Sales, Marketing & Time Management Tips for Women in Small Business | Grow My Business

45. How to overcome mistakes in Small Business

Hello & welcome back to Sales & Business Growth for Busy Women. I am your host and resident sales nerd, Lindsay Fletcher, and this podcast is the place for small business owners to learn how to make more sales, have more time, and grow your business.
Please hit the follow button wherever you are listening - it helps Apple, Spotify, and all of the major platforms know to push this to more people, and I really really appreciate it your help!
Today, I’m preaching to myself with this episode, maybe more than I’m preaching to you. I hesitated to talk about this but I think it's important to share the hard things.  I also think it’s super important to talk about as we roll into the end of the year, and especially the upcoming holiday season, and things get super busy.
As a small business owner x2, I know that schedules get full, small and large fires come up, and things slip through the cracks. I woke up on Saturday morning with a pit in my stomach…I missed publishing Friday’s episode for this podcast and my newsletter last week.  Last week, my schedule was a bit wonky and not typical, and I didn't schedule in time to create podcast episodes and . So first off, I’m so sorry if you were looking for an episode from me and it wasn’t there. Secondly, I’m only human and while it’s definitely not my intention to mess up and miss sending out content that I promise to deliver, I know it won’t be the last time that I mess up.   
 
So let’s talk about how to best handle mistakes or misses in our businesses - whether it’s free content like this podcast or my weekly newsletter, or it’s with a paying customer.  I believe how we handle these types of things can make or break our businesses. So here are our 4 steps on how we handle these situations:
 Acknowledge that you made a mistake, or missed something that you should have delivered.  So we acknowledge that we made a mistake.
We fix it if it.  That’s pretty self explanatory, right?  
We review where things went wrong or how we (or I) got off track, and a create a plan forward to avoid making the same or similar mistakes in the future.
Give yourself some grace. You are human, after all.
To download my free Sales Growth Tracker to track your sales and marketing activities and revenue, go to https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources and enter your email address. I'll send it to you immediately! 
 
Here are some other important links:
Have a question? >>> Leave me a voice message here: https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher
Email >>> hello@lindsayfletcher.co 
Free Resources >>> https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources 
Need community?  Join Women in Business >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/367731782244780 
Follow me on IG >>> https://instagram.com/lindsayfletcher.co
 
 
 

44. How to overcome Imposter Syndrome in Small Business

Hello & welcome back to Sales & Business Growth for BUSY Women. I am your host Lindsay Fletcher, and this podcast is the place for small business owners to learn how to make more sales, have more time, and grow your business.
Please hit the "follow" button wherever you are listening! 
Join our online Women in Business Community HERE.
 
Today, we are going to have a conversation around imposter syndrome.
Do you ever get it?  I do. Often. Like way more often that I’d like to admit.  I used to get it about this podcast. I get it about the Women in Business Online Community that I’m building. I get it about our local small business sometimes. I’m just going to assume you’ve had imposter syndrome types of thoughts. Mine typically sounds like "Who will listen to me?" and "Who will hire me?".  
Here's how I handle this when it creeps in…
I ask myself “what’s the worst thing that could happen?” Most of the scenarios in my head aren't real, so I remind myself that "nothing" is likely the answer to that question.
I remember that God has placed big dreams in my heart, and if He called me to it, He’ll walk with me through it.  I wouldn’t need Him if I were qualified, and quite frankly, that's just not a place I want to be.
Here’s where the magic happens...I ask myself “what could go right?” and then my mind jumps to impact that I can make in the lives of women and their families, their businesses, and how they spend their time. Focusing on the impact keeps me motivated to push through the imposter syndrome (because Satan wants me stuck in my own head) and I take action on moving this ship forward!
I'm praying for you and your business!
My best,
Lindsay
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LET’S CONNECT!
Have a question? >>> Leave me a voice message here: https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher
Email >>> hello@lindsayfletcher.co 
Free Resources >>> https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources 
Need community?  Join Women in Business >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/367731782244780 

43. Selling your products or services from Your Booth at Conferences, Trade Shows, Community Events for Small Business

Hello & welcome back to Sales & Business Growth for BUSY Women. I am your host Lindsay Fletcher, and this podcast is the place for small business owners to learn how to make more sales, have more time, and grow your business.
Today we are talking about how to get ready for a trade show, conference, community event where you will have a booth and want to connect with potential clients.  This is something that I have recently helped a small business team with and thought I’d share these tips with you!
 
