Marketing your business? If so, are you doing it wrong?

All too often people market their business first, and themselves second. If we take a moment and think about this, I think we will find that this is backwards. To go even further, marketing yourself before you show a potential client you care and are worth working with, is wrong as well. Let’s think of an example to clear up any confusion you might be having. ( I love examples ).

I had a co-worker during one of my catering events who was into graphic design. He had expressed interest in wanting to create a sustainable income off of his art. So, at this event I sparked up a conversation with him, asking him about Adobe illustrator (knowing he used this program to do a lot of his work). Immediately he lit up and was excited to talk to me about something he loved. After he talked for several minutes, I asked him a question pertaining to a feature within the program. Again he talked for some time. This continued for close to an hour, while we were setting up chairs for the wedding. He knew I was a web designer, but I had not tried to sell him on my services before. After our long conversation, he asked if I wanted to see some of the art he had done. After the event, he and I sat down and he showed me pictures on his phone of the art he had done. We looked and talked about his art for some time. At this point, I asked him if he would want to see how a website could help him with getting his art into the world, and make him a living. I hadn’t sold him at all, but because I took the time to inquire about something he was passionate about and actually listened intently, he and I made a connection, and shortly after we had a consultation to go over a possible website. In addition, we are still friends today.

This type of marketing is counter-intuitive to what we are taught in life but is anything but. People want to feel important, and if you can make a person feel important and heard you will open any door there is to open. So instead of starting off by introducing your business, inquire about the person’s interests and ask questions. Be genuinely interested in others, make them feel important, smile, listen, and give them real praise. Do these things and you will go further than ever before.

If you don’t believe me, next time you spark up a conversation with someone that you potentially might want to work with, try asking them about something that interests them and see how far you get.