It’s a love thing

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Business is all about people. This is true whether you sell to consumers or to companies. After all, it’s a person who decides to hire you or buy from you.

With that in mind, here are a few ideas to help you connect a little deeper with the needs of the people you serve and your wider marketplace.

• People love to talk: Give them a story that’s worth sharing with their friends and contacts, and that’s exactly what they will do. It’s how all word-of-mouth recommendations happen. For inspiration, look to the brands, products and services you’ve recommended in the past. Determine what it was that made them worthy of your recommendation. Then figure out how you can adapt that into your business, products or services.
• People love to succeed: Look for ways to help your clients and your marketplace hit their targets or achieve their goals. Ideally this would be through the services or products you provide. That said, if there’s a book, newsletter, idea or article, etc., which you found useful, share it with them or recommend it to them.
• People love to be valued: Consider how good you are at showing your appreciation of other people. Even something as simple as a thank you note can make a huge difference to how someone feels. This is especially the case when they’re not expecting it.
• People love to feel safe: Focus on ways to make your clients and prospective clients feel more secure and comfortable. The way you apply this will differ depending on your industry or profession. However, when it comes to buying from you, risk reversal is universally effective, if it applies to your industry and you do it correctly. I talk about it here, (in point number 3).
• People love to save time: Look for opportunities to help your marketplace get more done in less time. This includes looking for ways to speed up the process of hiring you, buying from you and doing business with you.

Stay safe.