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The book provides practical advice and tools for small business owners to promote their business and make more sales without increasing their workload. It demystifies selling and empowers business owners to promote themselves with confidence.
It challenges stereotypes about selling and promotes an approach grounded in genuine communication, strong ethics and transparency.
The advice is straightforward and will help businesses grow. It gives the motivation and empowerment to show up, talk about offers, and make sales.
It cuts through gimmicky sales strategies and provides tangible tips that will give readers confidence to sell while feeling energized and excited about it.
It teaches how to quickly master the basics of selling with confidence and ease. It makes selling feel manageable and not “icky”.
The examples and activities make the lessons easy to implement. Readers can see results by applying the teachings.
It is an honest, practical and inspiring guide that will increase readers’ money and opportunities. It is a must-read for any business owner wanting to sustainably increase profits while maintaining integrity.

In summary, the praise positions the book as a practical, empowering guide for small business owners to promote themselves and make more sales through genuine and ethical communication strategies. It promises to demystify selling and provide tangible tools and tips.

The success of small businesses is crucial for the UK economy, but many struggle or fail due to a lack of sales skills and confidence in promoting their business. Developing strong sales abilities is key to the long-term success and survival of small businesses.
The book aims to help business owners build sales confidence and learn effective yet effortless promotion strategies to consistently attract new customers. It will provide a clear sales plan and daily activities focused on integrity and visibility rather than pushy tactics.
Part 1 establishes the fundamentals of selling well by clarifying misconceptions, identifying the most important promotional activities (“non-negotiables”), and creating a customized sales plan.
Part 2 boosts confidence through foundations of integrity-led selling like developing a promotional plan, visibility tactics, and aligning efforts with one’s personality.
Part 3 provides social media promotion strategies to superspeed results, focusing on consistent yet minimal daily actions to take full advantage of digital opportunities for small businesses.
The overall goal is to equip business owners with the sales skills needed to secure their financial stability and success while promoting in a natural way that feels easy and enjoyable. Stronger sales abilities also benefit the broader economy by supporting small businesses.
The passage outlines the author’s initial overwhelm and uncertainty navigating social media marketing as a new business owner. She felt pulled in many directions by various experts touting different strategies.
She spent over £10,000 on marketing courses hoping to learn the “right” way to do things online. However, her background was already in sales.
The passage then clarifies the definitions of selling, sales, and marketing. Selling involves making products available for people to buy. Marketing encourages people to buy.
As a small business owner, marketing and selling are intertwined, unlike in large corporations where they are separate functions. Both are needed to guide clients through the decision process.
A sales process refers to the defined steps from building relationships to allowing an informed purchase decision. It provides clarity for clients. Marketing and selling play roles in different stages of the process.
Having a planned sales process is important for consistent sales and a good client experience, rather than relying on an unpredictable “rollercoaster.”

This discusses the importance of creating a positive experience for clients throughout the entire sales process, from initial interactions all the way through purchase and beyond. It emphasizes focusing on how you can make clients feel, rather than just closing the sale. Some key points:

The sales process should generate revenue but also create a high-quality experience for clients so they want to interact with your business multiple times over time.
A good experience feels seamless and makes clients feel seen, heard, excited and intrigued. A poor experience leaves a negative impression.
People remember how a interaction made them feel more than what was said or done. Focusing on the overall feelings created builds loyalty.
As small business owners, consistency of care and personalization of the experience is important to build trust.
Successful experiences focus on the client’s needs and enable them to make a decision that feels right, not just closing the sale.
Creating a experience you genuinely love making it easier to share that passion with clients in a way that feels genuine.
Building positive relationships over time through know, like, trust is important for developing a devoted client base.

So in summary, it’s about prioritizing the overall feelings and experience created for the client throughout the entire sales process, before, during and after purchase.

The chapter criticizes common myths about selling, such as the notion that selling is icky, manipulative, or requires having a large audience.
The author argues that selling is simply informing people about your products or services in an authentic way that brings value to customers. With integrity and good intentions, selling can build relationships rather than manipulate people.
It’s a myth that businesses need thousands of followers or leads before they can make sales. Taking consistent sales action, even with a small audience, is more important than focusing solely on audience growth.
The author wants to counter prevailing narratives that paint selling in a negative light or make business success seem out of reach without viral growth. Their goal is to empower business owners to sell with confidence through honest, value-driven methods.