Here are 5 tips on selling from your event booth:
Know your goals for the conference
Have a succinct way to describe what you do - a micro elevator pitch
Have a question that you can ask most, if not all, of the people who pass by or come to your booth - something like “What brings you to today’s event?”
Ask if you can share what you do and how you can help them (if you find a need/want)
Close the conversation
Listen to the full episode for more details on these tips!
 
LET’S CONNECT!
Have a question? >>> Leave me a voice message here: https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher
Email >>> hello@lindsayfletcher.co 
Free Resources >>> https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources 
Need community?  Join Women in Business >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/367731782244780 
Follow me on IG >>> https://instagram.com/lindsayfletcher.co

42. Strategies for Small Business Growth so you can stop worrying about follower counts

Hi friend!  Welcome back to Sales & Business Growth for Busy Women! 
 
Today's episode is about strategies to help you grow your business without worrying about follower counts.  Here's the deal: Followers don't equal dollars.  For the majority of us small business owners, we have to figure out what works and do that consistently.  Here are 6 strategies that I share in this episode in no particular order:
1. Know your Business DNA - go back and listen to Episode 32 where I talk about this in more detail.
2. Find growth gaps - go to episode 34 where I talk about this in more detail.
3. Learn how to sell.  I'm biased, but it is the missing element for so many small business owners.
4. Micro-niche your messaging.  If you are talking to everyone, you are talking to no one. So narrow your focus. 
5. Share your business.  Network.  Expand your circle.  Share your business.
6. Commit to a strategy and track it.  You can use my Sales Growth Tracker to figure out what works and what doesn't.
 
If you need help with your elevator pitch, teaching others how to sell your business for you to their family and friends, sales and marketing strategy, I'd love to jump on a FREE call with you. Schedule you SALES GROWTH AUDIT HERE.
 
I'm praying this episode blesses you, releases you from the stress of follower counts, and sets you on the right track for business growth!
My best,
Lindsay Fletcher
 
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LET’S CONNECT!
Have a question? >>> Leave me a voice message here: https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher
Email >>> hello@lindsayfletcher.co  
Free Resources >>> https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources 
Need community?  Join Women in Business >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/367731782244780 
Follow me on IG >>> https://instagram.com/lindsayfletcher.co 

41. Buyer Psychology - How people make decisions to purchase

People buy from people they like, know, and trust. Fact or fiction? 
 
Hello & welcome back to Sales & Business Growth for BUSY Women. I am your resident sales and business nerd Lindsay Fletcher, and I’m so glad you’ve joined me for this episode.  I’m just going to dive right into today’s topic because this is one of my favorite topics in sales. I hope that the info that I’m about to share will help you in your conversations.  We, you and me, are going to talk about buying styles - how people make the decision to buy.
 
Buyer psychology is absolutely fascinating to me and there is so much to it.  Today we are going to hone in on how people make decisions to buy and I’m going to give you a framework AND a worksheet on this so you can print it, post it, put it in your planner - I’m a paper planner girl so I’d do that, but you can also save it to your phone or computer and reference it.  It will definitely help you understand your buyers better!!!
 
There are 4 main buying styles or decision making style categories that people fall into when they are deciding to make a purchase.  So without further adieu, let’s get into the good stuff here.
 
If you are taking notes, you should go to my website because I’m going to make your life a lot easier. Head over to my website https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources and click on the “buying styles guide” button.  Drop your email and I’ll send you a link to download this PDF so you can follow along.  Don’t worry, I won’t be offended if you hit pause to go do that!
 
