Hi, I’m Stephanie Scheller and I have been involved in numerous marketing campaigns for small business owners throughout the past decade. In addition to marketing, I have also had substantial experience in sales training as it was my initial venture as an entrepreneur. Based on my experience, I have discovered that effective marketing enables me to avoid being too ‘salesy’ while still achieving successful outcomes. Here is what I’ve learned:

Firstly, effective marketing helps you attract the appropriate target audience, enabling you to determine whether engaging in a sales conversation is necessary. Attempting to persuade unsuitable buyers to purchase from you is a waste of time and may lead to remorseful sales down the line. Superior marketing draws in the ideal customers and allows you to assess whether it's worthwhile pursuing a conversation before going too far. The importance of effective marketing cannot be overstated.

Secondly, by creating visually appealing designs and delivering a clear and emotional message, you can help your potential customers understand what your product or service is all about before they even engage in a sales conversation. This can be incredibly helpful because it allows them to weigh their options and determine if the cost is worth the value. While you don't necessarily need to divulge all the details, you should aim to provide enough information to help them make an informed decision. Ultimately, your goal should be to set them up for success and ensure that they walk away feeling confident in their choice.

Lastly, the value of good marketing lies in the ability to capture the attention of potential customers even before any sales conversation takes place. As small business owners, we tend to focus on providing as much information as possible to our prospects, but this may not always be what they need. It is important to keep in mind that your marketing efforts are directed towards individuals who may not necessarily want to be bombarded with information. Instead, most people simply want to be entertained and engaged. By triggering emotions such as a sense of intelligence, amusement, excitement, or surprise, we can keep our audience interested. After all, emotions are what people pay for when they visit theme parks, movie theaters, or comedy shows.

When your marketing is able to stimulate feelings in a similar manner, it enhances the value of the relationship even before the sales conversation takes place. This will capture the attention of potential customers and make them more curious about your offerings, rather than dismissing your sales pitch outright.

Now, it would be misleading of me to suggest having excellent marketing will eliminate the need for sales conversations. While it is possible to reach a level where your marketing does most of the selling, it is likely that you will still need to have sales conversations to convince potential customers that you are the right choice for them. However, these conversations are unlikely to be as uncomfortable as they may have been in the past, where the focus was on persuading hesitant and emotional customers to make a purchase. However, effective marketing strategies can reduce the discomfort and redirect the focus to supporting and encouraging potential customers who are already interested in buying from you.