Many entrepreneurs get lost in trying to market themselves using only one method, when what’s actually needed is a combination of marketing techniques. What questions does our marketing need to answer in order to be effective? How do we build strong personal brands that actually contribute to our business results? What is the danger of becoming successful in one-to-one client work? On this episode, professional selling author, speaker and influencer, Tony Hughes shares on his latest book and how he’s solving some of the biggest challenges in selling.
"Alignment in the marketplace is far more powerful than evangelism." -Tony Hughes
Most entrepreneurs are talking about who they are, what they do, and how it all works— but no one is interested in that. Instead we should be talking about how we can help people achieve better results for themselves. We need to nail the narrative so that it’s not about us, but about them.
There’s a false dichotomy about social selling vs. using the phone. The truth is, selling involves both. Anyone who just uses one tool is doomed to fail. There needs to be a combination of social, phone, email. Buyers today have a hard-wired propensity to ignore any outreach from someone they don’t know. Interrupt that pattern through your messaging, content, and branding.
The problem with trading time for money is the more successful you get at it, the more of a vortex it creates, and the faster the hamster wheel goes. Eventually stress takes over, and you can’t spend any time working on your intellectual property and marketing it because the demands of the clients increase. You need a business model that becomes easier on you as you become more successful.
A healthy sales pipeline is the cure of all ills, but in order to get it there are crucial steps to be taken first. We have to understand the business problem we’re solving and who we’re solving it for. Then we must create a narrative that’s about the client, not us. Building a strong personal brand around these details is the next step. Creating effective content will help solve the pipeline issue in the revenue chain.
Guest Bio-
Tony is an international keynote speaker, best selling author, leading professional selling educator, award-winning blogger and the most read LinkedIn Author globally on the topic of sales leadership. As an experienced CEO and company director with 35 years of sales and business leadership experience, he is ranked by Top Sales Magazine as the most influential person in professional selling in Asia-Pacific. Go to https://www.tonyhughes.com.au for more information.
That's all for this chapter of Beers with Max! Hope you enjoyed this week's festivities. As always, if you want to join our virtual happy hour, grab your favorite brew and click the red button below. Til next time, keep your beer chilly and your leads hot!