Something we hear a lot in sales is “People buy from people they like, know and trust.” and I’ve actually heard this a lot lately, but is that really the case?  Today I’m going to walk you through the 4 major buying styles and how that impacts people and their decisions to buy from you (or not).  I’ll let you decide for yourself if this statement is true or not. After learning about buying styles and applying it to almost all conversations, I no longer believe that statement is entirely true and I’ll explain.
 
The 4 main buying styles are Relators, Sympathizers, Analyzers, and Achievers.  Each category’s name gives away a lot about who they are as buyers.  There is no right or wrong type of buying style but rather this is how people internally make decisions. Now, just to be clear, these are generalizations and there are always going to be exceptions to the rule, but these 4 categories haven’t failed me yet. And I do want to point out that these are not personality types, they are how we make decisions to purchase a product or service or buy into a way of thinking.
 
As I’m going through these, I want you to examine yourself under the lens of buying styles.  And then start examining people that you know - your spouse, your best friend, your sister or brother, your parents. I’m telling you this is fascinating stuff!!! 
 
Let’s dive into to buying styles. 
 
First up is Relators.  Relators are all about relationships and recognition.  They are typically warm and talkative.  They buy from people they like.  They want you to know them and they want to know you.  If you are selling to a Relator, you’ll need to build rapport and build your relationship.  Relators can be a little impulsive with decisions because they are fast paced.  You’ll also describe this type of buyer as personable, outgoing, and quite the conversationalist.  They also love compliments and recognition.
 
Relators as a whole don’t enjoy making decisions because they are people pleasers at heart.  They want you to like them and they may even feel the need to impress you.  And because their natural tendency is to worry about what others think of them, they often need help in making decisions, and their indecision may be caused by their reluctance in appearing as though they are rejecting you.  So, to make it easier on Relators in the buying process, you’ll want to build social proof by sharing how others are loving your product or service and reviews.  
 
One thing to watch out for is that relators can and will also use their outgoing-ness to derail conversations if they want or need to.  They can and will talk about other things to avoid talking about things they don’t want to talk about, so that’s something to watch out for when selling to relators.  
 
To sum it up with Relators - they are all about the relationship and recognition.
 
Next up are Sympathizers.  Like Relators, they want relationships but they also crave security.   You’ll find Sympathizers to be warm and friendly, supportive, emotional, and concerned for others.  Sympathizers are slow to make decisions and you’ll need to build trust before asking for the sale.  They are people pleasers as well, but more in the sense that they want everyone to be happy, comfortable, secure with whatever they decide.
 
Because safety and security are key for Sympathizers, they often avoid decisions and will get caught in “analysis paralysis”. They are less motivated by rewards and recognition, and more motivated by reduction of risk.  You’ll have to walk them through identifying the risks involved for them. Then you’ll need to remove those risks, give them time, and help them recognize their decision to move forward is a safe one.  You can label this group as “Rather safe than sorry”.  Outline what happens for them what happens if they aren’t happy with your product or service after they purchase.
 
Sympathizers are all about relationships and security.
 
Moving on to Analyzers.  Analyzers are all about security and outcomes.  However, the security isn’t the same type of security as Sympathizers.  Analyzers are just that - they analyze the heck out of decisions.  They are not emotionally driven when making purchases, so they won’t be swayed by your enthusiasm or your charm.  You’d describe Analyzers as detail-oriented, logical, data- and fact-driven, and organized. They will ask a lot of questions and they will do their own research. Their need for security is that they want to make the “right” decision so they will research all of the options and they love peer reviews.  
 
When selling to an analyzer, you’ll need to be organized, well-versed, and ready for questions and objections. Because they are logic- and fact-driven, they will question the accuracy of your claims and will have a hard time not interrupting you if your proof isn’t accurate and well documented.  Analyzers make very rational, logical decisions once they see this is the right purchase for them and you’ve eliminated risks.  
 
Analyzers are outcomes or results and security driven.
 