So in summary, the chapter aims to debunk common misconceptions around selling that may hold business owners back, and advocate for a more authentic, customer-centric approach to sales and promotion.

Helen discusses common myths about selling that discourage small business owners from actively promoting their products/services. The key myths are that you need a big audience, sales is purely transactional, best sellers are extroverts, and good products sell themselves.
She argues that small businesses don’t operate like big corporations and so sales strategies should be personal and relationship-based, not impersonal transactions. Listening is more important than talking.
Good products still need to be actively promoted. No one will buy something they don’t know about. Sales happen through building awareness and guiding potential customers, not passively expecting sales.
Anyone can learn to sell effectively by focusing on understanding customer needs and sharing the value and experiences their offerings provide. It’s about genuine human connection, not pushy tactics.
Helen advises focusing on selling to your current audience instead of waiting to grow larger. Build awareness and warmth between sales periods so customers are primed when new offerings launch. Selling is a learned skill that gets easier with practice.
Helen shares tips for small business owners struggling with sales and promotion.
A key tip is to constantly invite people to join an email list, as email is a great way to sell through content marketing.
She advises against feeling “icky” about selling - selling is simply telling people about your product so they can decide if it’s a good fit.
Helen says the key is to talk about your product or service constantly. “You have to talk about your thing a lot a lot a lot before people hear the message and buy.” It’s important to hold your nerve and keep promoting.
Her other tips include regularly sharing passionate details about your product to build comfort in talking about it, and framing selling as “just telling” people about your solutions.
The overall message is to ditch myths about selling that are holding you back, and instead adopt an attitude of selling with integrity by promoting your offerings regularly through conversations.

You and your community are stuck in an unproductive cycle of creating and consuming educational content without it translating to sales. While the content is intended to help your audience, it ends up overwhelming them with too much information without tangible support.

Rather than giving away so much free value, focus your content on clearly spelling out who your products are for, what they do, and how they work. This will empower people to make an easy decision about purchasing and reduce their feeling of being overloaded.

Your audience craves human connection and clarity on how your offerings can help them personally. With limited time and shortening attention spans, they want the key points spelled out for them. Shifting to sharper product positioning and storytelling about clients’ transformations will help draw people in to work with you.

Overall, the cycle needs to move from endless information creation to concrete sales and support. Connecting with your audience on a human level and clearly illustrating the value of your products/services is more likely to drive results.

The passage discusses the importance of maintaining self-care and avoiding burnout when running a business, especially one related to sales and customer engagement.

Louisa Clarke, a culture change consultant, experienced burnout herself after over a year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Juggling home schooling, family responsibilities, and running her business left her exhausted with no downtime. She realized her ability to earn income depends on her own well-being.

As an extrovert, Louisa finds energy from interacting with people. The pandemic restrictions eliminated those social interactions and outlets. After nine months of non-stop responsibilities with little support, she “burned out good and proper.”

The key lessons are that business owners must treat their own energy and well-being as their most valuable assets. Consistently maintaining self-care helps avoid burnout which can negatively impact work quality and income potential. Having a sustainable work-life balance is essential for running a business, especially those relying on consistent sales and customer relationships.

The author experienced burnout running their business and mentoring clients. They had almost no energy for over a year.
Burnout is a major risk for business owners due to stress from income uncertainty, decision fatigue, balancing work and personal responsibilities, etc. It can significantly impact your ability to make sales and sustain long-term business success.
The author had to change how they ran their business after experiencing burnout. They switched to simpler, more repeatable promotional actions that took just minutes per day instead of intensive launches and call-focused activities.
They call this approach “everyday selling” - focusing on the highest impact tasks like sharing helpful content regularly that aids the customers’ decision process.
Prioritizing the “needle movers” - the most important promotional activities - means sales can happen consistently even on busy days with little time.
Everyday selling keeps the customer experience straightforward and makes it clear how the business can help them. This leads to more efficient promotions and higher conversion of sales.

So in summary, the author advocates for focusing on the highest impact promotional activities that can be done quickly each day, to sustain business success while avoiding burnout from overwork.

