There are a few smatterings of discussion on this blog about the intersection of selling and blogging.
I saw a question on LinkedIn about the best salesperson for a small business. The ideas was that in a new small business the best salesperson in the owner or the founder.
It was an interesting point to make and I don’t think it’s wrong. The owner of a business is the most passionate. One would hope they are able to sell their service better than anyone.
It could also be argued that a more seasoned salesperson could be brought in to sell the services better than the owner.
For me, sales has always been down the list of things I’m good at. I tend to undervalue the services in various things I do. I’ve been working with a few people that have helped with the sales process at GBW with a couple of people in my circle saying, “Dayne, it’s okay to make profit. You are running a business.”
It’s also been my nature to be introverted and I think I’ve always thought that it goes against the outgoing salesperson-type we’re all familiar with.
But those are excuses. I don’t want to give in to them because GBW excites me and I want to grow the company through sales and connecting with great business owners.
This what has really led me to using the GBW website as the best salesperson on the GBW team and I think it’s a model that can work well for your small business too.
The Best Small Business Salesperson: The Website
A point I’ve mentioned before on this blog is that even in the early days of GBW the website has been the best salesperson on the team.
There have been multiple times when a message has come via the contact form or even via the phone with the person saying they are completely on board and ready to get started.
That is a really easy selling situation for a novice like me. The website has done all the work and the site visitor has turned into a new client. All I have to do is get them setup with a strategy and blogging schedule.
When I started GBW I knew the concept of business blogging was to attract new people to the website, earn their trust, show them valuable content and eventually convert the visitor into a client.
You can call it content marketing, online marketing or simply marketing. The fact is that a blog on your business websites works to accomplish everything in the early stages of the sales cycle.
The blog gets people to your site. It happens through SEO. It happens through social sharing and word of mouth. It happens via email and people talking about your posts and blog to others.
The posts then entertain, enlighten and educate your clients. You use your knowledge to ability to provide a service. A blog is actually an extension of your service or product offering.
As people read your blog they become connecting with your brand. You’ve given them something valuable and a trust is formed. As all the great salespeople know that trust is essential for long-term business relationships.
Let’s say the industry is plumbing. There are two plumbers. Both are equally great at what they do, but one plumber has a blog where he shares daily tips for general plumbing situations. He uses his experience to share his tips on unclogging drains, fixing leaky sinks and all kinds of things.
A potential plumbing customer goes on the Web looking for info on how to fix a leaky sink. They find both plumber websites, but the first is pretty stale with no updated content since the site was launched. The second has the blog with great information including information on how to fix leaky sinks.
Some time after the person needs a new sink installed in their bathroom.
Who are they going to call?
That’s how website sales work.
Your blog gets people in and earns trust. Your other pages provide information about what you do and who you are. By the time people are ready to purchase they have already been sold.
Your website is always working. It doesn’t need to sleep. It’s open 24/7 always working when your potential visitors are looking for information. And remember, it’s a global economy today even for small businesses. You need a sales team that’s available all day long and your website is that asset.
This is how sales will work in the future. It’s not all about websites. You still need people, but both can work together to increase your sales while growing your business.