And then last but not least, are your Achievers.  Achievers are recognition and outcome driven.  Achievers are quick to make decisions and results driven. They want to know if it checks the boxes or not.  You’ll likely describe this group as risk takers because they aren’t afraid of change and they often initiate it.  Achievers want you to be direct and to the point, and will often ask questions on “doing”.  They also have facts and will try to avoid emotions because that slows them down.
 
Achievers love making decisions and are most often motivated by their bottom-line benefits.  You’ll want to make sure that you let the decision be their own.  Let them tell you what their benefits will be and they will sell themselves.  Remember that they are motivated by benefits that will help them achieve certain results or help them appear in charge.
 
Now, I need to make something very clear about achievers: Trusting you and liking you are two different things. If achievers don’t trust you they will not buy from you. Achievers have to trust you but they don’t have to like you to buy from you if your product or service will get them closer to their goals. 
 
Ok so those are your 4 buying styles. Now, most people have a combo of two.  A third buying style can be learned with some education, training, or may come with a certain type of profession.  You’ll notice that many people’s professions gravitate toward their buying style - that’s why you’ll see lots of accountants and financial people are analyzers.  You’ll see lots of nurses as Sympathizers and Analyzers.  Again, these are generalizations and not every nurse or accountant is going to fall into those buying styles but it can be an indicator.   
This whole episode was inspired by a friend who also happens to own multiple businesses.  We were talking about buying styles and it turns out that we have the same combo: Achiever and Relator.  However, she has more relator than I am.  For example, when selling a house, for example, we agreed that we don’t need to like you to choose you to sell our houses if we believe that you’ll get it done the fastest with the most money at closing.  However, for something like lipgloss, for example, she has to like you and I don’t have to like you to buy lipgloss from you.  So we analyzed why and here’s where we landed.  She wants to like you because she’s probably going to buy that lipgloss again if she likes it and she wants to like whomever she’s buying from on repeat products or services because she’ll have to talk to you more than once.  And on the flip side, I don’t need to like you for something like lipgloss and I’m not going to spend time finding someone else that sells the same lipgloss. I do want to like you and if I like you it makes it that much easier for me to buy from you, but I don’t have to like you.  So I’d say I’m like 5% relator and 95% achiever.
 
Now when it comes to my husband making a purchase, he is your classic analyzer.  He will research all of the options and make sure that the one he’s going to purchase does all of the things that it’s supposed to and that he’s exhausted all of the other options on the market.  He’s outcomes driven but wants the security that he’s purchasing the best option.
 
If you’ve downloaded my Buying Styles Guide, you’ll see that I have these buying styles in a pie chart and the more you analyze your own buying style and others’ buying styles you’ll notice there are certain types of buyers that you don’t click with as easily and those are most often the ones on the opposite side of the pie. They are typically opposite of how you make these types of decisions. So, for me as an achiever, for example, sympathizers tend to be the hardest for me to sell to because they are slow to make decisions and I’m fast paced. Our natural tendency is to sell in our own buying styles, but when you start asking questions and presenting offers in your customers’ buying style you’ll see your revenue increase and you’ll understand your customers wants and needs better.
 
So, here’s your homework: figure out your own buying style and then start figuring out your current customers’ buying styles. This takes practice but this will open up conversations in ways you wouldn’t believe once you get the hang of it.  That’s why I created this free downloadable PDF for you - save it to your computer, post it on your wall, and put it in your planner or Bible or wallet or car.  Seriously, the more you study this, and go back to it, the easier it gets and the better you’ll be at sales! So go to my website and download my Buying Styles Guide at https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources and click on the “Buying Styles Guide” button to get your free copy! 
 
I'm praying for you and your business!
- Lindsay
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LET’S CONNECT!
Have a question? >>> Leave me a voice message here: https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher
Email >>> hello@lindsayfletcher.co  
Free Resources >>> https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources 
Need community?  Join Women in Business >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/367731782244780 
Follow me on IG >>> https://instagram.com/lindsayfletcher.co 

40. 5-Minute Marketing Strategy Tip for Small Business - Is word of mouth better than social media? (Listener Question)

Hello & welcome back to Sales & Business Growth for BUSY Women. I am your resident sales and business nerd Lindsay Fletcher, and this podcast is the place for small business owners to learn how to make more sales, have more time, and grow your business.
Today, I'm featuring a listener question:  
Hi Rene, thanks for submitting your question.  Do I think Instagram reels and stories are more crucial for small family owned businesses than word of mouth?  
 
