People love to buy, but hate to be sold to. For this very reason, when your customer is ready to buy, you better know what the heck you are talking about. This is why you need to be an expert in your industry or field. If someone calls me up and asks me the difference between an organic t-shirt vs. a regular t-shirt, and I sit there looking clueless, more than likely they are going to my competitor to buy. Here then are 3 things that I think make you an expert in your field and a little explanation about each:
1.) Be knowledgeable on current industry trends and what's "in".
- Do you attend trade-shows on a yearly basis to stay up to speed?
- Do you read trade magazine and journals to know current trends?
2.) If there is higher education or certification available, set a goal and obtain it.
- Pretty much summed up that if you can get letters after your name in your industry, go get it. Whether it's a Professional Organizer becoming a Certified Professional Organizer® or in my case, currently striving to get my CAS then my MAS, (Certified Ad Specialist / Master Ad Specialist).
3.) Charge what you think you time is worth.
- If you are marketing and basing your business model on being the cheapest or least expensive in your industry, that isn't a good thing in the long run. It may get you that "one-time" transaction, but I am personally looking for that "long-term" relationship with my customers, and not a transaction.
- Sit back and think about what an hour of your time is worth. Me personally, an hour of my time is worth about $100. It's okay to turn customers away if they are leeching and stealing all your time. (This is a whole different blog topic I'll tackle at a later date.)
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1 comments:
I would add one thing to your number one. If you don't know what someone is talking about, tell them. There is no shame in not knowing something. Then tell them that you will find out and follow up. If you spit some answer out and it's wrong, then you really look like you have no clue on what you are doing.
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