As businesses seek to widen their client base and establish loyal customers, a wide variety of tactics are available to them (although not all common sales methods are effective or ethical).
For example, using fear as a tactic. Many seek to use this method to get the client to say yes right away so they can close the deal. But I encourage you to stay away from using fear to get the sale.
Using fear preys on your prospect. You might make it seem that you have limited availability even if you don’t to instill the “Fear of Missing Out.” Or you might say the price is increasing in (enter number of hours/days). Granted, you may be increasing prices soon, or you might have limited quantities of a product remaining, but I encourage you to use other methods to explain the benefits of your product or service to help prospects understand how it will help them so they’ll want to buy and not feel pushed into the sale.
Of course, clients may have their own fears as to why they aren’t moving ahead with the purchase. Helping the client get out of their own way and push through fear so they can reach new levels of success may be something you’ll have to help them navigate through. But again, it should be done in service to the prospect, not because you would like an additional sale.
Pushing a client to make a decision in the moment (and not allowing them time to go away and think about it) may result in the immediate purchase of the product or service, but it often leads to dissatisfaction later for the customer. In fact, these kinds of sales tactics place the seller and the customer at odds with each other when they could be working together. It makes sense when you consider the fact that manipulation by fear is a way to prey on the client instead of serving the client. And, let’s face it: few people willingly return to those who make them feel bad if they’re not ready to take action. I
The benefits of avoiding fear tactics are obvious. If your service is really the right step for your client, your future customer will walk away thinking about it and questioning whether they should invest. And when they decide to commit to your service, they are likely to go into it ready and eager, because they know it’s the right decision. Not because they were pressured to say yes. And if they find your service or product effective and helpful, they’ll keep coming back for more because you have built trust.
At Affordable Bookkeeping and Payroll, we believe that a reputation as an honest and reliable company is the recipe for success. By being trustworthy, we believe we will continue to enjoy the long-term benefits that come from serving the small business owners we partner with. Through hard work, attention to detail, mutual respect for others, solid business practice, and high ethical standards, we have grown steadily every year. And we hope the same for you and your businesses as well.