That’s a great question. I love a good marketing strategy and if you are into doing all the social media things, then good for you.  However, I see lots of small business owners spending tons of time creating all sorts of content and not seeing dollars come out of those efforts. 
Can social media be crucial to your business?  Yes, if done well and done right for your type of business. 
 
Does it trump word of mouth? No.
 
For small, family-owned, local businesses, I like to think of social media business pages or profiles as a portfolio for potential customers to view as well as ways to communicate quickly with current customers. 
 
As I’ve mentioned before, we use social media in both of our businesses.  It’s one part of our sales and marketing strategy.  However, having reviews and people who have used your business out there cheering for you and throwing your name in the hat when services like yours come up in conversation, is critical to maintaining, building and growing your business. You want former and current customers to have a great experience with you and you want them to tell their friends, family and neighbors about your business, especially for something very local like pest control.  People buy from people they trust…and word of mouth is them buying from a person that they trust in a roundabout way, right?  It’s them trusting their neighbor or family member enough to use the same company because that person trusts you.  I think of these two things, social media and word of mouth, as different parts of your sales funnel and they may even be in different sales funnels as well.  
 
Thank you for that question, Rene.
It’s always great to review what you are doing, what is working, what is not, and how to better use your resources - including your time.  If you’d like to save time and sell more, download my SALES GROWTH TRACKER at https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources and you’ll see it at the top of the page!  I’m so serious when I tell you it will help you save time and sell more because it will help you figure out what is actually working and what is not.
 
With that, I send you on your way wishing you more sales, more time and lots and lots of business growth! I’m praying for you and your business!  Talk to you next time!
My best,
Lindsay 
 
 
IMPORTANT LINKS:
Email: hello@lindsayfletcher.co
Voicemail: https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher
Free resources: https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources 
 
Business Growth | Sales Growth | Revenue Growth | Scaling Your Business | Business Strategy | Market Expansion | Customer Retention | High Performance Sales Team | Sales Planning | Sales Strategy
 

39. Sales and marketing your online business - Sales Growth Audit

Sales & marketing strategy for online business - Sales Growth Audit
 
Hello & welcome back to Sales & Business Growth for BUSY Women. I am your resident sales and business nerd Lindsay Fletcher, and this podcast is the place for small business owners to learn how to make more sales, have more time, and grow your business.
 
Today’s episode is from a recent Sales Growth Audit with Victoria of Local List Home, an online marketing platform for local small businesses in home services.  We review her 6-month goals for her new online business and discuss a plan forward for her to grow her business in the online space. 
 
You can schedule your *free* Sales Growth Audit by going to https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources and click on "Sales Growth Audit".  
 
A Sales Growth Audit is  a 30-minute call where we identify one major pain point in your small business and I give you suggestions and strategies to help you move your business forward in the areas of sales skills, strategy for business growth, and time management as a woman in business.
 
Here are the main takeaways from this Sales Growth Audit:
Use your network, or seek out networking groups, to help you get the word out about your online business and to homeowners and renters
Find professional groups or local groups that you can partner with to get vendors on your site
Figure out where your target market “lives” online
Share in local Facebook groups to build trust with home contractors and homeowners and renters - don’t shy away from grassroots sales and marketing efforts
Consistency is key.
If you have sales technique, sales growth, or time management questions, email me at hello@lindsayfletcher.co or leave me a voicemail at https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher.  
 
My best,
Lindsay

38. Time Management for busy women in small business

Hello & welcome back to Sales & Business Growth for BUSY Women. I am your resident sales and business nerd Lindsay Fletcher, and this podcast is the place for small business owners to learn how to make more sales, have more time, and grow your business.
 
