How do you sell without being a sales-y slickster?

Just the other day, the lovely and talented Abby Kerr read my ‘brand voice’ in her new service called The Voice Profile.  {If you’re curious about what she said about me and my voice, you can read the entire Voice Profile here.}

One of the headings in the profile read:

a serving of what’s NOT on brand for you when you use this voice— in other words, what we’ll NEVER see you doing

• Apologizing for your point of view .  Asking anyone to hide their brilliance.  Being exclusionary.  Being sales-y or slick.

I love how Abby can be so eerily accurate about this stuff!

So, when I recently launched my annual Solopreneur Sojourn Retreat I took a closer look at how I actually fill my programs.

Here are a few ways I help my people say yes without being a sales-y slickster:

1.  I pay attention to my perspective.

As soon as I launch a new service I intentionally shift my perspective from being the master creator to being the helpful guide.  Envisioning myself as a helpful guide instead of a “marketer” influences my style of communication and the actions I take to help my people say yes.

Being a guide feels more invitational, less pushy.  It feels more personal, less talking to the masses.  It feels more in service of them, less about my bottom line.

Being the ‘helpful guide’ allows me to lead my people to my offer.  I walk ahead of them moving barriers out of their way so they can follow me easily.  I anticipate where they might get caught up, feel uncertain, or even lost.  I listen for questions.   I answer with clarity and specificity.  And like a skilled guide, I repeat the question to the rest of the group because most likely, it’s relevant for them too.  I notice where people are slowing down or stopping and I go back to them and get curious “Hey, I noticed you paused here, is there anything you’re worried about?  What do you need in order to keep going?”

2.  I anticipate the questions.

Removing barriers is about making sure my people don’t make assumptions.  I need to be explicit in my web copy and also provide an FAQ section.  Anticipating questions and giving good solid answers can mean the difference between someone saying yes or no.

You can check out the Solopreneur Sojourn Q&A section here.

3.  I get personal.

After a public launch, I send personalized invitations to a select few women whom I deeply believe would benefit from attending my retreat.  I keep the invitation extremely genuine.  I let them know why I’d love to have them attend and I provide them with specific reasons for why I believe this event might be ideal for them.  There’s no pressure.  Ultimately, they get to make the decision that is right for them.  Getting personal and acknowledging a client’s specific pain or challenge allows my people to feel known and witnessed.  And that’s important to me.

4. I get generous.

For this retreat, I also offered the first  7 ladies who signed up,  a free 90 minute 1:1 coaching session with me.  It was my way of offering additional support and accountability to several participants and it also rewarded them for signing up first.

5.  I ask for help.

I reach out to past participants and peers and graciously ask if they will help me spread the word.  I tend to keep in touch with my people, so connecting in this way feels like a natural extension of our relationship.  We like to help each other out like that.

6.  I stay gentle.

My people are busy and like me, they can leave things until the very last minute.  So, I post gentle reminders along the way to let them know how registration is coming along, when the early bird is over, who won the early registrant special and things like that.  My people don’t need to be hit over the head with things nor do they appreciate a false urgency or high pressure timeline.  I embrace a tone that is clear, spacious, and unpanicked.

Selling your services means having a viable business and I want that for you and me.  Which means we need to find an approach to selling that reflects our personal style and honors our core values.

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If you’re craving more support around how to sell in a way that feels more like you, you can check out my 1:1 Solid Ground Business Mentorship program.

Or, if you’re in the Halifax area {or you’re willing to travel} there are still a few places left at this year’s Solopreneur Sojourn Retreat.

In the comments below, please share what you find challenging about selling, or your non-slickster way of helping your people say yes.

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