Why Are You in Business?

That is a serious question.

Why are you in business? Because it is cool to tell your friends, “I own my own business”? Or maybe you have a hobby that you really like and you just know everybody wants what you make or do?

Most likely, you’re thinking, “Doh! I want to make money, the more the better!”

That’s a reasonable motive to venture into the world of business. So the next question is:

“How are you going to make money?”

Again, that may sound like a goofy question but keep reading.

You may be surprised at the number of freelancers, Internet marketers, MLMers, and even real estate agents who think they want to make money, but they “don’t want to sell” – like “sell” is a dirty four-letter word or something.

There is a modern day myth circulating through society today that all you have to do is put up a web page or post something on Facebook and the world will flock to your feet to buy the latest Bright Shiny Object (BSO) that someone hornswoggled you into buying in a “Special One Time Offer”.

Have you figured out “that ain’t how it works” yet?

In my checkered past, I have been involved in door-to-door sales of encyclopedias, pots and pans, vacuum cleaners, and even Tupperware. Then I got a little older and moved up to selling insurance, mutual funds, and real estate. Every time, the opportunity sounded like it was going to be as easy as falling off a log. Those stories never change. Somebody (no, not P.T. Barnum) said there’s a sucker born every minute. Well, they’re still being born.

The past few years I have worked with some freelance copywriters (and quite a few “wannabe” freelance writers), graphic artists, assorted Internet marketing hopefuls, and a handful of network marketers.

Their number one question was always, “How do I get clients?”

The answer, “You have to learn to sell and that starts with prospecting.”

Their reply, “No really, how do I get clients? Build a better website? Improve my SEO? Create some killer Facebook ads? Anything except talking to people!”
Now, I’m not arguing that some people haven’t made a pile of money sitting behind their computers tickling the pixels and cashing the PayPal checks.

But…

If that works so well, why do they put on the big seminars, training events and a bazillion webinars?

They learned that they have to talk to people if they expect to sell anything.

It is they same for you. If you are serious about running a real, successful business, you have to turn off your computer and get out to meet folks in you town. I mean really. Just because Coca Cola and Pepsi spend billions of dollars on advertising, doesn’t mean thee don’t have to hire a sales force to visit the stores and restaurants and sell them a few pallet loads of product every week.

It is the same for you. Your web page and your Facebook posts might tweak someone’s awareness a little bit, but they’ll buy a lot quicker and a lot more if you get out there and let folks see that you are a real, live, oxygen consuming human being and not some foo-foo avatar on their smart-phone screen.

The point of this diatribe?

To get you interested in reading the next article I write… It will help you face your primal fear – prospecting.