I’ve launched a FREE tool on my website that you can download that we have used to figure out which sales and marketing activities actually create revenue. My SALES GROWTH TRACKER is now available for download on my website - go to LindsayFletcher.co/free-resources. Click on Sales Growth Tracker and drop your email and I will send it over to you immediately, along with steps on how to use it. It has been THE TOOL that we’ve used in our service-based local business and I’m using it to track my sales activities in my consulting business. So go to my website LindsayFletcher.co and click on the free resources tab and you’ll see the Sales Growth Tracker at the top of the page! Download it and use it, and be on your way to Sales Success!
 
Today, we are going to talk about time management strategies as a business owner and entrepreneur.  Have you ever felt like your list of to-do’s is so long that you don’t even know where to start?  I’m with you.  I’ve been there and I’m sure that I’ll be there again so today I’m sharing 5 ways to manage your time and I hope that at least one helps you out!  Now, if you are struggling to know which tasks to do, go back and listen to episode 20 where I talk about Eisenhower’s matrix and how to use that tool!  
 
Ok, so I’m going to walk you through 5 different ways to manage your time.  I’d love to hear from you if you use one of these or if you start using one of these after listening to this episode! 
 
Time blocking  
 Eat the frog
Task Stacking (also known as batching) 
Pomodoro Technique 
Successful Day/Week
The great thing about these time management strategies is that you can use a couple of different strategies to find what works for you. My main strategy is “successful day” and “successful week” but I also use some task stacking or batching especially for podcast recording and editing, and like I already mentioned, I use a version of Pomodoro’s technique with a timer.  Now, time blocking makes me feel like I’m choking for some reason but I have a friend that uses time blocking religiously and she makes me jealous with how effectively she uses that strategy!  
 
These are strategies for you to try out and figure out which one or ones work best for you, and they can be used in work and life.  When I’m on my A-game with time management, like when I know we have a crazy week of work and kids activities, I will make one list of all the tasks that have to get done and any projects that need started and or completed, I will plug some into my calendar, map out my task stacking, and figure out what actually has to get done for it to be a successful week and then I’ll start planning day by day on what I plan to get done and when.  I’m in charge of sales and marketing activities for my other business so I tend to lump all of that business’s work together so that I can get it done quickly and be done, and then work on podcast content creation and everything for you all in this space.  
 
Once you try these, I’d love to hear from you!  I’m back on Instagram @lindsayfletcher.co or you can email me at hello@lindsayfletcher.co or you can leave me a voice message at https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher. 
 
Before we go, I have a tool that will save you a ton of time in your business and allow you to focus on the things that work.  You can download my Sales Growth Tracker. Go to Lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources and click on “sales growth tracker” to download so you can be on your way to figuring out what’s working.  I promise that this will save you SO MUCH TIME in the long run!
 
I’m praying for you and your business!  Talk to you next time!
 
LET’S CONNECT!
Have a question? >>> Leave me a voice message here: https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher
Email >>> hello@lindsayfletcher.co 
Free Resources >>> https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources 
Need community?  Join Women in Business >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/367731782244780 
Follow me on IG >>> https://instagram.com/lindsayfletcher.co 
Time Management for women in business | Task Management | Productivity Hacks | Time Blocking | Task Prioritization | Delegation Tips | Avoiding Burnout | Daily Routine | Workflow Optimization | Productivity Tools | Time-saving Tips | Time management strategies | time management for busy women | sales growth tracker

37. How to Grow Your Business Without Posting Constantly on Social Media - Listener Question

Hello & welcome back to Sales & Business Growth for BUSY Entrepreneurs. I am your resident sales and business nerd Lindsay Fletcher, and this podcast is the place for small business owners to learn how to make more sales, have more time, and grow your business.
 
