Unlearning How to Sell and Build a Service Business

Tom McMakin spoke with Richard Henderson and Sherilyn Colleen, co-hosts of Home Business Radio about building an expert services practice. Topics covered in their podcast conversation include:

Shrink the pond – why it’s important to define the niche for which you can be “the world’s expert.” (Tom references The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout.)
How selling expert services is different – While products are sold on the basis of features and attributes, expert services are sold by building relationships with the community you serve. That includes underwriting conversations that help to propagate best practices.
The value of narrowcasting – sometimes it’s better to pick up the phone and introduce yourself to the prospect you wish to serve than it is to depend on marketing automation and other broadcasting techniques.
Building trust – how you can communicate your trustworthiness through, for instance, your LinkedIn profile.
Nobody likes salespeople – We don’t like to feel manipulated. Rather than emulate used car salesmen, expert service providers are better served by explaining how their knowledge and experiences can complement those of their client’s in order to build value in the context of a project.