Bsaed on a conversation I had with @Andy Black I wanted to start this thread.
Here's the cold hard truth:
Many new agencies struggle with growth because their prices are too high.
Contrary to what ALL the gurus tell you, you can't sell high-ticket with 0 credibility. Not at any meaningful scale anyway. Maybe you'll get 1 client every 6 months, but that's not a company. That's a hobby.
So the question you have to ask yourself is if you want to go on "playing" business, or you actually want to build a real business?
Because if it's the latter, then you need to build up to selling high-ticket. Not start by selling high-ticket.
Here's how to gain credibility so you can build a real business:
1. Stop looking for a shortcut
Credibility takes time to build. You simply need time to build a great website, gather great testimonials, deliver amazing results, become a thought leader, and scale your network.
As much as you may like it to, it can't happen overnight.
And there's no shortcut. There's no email, cold calling script, or tactic that can help you until then.
2. Create original content consistently
If someone sees you being a thought leader in your industry every single day for 90+ days, you can bet they'll consider you an expert.
Once they consider you an expert, they will be a lot more responsive to your offers.
And most importantly, they will begin trusting you. You're not longer a stranger. In their mind you're now someone they know.
Someone who knows what they're doing.
3. Engage with others
Who are other thought leaders in your industry? Engage with them. Engage with your followers. Comment on great posts. Share. Participate.
It's called social media for a reason.
This helps in two ways:
First, by seeing you engage with the thought leaders in your industry, some of their credibility will rub off on you.
And second, by engaging with your followers, they will see that you care and they'll begin trusting you.
4. Expand Your Network
The bigger your network, the more credibility you have. You should be identifying and connecting with your target audience daily.
When your network grows, you'll be perceived as more of an authority. And your content will get more distribution too.
Making sure you're consistently expanding your network is key, especially in the beginning.
5. Start Conversations
It's not enough to just expand your network. You have to start meaningful conversations.
All sales starts with a conversation. The more conversations you have, the more sales you'll make.
Start by saying hi and asking an insightful question.
Don't be one of those used car salesmen types going around to a stranger asking if they need what you have.
They don't... and even if they do, they don't trust you enough to get it.
Focus on building the relationship first.
6. Get on Discovery Calls
Discovery calls are NOT sales calls. They are 15-min long and the focus is on getting to know the other person.
Ask them about their business. Ask them about their life.
Talk to them about challenges they may be having. Cool things they're doing. Projects they're working on.
Be genuinely interested in them.
And if by the end of those 15-minutes it sounds like they may be helped by your offer, invite them on another follow-up call if they're open to find out more.
7. Forget about the price, focus on sales and customer results
The less you make the price a friction point, the more customers you'll have.
The more customers you have, the better you'll get at delivering results.
The better you are at delivering results, the more social proof you'll gather.
The more social proof you gather, the more credibility you have.
And the more credibility you have, the more you can raise your prices.
Some of you will start complaining now that your time is worth more than whatever amount you're getting paid at the beginning.
It's not. That's why you're not getting paid those amounts.
Stop lying to yourself, and accept the fact that building a real business takes several steps. There are no shortcuts.
It's always better to work for pennies than be stuck waiting for customers and working for nothing.
The only thing that can make your life easier is credibility. So start building it, and over time it will become easier to attract and sell to customers.
Here's the cold hard truth:
Many new agencies struggle with growth because their prices are too high.
Contrary to what ALL the gurus tell you, you can't sell high-ticket with 0 credibility. Not at any meaningful scale anyway. Maybe you'll get 1 client every 6 months, but that's not a company. That's a hobby.
So the question you have to ask yourself is if you want to go on "playing" business, or you actually want to build a real business?
Because if it's the latter, then you need to build up to selling high-ticket. Not start by selling high-ticket.
Here's how to gain credibility so you can build a real business:
1. Stop looking for a shortcut
Credibility takes time to build. You simply need time to build a great website, gather great testimonials, deliver amazing results, become a thought leader, and scale your network.
As much as you may like it to, it can't happen overnight.
And there's no shortcut. There's no email, cold calling script, or tactic that can help you until then.
2. Create original content consistently
If someone sees you being a thought leader in your industry every single day for 90+ days, you can bet they'll consider you an expert.
Once they consider you an expert, they will be a lot more responsive to your offers.
And most importantly, they will begin trusting you. You're not longer a stranger. In their mind you're now someone they know.
Someone who knows what they're doing.
3. Engage with others
Who are other thought leaders in your industry? Engage with them. Engage with your followers. Comment on great posts. Share. Participate.
It's called social media for a reason.
This helps in two ways:
First, by seeing you engage with the thought leaders in your industry, some of their credibility will rub off on you.
And second, by engaging with your followers, they will see that you care and they'll begin trusting you.
4. Expand Your Network
The bigger your network, the more credibility you have. You should be identifying and connecting with your target audience daily.
When your network grows, you'll be perceived as more of an authority. And your content will get more distribution too.
Making sure you're consistently expanding your network is key, especially in the beginning.
5. Start Conversations
It's not enough to just expand your network. You have to start meaningful conversations.
All sales starts with a conversation. The more conversations you have, the more sales you'll make.
Start by saying hi and asking an insightful question.
Don't be one of those used car salesmen types going around to a stranger asking if they need what you have.
They don't... and even if they do, they don't trust you enough to get it.
Focus on building the relationship first.
6. Get on Discovery Calls
Discovery calls are NOT sales calls. They are 15-min long and the focus is on getting to know the other person.
Ask them about their business. Ask them about their life.
Talk to them about challenges they may be having. Cool things they're doing. Projects they're working on.
Be genuinely interested in them.
And if by the end of those 15-minutes it sounds like they may be helped by your offer, invite them on another follow-up call if they're open to find out more.
7. Forget about the price, focus on sales and customer results
The less you make the price a friction point, the more customers you'll have.
The more customers you have, the better you'll get at delivering results.
The better you are at delivering results, the more social proof you'll gather.
The more social proof you gather, the more credibility you have.
And the more credibility you have, the more you can raise your prices.
Some of you will start complaining now that your time is worth more than whatever amount you're getting paid at the beginning.
It's not. That's why you're not getting paid those amounts.
Stop lying to yourself, and accept the fact that building a real business takes several steps. There are no shortcuts.
It's always better to work for pennies than be stuck waiting for customers and working for nothing.
The only thing that can make your life easier is credibility. So start building it, and over time it will become easier to attract and sell to customers.
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