I’ve launched a FREE tool on my website that you can download that we have used to figure out which sales and marketing activities actually create revenue. My SALES GROWTH TRACKER is now available for download on my website - go to LindsayFletcher.co/free-resources. Click on Sales Growth Tracker and drop your email and I will send it over to you immediately, along with steps on how to use it. It has been THE TOOL that we’ve used in our service-based local business and I’m using it to track my sales activities in my consulting business. So go to my website LindsayFletcher.co and click on the free resources tab and you’ll see Sales Growth Tracker at the top of the page! Download it and use it, and be on your way to Sales Success!!!
 
Today, I’m featuring a listener question:   
How do you grow a business without posting all the time about your whole life?
 
Thanks for this question, Melissa.  It’s one that I’m so freaking passionate about because I think we’ve been bamboozled into believing that we have to live our whole lives on social media for our businesses to grow, and I know that just isn’t true. The business that my husband and I run together is proof, and I have several business friends that agree with me. I’m hardly on social media where the public can see me.  I do go into my women in business facebook community often and I’m trying out instagram again for my consulting business, but here’s the cold hard truth: At the end of the day, follower counts do NOT equal dollars. Let me say that again for the people in the back: Followers don’t equal dollars.  So, while social media might be one part of your sales and marketing plan, it should be just that: one part of your sales and marketing strategy. 
 
Oh my gosh, I’m fired up…I could literally talk about this for hours and hours if not days and days.
 
Here’s how we approach social media in our service based local business:  Social media is a place for customers and potential customers to learn a little more about us as service providers.  Our business pages, meaning Facebook for us…we have an instagram but we don’t really use it much, is a place for us to funnel customer reviews, pictures of our work, and updates about our company.  Then we share those posts into local facebook groups and that’s where the real social media magic happens for us. We do show our faces every now and again in posts because it’s important for our local community to know we live here, work here, and are raising our family here.  But, we do not live on social media by any stretch and we certainly don’t share everything in our lives…and I probably could with 4 kids - they’d keep y’all entertained for hours. HAHA!  We use it for more of a portfolio-type of thing.  
 
In my consulting business, I’m using social media a little differently.  I’m growing this business more online than in person - meaning my sales and marketing funnels are mostly from online platforms - my podcast, my online community, my email list. Again, it is only ONE part of my sales and marketing strategy, so I am doing other things to market my business, but the online space is where I’m building for now.  Here’s what I’ve learned about the online space: it’s harder to build trust.  People may watch you for a long time, like years, before they buy from you.The sales cycle is going to be longer from awareness to purchase. So, you have to “toot your own horn” so to speak more often than you do if you meet people in person to build trust. Tell them why they should trust you - what your background and experience is, and you’ll have to prove yourself with your content.   
 
Now, here’s where I think online businesses miss it, especially for a new online business. Even if your business is online, I suggest still having some grass-roots style components to your sales and marketing approach and network a bit. You can still build your business locally because local people know other local people and they also know other non-local people. So, share your content in local facebook groups, invite your online friends to like your page(s), network in local business groups. Literally everywhere you go is a networking opportunity and I don’t mean be slimy and salesy.  But literally, the grocery store line, the PTO, the places you volunteer.  I say this all the time and I’ll say it again here - if you aren’t talking about your business, no one else is either.
Ok literally, I could go on and on about this. I just really think people are still craving human connection, so while I do think that using social media as one part of our sales and marketing strategy is a good idea, network and expand your circles in your communities.  Think about how to reach more people in person and online because awareness is sometimes half the battle in business. 
 
I'm praying for you and your business!
My best,
Lindsay
 
LINKS:
Have a question? >>> Leave me a voice message here: https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher
Email >>> hello@lindsayfletcher.co
Free Resources >>> https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources 
Need a community?  Join Women in Business >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/367731782244780 
 

36. 5 reasons you need to learn how to sell | Small Business Sales

Welcome back to Sales & Business Growth for BUSY Entrepreneurs. I’m your host and resident sales and business nerd Lindsay, and this podcast is the place for small business owners to learn sales skills, business growth strategies, and how to squeeze more out of your day. 
HAPPY OCTOBER!!!  I'm hope Texas gets the memo that it is fall y'all! 
I’ve launched a FREE tool on my website that you can download that we have used to figure out which sales and marketing activities actually create revenue. My SALES GROWTH TRACKER is now available for download on my website - go to LindsayFletcher.co/free-resources. Click on Sales Growth Tracker and drop your email and I will send it over to you immediately, along with steps on how to use it. It has been THE TOOL that we’ve used in our service-based local business and I’m using it to track my sales activities in my consulting business. So go to my website LindsayFletcher.co and click on the free resources tab and you’ll see Sales Growth Tracker at the top of the page! Download it and use it, and be on your way to Sales Success!!!
 