The chapter discusses the importance of knowing your “needle movers” - the key activities that drive sales and should be prioritized. Without focusing on these activities, there is no business.
Interviewee Lou Chudley shares how being visible on social media regularly through videos is a core needle mover for her business. It helps clients get to know her and see how she can help them. She spends at least 50% of her time on marketing and sales.
Some tips from Lou include practicing speaking about your offer to get more comfortable, collaborating with others to feel less shy, and focusing on quality over quantity of content.
Readers are encouraged to identify their top needle movers and block out dedicated time each day (30-60 minutes as a guide) in their calendar for promotional activities. At least 50% of business time should be spent on sales and marketing.
The chapter recaps that focusing efforts on a streamlined set of key sales activities helps avoid burnout by protecting time and prioritizing energy exchange opportunities.

So in summary, the chapter promotes knowing and prioritizing the specific activities that directly impact sales, rather than getting distracted by less important tasks, in order to focus efforts efficiently. It provides examples and tips for identifying and committing to these “needle mover” activities.

Most purchase decisions are made emotionally, not logically. People connect with brands and products on an emotional level before logically evaluating options.
The goal of the sales process is to facilitate an easy decision for clients by walking them through the journey from first awareness to purchase. It empowers clients to enthusiastically choose without pressure.
The decision maker’s journey has key phases - awareness, interest, evaluation, purchase. Creating content aligned with these phases nurtures a connection and allows the client to progress confidently to a decision.
Not everyone who engages will buy. The goal is to attract those actively looking for your solution and able to purchase now. Selling is about empowering the right clients, not pressuring everyone.
Having a defined sales process with repeatable steps gives confidence, protects from burnout, and ensures sustainable sales over time. It makes promoting effortlessly.

The next steps will outline the sales process stages and plan of action to implement, building on these foundations of facilitating the client journey and decision making through emotional connection first.

Here are the key points made in the passage:

Emotions, not logic, drive the majority (95%) of purchasing decisions. People buy things to improve their situation, gain something they desire, or solve problems.
Trust and believability strongly influence buying decisions for 71% of people. The top motivators for purchasing are to solve problems (70%) or gain something desired (30%).
By the time the conscious mind chooses to buy something, the emotional/subconscious mind has usually already made the decision based on feelings.
Price is not always the main factor - people pay premium prices for brands they emotionally connect with due to perceived quality, status, loyalty, etc.
Human connections are formed through shared experiences, mutual understanding, and emotional engagement. Small businesses succeed by focusing on these aspects.
Branding and marketing should focus on sharing values, understanding the customer emotionally, using visuals and design to evoke positive feelings, and consistently providing clarity to guide purchasing decisions at all stages.
It’s important for sellers to determine suitability and say no if the product/service is not a good fit for the buyer. Getting a no saves headaches and ensures mutually happy client relationships.
Having an established brand helps create emotional connections that make the purchasing process seamless and the buyer’s decision obvious and confident. Branding is key to business success.
Selling your products/services is just as important as creating them. You need to promote your offerings to potential customers for them to know about you and what you offer.
Arnold Schwarzenegger promoted this idea by telling actors the importance of promoting their movies, not just acting in them. His advice helped make Terminator 2 a huge success.
Many small business owners feel invisible on social media and don’t utilize platforms to advertise. Increased visibility through social media and other means can lead to more sales.
Tips for getting started with visibility include remembering your purpose to stay motivated, getting clear on your personal brand, posting consistently in aligned communities, being helpful before self-promotional, and focusing on quality over quantity.
Visibility helps more customers find you, builds your expertise, positions you as the solution to customer needs, and educates people on how you can help them. It’s an important part of the sales process.

The key message is that creating products/services is only half the job - you must also promote them through active visibility and sales efforts to reach potential customers and generate business. Arnold and research show increased visibility can significantly boost sales.

