MARKETING Vs. GETTING CLIENTS

David Steele generously offered his seminar on
"How To Get Clients" and one of the
many things he pointed out is the essential distinction
between "marketing" and "selling."
As I got it, marketing is about letting people know you
exist. It's about telling them who you are, what you do,
and helping them really "get" your expertise. It's about
branding your name and reputation; it's about creating
positive buzz about your and your business.
Marketing is a good thing! It's a skill and it can be
learned. Every business MUST market!
Marketing, however, does not generate sales or revenue
and that is a HUGE distinction!
As David says, "You can market until the cows come home and
never get a single client!" You can market so people know
about you, and know what you do. You can market with a
catchy slogan and a distinctive logo. You can market "until
the cows come home."
But only sales is sales!
Now, obviously there are good and bad ways of selling.
There are styles of selling and some sales techniques are
just plain repugnant!
Fortunately, however, there are skills and tools that are
both comfortable AND effective for selling. Many people ask
questions to help the potential customer decide for
themselves whether to make the purchase. Others use a focus
on the benefits or some other ethical tool to MAKE THE
SALE.
In the end, your business must do marketing, AND you must
make sales. Understand the distinction and develop skills
in both areas!