How to tell people you are in business for yourself - Part 2

I tried to post this last night, but was having one heck of a time with the Internet connection.

To pick up the thread I started a few days ago, we were talking about how to tell people you are in business. I talked about how to open a conversation with a complete stranger in the last post, stressing that you do not want to push your business hard, you want to give them just enough information to be curious and interested. Do not scare them away with too much information at the initial meeting.

Once you have peaked their interest, I strongly recommend that unless they are willing to talk business (which is most unlikely) right now, offer to call them in a few days to talk. If they don't have time in the next few days, offer to send them some e-mail information. You want to keep their interest peaked, but don't go overboard. You want them to come to you. Once that occurs, you are no longer Selling, you are now offering information and possibly a solution to their particular problem or concern. You want people to see you not as a salesperson, but as someone who cares about their interests and needs and may have something to offer them that might just help with a particular issue they are dealing with.

Always keep the conversation light until the other person starts getting specific. You do not want to scare them away with your intensity (I do have a problem with that sometimes) but you want to be enthusiastic about what you do for a living. You want them to come to you, not for you to chase them. You want them to look at you as offering a solution to a particular problem they have, not that you are trying to sell them something they don't need.

Some of you may feel this is too soft of a sales approach. I have found though that this approach works well for me personally. I am more interested in building relationships with the people I do business with rather than making money off of them. The people you talk to are sensitive to that, and I believe it pays dividends in the long run. I want to be in business a long time, I am not interested in making a "quick buck" off an individual, I would rather be there to offer solutions to their issues or concerns. Once they realize that you are not going to take advantage of them, there is a much higher probability that they will tell their friends about you and what you do. This way, the people you interact with will be more willing to tell others about you and will portray you as a trustworthy source.

In the next few days, I will continue discussing how to let people know you are in business... until then...

If you are interested in exploring second income streams or alternative business opportunities, please check out www.hawgwash.net. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment here or e-mail me.