Ok let’s dive in to today’s topic: learning how to sell as a small business owner and why it’s important.
 
Here’s the short answer: sales generates revenue, and revenue pays your bills. 
 
Thanks for listening to the show. Haha! Just kidding. Seriously though, sales generates revenue and revenue means your business is bringing in dollars, and that’s how you are going to pay your bills.
 
You know from listening to this podcast that I love sales, it’s really fun for me to teach, and that I believe everyone should learn how to sell. But I do understand that many of you, maybe even the majority of small business owners and entrepreneurs, start businesses with passion and a really great product or service but they don’t know how to sell it. For many, many entrepreneurs, sales conversations are uncomfortable and avoided, and then they struggle to get to the place where their business pays their bills.  Friends, if this is you, you are not alone, and I’m here to help you! 
 
Here are a 5 reasons that you should learn sales skills, and then continue building your sales muscles, as an entrepreneur:
 
You’ll learn how to be confident in presenting your offer. You’ll learn how to prepare for sales conversations and ultimately how to present your offer in a way that makes sense for your customer. Part of buyer psychology includes how confident you are in selling your offer, and you’ll learn how to craft your pitch with confidence.
Sales skills will improve your customer relationships. When you learn how to ask effective, great questions, you will learn more and more about your customer. If you ask the right questions, you will learn how to get and keep customers, attract more, and how to continue serving them with new products and services. You’ll learn how to position your product or service with messaging that converts inquiries into sales.
You will learn to anticipate and identify objections and how to handle them in real time. Often times, the reasons people give for not purchasing are smokescreens. They don’t want to lie to you, but more importantly they don’t want to hurt your feelings. Learning how to properly identify, anticipate, and  handle objections will allow you to overcome objections, create better relationships through building trust, and close more sales.
You’ll learn to identify opportunities for your offer and your business. By learning how to prepare for 
Sales skills will increase your productivity. Once you learn how to sell, you will learn how to close more sales in a shorter amount of time. You know how I feel about time management as a busy business owner…it’s of upmost importance. Otherwise you’d be working 24/7…and none of us want that. Sales training provides tools and techniques so you stop spinning your wheels wondering why no one is buying and start selling! 
These are 5 reasons to learn how to sell, and I could probably add about 15 more to this list! Learning how to sell your product or service will ultimately make you more productive, generate more revenue for your business, and allow you to get new customers and retain existing ones. You’ll learn how to anticipate needs and objections, identify new opportunities, and grow your business. 
 
Sales skills are vital to generating revenue. Revenue and profit are vital to you being able to pay your bills. 
 
You’ll want to join my email list because I have been working on creating an affordable sales course just for small business owners. It will be affordable, and presale and deals will be offered to my email subscribers only! 
 
If you aren’t sure what sales and marketing activities work for your business, you should definitely download my Sales Growth Tracker. Go to Lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources and click on “sales growth tracker” to download so you can be on your way to figuring out what’s working.  I promise that this will save you SO MUCH TIME in the long run!
 
With that, I send you on your way wishing you more sales, more time and lots and lots of business growth! I'm praying for you and your business!
 
My best,
Lindsay Fletcher
 
LINKS:
Have a question? >>> Leave me a voice message here: https://speakpipe.com/lindsayfletcher
Email >>> hello@lindsayfletcher.co
Free Resources >>> https://lindsayfletcher.co/free-resources 
Need community?  Join Women in Business >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/367731782244780