The post discusses the importance of being authentic and showing up as your genuine self in your business, rather than trying to be something you’re not. People can see through inauthenticity.
It encourages building confidence in visible self-promotion by reframing it as benefiting others through helping more people, rather than being about ego or showing off. Visibility gets easier with practice.
It recommends the branding strategist Vicki Knights as an example of weaving the personal and professional authentically.
The second post talks about the foundations of an effective sales strategy, focusing on having a clearly desirable product, articulating its value proposition for customers, and positioning it well through potent messaging.
Key aspects are ensuring the product solves customers’ problems, articulating who it’s for and what specific results or change it enables for them. Messaging should be clear on what problem it solves and value it provides.
Niche focus, clear messaging and solving customer problems/needs are emphasized as important for effective promotion and sales.
Strong messaging that focuses on the client’s needs and benefits, rather than the creator, is key to attracting customers and driving sales.
Vague or self-centered messaging doesn’t capture people’s attention or make them want to learn more. Clear, client-focused messaging establishes demand and makes the sales process easier.
Effective messaging shows potential customers how a product or service solves their problems. It should follow the “who, what, why” approach - who it’s for, what it does for them, and why they should care.
Proper promotion is needed to ensure clients can easily find the business. Visibility online and offline through platforms like social media, websites, events etc. helps potential clients discover what’s available.
It’s important to feel comfortable marketing oneself online. Being authentic, focusing on building relationships, and regularly showing up consistently helps gain visibility and drive one-third of business for one photographer. Feeling overwhelmed kills small businesses, so focus marketing efforts on the most effective tactics.

Here is a draft positioning statement based on the information provided:

I help small business owners increase sales by 20% within 6 months so they can grow their business profitably and stress-free. As a digital marketing consultant, I develop comprehensive marketing strategies tailored specifically for each client’s unique business goals, target audience, and budget. My strategies combine SEO, paid ads, email marketing, and social media to generate qualified leads and convert them into loyal customers in a cost-effective way. Clients see results quickly through boosted online visibility, increased website traffic, and a consistent flow of new customers - all while saving them time and hassle.

This phase of audience nurturing is about allowing potential clients to become familiar with you and your business through relevant content. The goal is to transition people from strangers to being comfortable with your brand and offerings.

The next phase is conversations, where the priority shifts to demonstrating your suitability for the client’s needs and building their confidence in you.

The final experience phase focuses on delivering excellent customer service, support, and guiding clients through the process to completion with confidence in their decision.

The first key stage is relevance - using strategic visibility activities to introduce your valuable product or service to new audiences. Communicate the value in terms of how it benefits the audience, not how great you are. Make sure people can easily find you.

Lead with relevance by showcasing why your offering is specifically relevant to the target customer’s needs and problems. Tailor your messaging to appeal directly to their desired outcomes. Combine relevant marketing content with visibility in the right places to build an audience of qualified leads. The goal is to transition prospects from unaware to interested buyers.

Here is a summary of the key points about ideal clients from the provided information:

Network in person and online to meet new potential clients and make connections. Attend local networking events.
Advertise locally through methods suited for your local area to reach clients near you.
Make connections through people already in your network and community. Leverage your existing relationships.
Be active in relevant Facebook groups and online communities to raise your profile and help potential clients.
Write guest blog posts for similar businesses to expand your audience and promote your expertise.
Get interviewed on podcasts with audiences that match your ideal client profile to introduce yourself to new people.
There is no single best marketing channel, so take a varied approach using different methods.
Marketing is about raising your visibility and showing your relevance to attract the right clients. It includes your online presence, communications and interactions.
Focus on building relationships and providing value first before directly promoting your products/services. Nurture leads through quality content and conversations.

Here is a summary of how audience nurturing and sales conversations can help grow a business:

Audience Nurturing:

Nurturing content educates the audience on the problem and how the solution works.
It builds clarity, connection and confidence to move people through the sales funnel.
There are typically 3 phases - problem awareness, solution clarity, and product details.
This warm ups the audience and gets them interested in having a conversation.

Sales Conversations:

Conversations allow you to qualify if the person is a good fit and educate them on the experience.
The focus is on understanding their goals and needs, not making a sale.
A framework involves researching the problem, understanding goals, and qualifying fit.
If a fit, an invitation is made to learn more about how the solution can help them.
This ensures only suitable clients purchase, creating satisfied customers.

Together, these strategies help generate interest through nurturing content then convert qualified prospects through personalized conversations. The emphasis on the customer experience and fit helps grow the business through word-of-mouth as clients feel understood and satisfied.

