Small Business Talk
The Podcast to Grow your Business Faster
Why Won’t My Phone Ring?
Show Notes
It is halfway through the year and some businesses are doing really well but unfortunately many are not.
“Why won’t my phone ring?” is a question I get often.
There are many reasons why your business is quiet and your phone is not ringing. Seasonal, weather, holidays, school holidays, spending too much time on social media without a strategy, lack of marketing, bad sales process, and many other reasons. STOP.
There are so many things, excuses, and reasons why your business is not achieving as well as you would like. You may not be getting the results that you want but let’s take a look at what you can do right now to turn things around.
Are You Over Delivering?
The other day I had a sales call. It was a warm referral from a colleague. My referral had spoken to the prospect and suggested that they should ring. We had a very large chat almost a full hour. Great rapport many things in common.
The prospect asked very specific questions and asked about solutions to their exact problem.
We had a great chat; I gave the prospect amazing FREE value. We talked about price and what the next steps would be. They asked for a written proposal and promised to get back in touch the following week.
Nothing.
Monday, they didn’t call.
Tuesday, nothing.
Wednesday, crickets.
Friday, I rang and asked when they would like to start.
“You provide wonderful information Cathy, thank you so much for all your tips and strategies. You are a real expert and I love the way you think.”
So far so good.
“That is great,” I said. “All you have to do is sign the contract and let’s get going.”
“Oh no you misunderstand,” the prospect said.
“I won’t be going ahead with your proposal. I have engaged a really nice guy from Upwork who is now going to run out our new marketing campaign.”
Their New Marketing Campaign
OMG, you know what the new marketing campaign is going to be!
Yes, I was mad, but guess what it was my own fault for over delivering to such a huge degree.
They no longer needed my services because I had not only shown them what their problem was, but I had solved it and given them a road map for someone else to follow as well.
Over delivering is a common mistake because we want to show people how well we can help them. Have you fallen through this old trap recently too?
Supplying Great Value
Giving great value is important but many businesses are giving away so much more than they need to and should be.
Yes, free stuff is important however if your business is not profitable you will have a very expensive hobby.
You are an expert; a specialist and you deserve to be paid for your advice and services. But how . . .
Free eBooks are a great way to show your expertise. eBooks can start to educate your audience, nurture them and warm them up. Remember not everyone will buy your services or products no matter how good they are.
Only 3% are ready to buy right now. If you are not even being seen by these people, then you cannot even be considered.
Paying for a Specialist
Often prospects want to try out our service before fully committing.
If the problem is great enough, we are always happy to pay.
Think about when you are referred to a medical specialist. Often, we don’t ask too many questions we just book the appointment with the specialist the GP recommends; where we are told when they are available and what the cost will be.
Our need is great, and we want our problem fixed as soon as possible so we are happy to pay.
The more specific the need, the more we often pay.
My sales call would have been very different if I had offered a paid consultation to solve my prospects problem and then given them the road map. Yes, they still may have taken it to the “nice guy” at Upwork but our relationship would have been very different.
I have a wonderful client that I do 2 hour paid workshops with every 6 months or so. Her first workshop was on content for her new website that she built, then we did SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), then advance traffic strategies etc. After the workshop she would implement and then come back again after testing, measuring and being ready for the next step.
Not All Customers Want the Whole Cake
Not all customers want the whole ‘done for you’ offering that you have and that is ok. You then need to decide whether you will have a DIY or different offering for them, a starter offer if you will.
Or are these people just not your customers and referring them on to a colleague or other business will be a Win, Win, Win for everyone.
Why Is My Phone Not Ringing?
Is your phone not ringing because you are over delivering and giving too much away for free?
You need to have the right balance of free, educational, and paid services. Your phone might not be ringing because people don’t realize that you have products or services to sell.
“That sounds silly, of course they know I have things for sale, after all I have a business!”
But do they?
Have a good look at the messages that you are putting out, from your audience’s view. You might be surprised that you are actually not asking them to ring you.
If you need help to get a clear strategy how to get in front of your ideal customers and ask them to ring you, then get in touch.
Listen to the full episode of Small Business Talk episode 165.
You can also find the video version on YouTube.
