… listened to a telemarketer.

I find it helpful to watch how others try and sell their services, so sometimes I interact with telemarketers.

As is usually the case with these types of calls – whether it’s somebody trying to get you to buy or a charity trying to get you to give – this person felt compelled to do nearly all of the talking.

I find listening to be a much more effective sales approach.

Recommended: Selling with Integrity, Sharon Drew Morgen (affiliate link).

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… helped someone simplify the way she describes her work.

She’s an attorney in one of my classes and we were working on a one sentence description of her niche.

If you’re someone who’s fond of precision and detail – lawyers, engineers, financial planners – this can be a difficult task. A one sentence description of anything meaningful will necessarily be an oversimplification.

But it’s necessary in the word of mouth world we live in.

You have two options:

Option #1: Oversimplify.

Option #2: Tell me everything and be forgotten instantly.

… went to the web site of someone whom I met the other day.

It was a well designed site and I was happy to see that he had a blog. A blog (and/or newsletter) is a great way for people to check you out and get a sense of what it would be like to work with you.

Uh oh. The most recent post was from November of 2013.

The only thing worse than no content is old content.

Try to keep things up to date on your site (and take down that blog if you are not able to keep it current)!

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… asked someone, “What type of client is a perfect match for you?”

Loooong silence, followed by an even longer ramble of off the cuff blah blah.

When you can clearly and succinctly describe your perfect client, two good things happen:

Good thing number one: Prospects hear that and, if they fit what you’re describing, feel confident knowing there’s a match.

Good thing number two: Nonprospects (AKA, all other humans) learn whom you’re looking for and, when they come across those people, are more likely to send them your way.

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… got an email from someone who wanted to know about fees.

He saw a package described on my web site and sent a one-sentence email asking what it cost.

I didn’t answer the question.

Instead, I suggested we talk, so I could find out more about the kind of work he does and why/how he thinks he may need some help.

In my experience, the “good prospects” are eager for the opportunity to talk more. The “tire kickers,” on the other hand – the people who are just shopping on price – rarely are.

Ignoring the “How much?” question in the beginning turns out to be a pretty good filter of who’s worth spending time with.

Recommended resources. These are the services and vendors I depend on in running my business. Details here.