn my lessons, and then I feel that I am competent to teach.

I have also suffered many failures, have learned the MOST from them, and they always remain the best lessons for me to teach from. I regard my failures as having given me the most "seasoning" and the best possible examples, but as much as I hope I can help others avoid those same pitfalls, I have also observed that sometimes people feel invincible and think they are Superman or Wonder Woman and plunge right into the "pit" anyway thinking that such a thing can't happen to them, but they have the advantage of my lessons to tell them how to get out and keep on moving forward.

As an experienced Credit Counselor I also know that there are three variables which one can manipulate in order to meet their goals and achieve their Dream. I can teach them and I use them myself as a survival strategy both in business and in my personal life:

1. One can reduce their financial obligations or
2. One can increase their income or
3. One can find some balance point between these two strategies

I have many strengths, but I also have weaknesses. Before we had a financial crisis of such huge proportion, I was very competent in guiding and mentoring my clients in all aspects of their personal and Entrepreneurial lives. With the new, and very serious, economic challenges in the marketplace now, I realize that for me to help others today, I need to learn more skills.

I view my Marketing and Sales skills, and my "Farmer" strategies, as very "non-traditional" and specific to my various professions, so I find myself at a loss to both define them and translate them to more traditional and tangible Small Businesses.

I'm not sure if what I know has worked for me and my needs would work for the needs of other Small Business Entrepreneurs who I wish to help. I can't in good conscience proclaim that I am qualified to teach what I am not really certain that I know. This has been the reason for all my questions.

What you have taught me is that I simply can't be an expert in all things, but I can feel assured that where I have weaknesses, I can feel confident that all the best resources are here in the ECN to fill in that void, and I can entrust my clients to the experts here and stake my reputation on the knowledge that they will be in the very best hands available anywhere on this planet.

As a "Farmer," my clients become part of my "family." If I am to entrust them to the arms of anyone other than myself, I have to be certain that they will get the same "loving care."

I'm afraid that we "Farmers" are just like that. We build a relationship with our clients and we see them through to the end. If we must turn them over to someone else, they must be of the same highest quality or we have failed to do our job. For anyone who doesn't understand the "Farmer Mentality," I guess that's the best insight I can give them.

And you, sir, have proven to me that any gap in my business knowledge will be expertly filled by you and Nick, and any volunteers who you qualify as advisers, so I can relax and do my job and also listen and learn with them as you generously teach, and maybe I can also fill those gaps at some point along the way.

I thank you for your willingness to volunteer your generous expertise to help those of us who come to the ECN in need of enlightenment and assistance. There certainly is a lot of work to be done and we need all the hands we can find to help, but it's no good unless, like you, they are the BEST!!

With deep respect and appreciation....

Coach Judi ~*~ 

[Coach Judi]

Just bumping this up.....

[Coach Judi]

Speaking of "selling," there sure are a lot of scammers out there trying to "sell" expensive "How-to's" which they have stolen from legitimate Entrepreneurs like us who are trying to help the public for free. 

Sometimes I swear I see your exact words, Nick, in some of the stuff they are trying to sell. Yeah, I know.. they can read it for free like the public can and then they turn around and put a huge price tag on it and try to sell it.

It really irks me!

What irks me more is why people will pay money for garbage when they can get the "real stuff" for free or for a fair and reasonable price.

We are talking about forming relationships here, aren't we?

The scammers take the money and run.

We want to keep those priceless relationships and continue to support folks so they know they can safely come back to us for legitimate help and support. After all, the idea is to help rebuild a successful and prosperous economy and family unit, which means a healthy Socio-Economic system where We, the People are in charge of our lives and prosperity again.

I guess it must be the old myth that the medicine is only "good" if it tastes bad. In this case, let's say that the "tastes bad" part would be the huge prices the scammers are charging and that people are actually ignorant enough to pay...

I'm thinking of the "sales retreat" in, I think it was California, where people paid $9,000 to some insane "business guru" so they could be "guaranteed" to become million dollar successful Entrepreneurs. It's the most tragic "get rich quick" scheme that I think I've ever heard of.

They put unsuspecting participants in "sweat lodges" and cooked some of them to death and some to near death. How stupid can people be to "buy" something like that, especially for $9,000? Don't they know that the only one who "gets rich quick" is the crook who is exploiting them?  Death and near death are about as "bad" as supposed "medicine" could possibly taste!

That also irks me. I understand that antifreeze tastes "good," but it will kill you, so maybe people need to give the garbage the "gurus" are selling the "sniff test" first and not the "taste test."

If it "smells" like dog doo, then it probably needs to be avoided!!

Just some observations regarding "selling."

I'm glad that I "work for love" and that when I produce something to help others, I also give it away for free. That's really helping... and it should smell clean and pure unless a person has their nose up their own posterior... which I suppose is possible...

Okay.. enough of my rant against the scammers and "gurus."  As a People Helper, they really upset me...

Coach Judi 

[Coach Judi]

Here's some actual data to dispel a myth:

"No one is born a top sales-person… ever. Because, to be successful, you must learn not only the basics of sales techniques and business operations, but also how to apply those new-found skills and techniques in the proper way for maximum effect." ... OldNikko