Here is a summary of the key points about creating and implementing an effective sales process:

Design different stages to your sales process - relevance, audience, conversations, experience.
At each stage, define clear actions and activities to move prospects through the funnel.
Track key metrics to understand if your process is working or not. Are you getting more inquiries, bookings, repeat customers?
If not working, analyze data to identify gaps. Tweak and iterate the process based on learnings.
Focus on designing an excellent customer experience that leaves a lasting positive impression. Repeat business and referrals are hugely important.
Use content and communications to generate awareness, interest and engagement from your target audience. Nurture leads over time.
Conversations should be well-structured to determine fit and move prospects towards a decision. Ask qualifying questions.
Provide a smooth process for clients from initial contact through to onboarding, service delivery and ongoing support.
Referrals and word-of-mouth are powerful marketing tools. Ensure clients are delighted every step of the way.
Break down each stage into specific, actionable tasks and stick to your sales plan for consistency and ongoing improvement. Track results and adjust as needed.

The key points are:

Your personal brand is how you present yourself and your business to create a meaningful connection with potential clients. It’s about sharing your experiences and story to build trust and rapport.
People buy from people, not just products. You need to connect with your audience on a human level by sharing more than just what you sell.
Building your personal brand online through sharing stories and experiences helps build demand over time. It allows potential clients to get to know you and why they should buy from you.
Developing your personal brand is important for establishing trust and creating the conditions for sales. It helps shorten the sales cycle by nurturing a connection with clients before they make a purchase.
Selling is about relationships and experiences, not just products. Your personal brand facilitates real human connections that drive sales. Visibility and personal branding are important sales tools.

Developing a strong personal brand is important for small business success and sales. Sharing personal stories and authentically showcasing your personality helps customers connect with you on a human level beyond just your products. It builds deeper and faster connections that lead to repeat business.

An effective personal brand shares your unique viewpoint, expertise, and values. It highlights the intersection between your personal interests and business skills. Authentic content that provides value to your audience, like advice related to your niche, is important.

Personal branding protects your business from competition by differentiating you and opening new opportunities. It allows you to pivot easily if needed. A strong personal brand also future proofs your business by strengthening connections with clients over the long run.

Experts like Lucy Werner have found harnessing their personal brand through storytelling and staying true to their values helps significantly grow their business in flexible, profitable ways. Developing your personal narrative and sharing what makes you unique helps customers understand why your business exists and builds emotional connections that lead to increased sales.

Here is a summary of the key points from the provided chapter:

Social media is a powerful and free way for small businesses to market, promote their business, build connections, and increase visibility to potential customers.
Most people are on social media daily, presenting a big opportunity for small businesses to reach their ideal customers.
The goal of using social media for small businesses should be creating consistent sales, not just increasing influence. content needs to be strategic and directly help move customers along the buying process.
Social media allows businesses to show their human side, connect personally with customers, and position themselves as authorities to build trust and confidence over time through regular short posts.
Businesses can use social media to support every stage of the sales process, from awareness to conversations to making sales, or just use it for visibility and branding.
Creating the right types of regular content that addresses customer needs and moves them along the path to buying is key to unlocking the power of social media for sales.
Businesses should choose 1-2 platforms that fit their personality and use social media strategically in short bursts each day to keep their proposition and business top of mind.

The passage discusses using social media effectively for business purposes. It recommends starting with one platform and mastering it before expanding to others. Popular options mentioned include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and TikTok.

It’s important to choose a platform where your target audience spends time. Factors like the type of content, products/services, and business goals should also inform the choice.

The key types of content businesses should create are:

Connection content - Builds initial curiosity and draws people in. Uses stories and personal branding.
Confidence content - Warms up the audience further with lessons, experiences and beliefs sharing. Provides bite-sized education.
Conviction content - Allows audiences to evaluate options and activates decisions. Without this, followers won’t convert to sales.

Businesses should create these different content types to move audiences through the sales funnel. The content shouldn’t appeal to everyone, but specifically target those with needs the business can fulfill.

In summary, the passage provides guidance on choosing the right social media platform based on goals and audiences, and the important types of content to create for conversions.

Self-promotion does not have to be awkward or feel strange. Starting small and building up a routine is key to becoming comfortable with it.
Most people feel uneasy about self-promotion at first due to a fear of being judged. This often stems from overthinking what others may think rather than focusing on serving customers.
Taking action is important to getting more comfortable with self-promotion over time, just like training for a marathon requires actually running. Starting is better than waiting until feeling completely ready.
Remembering that the goal is to help customers, not to impress strangers, can help shift the perspective from a focus on oneself to focusing outward on providing value.
Developing a regular promotional routine, such as posting on social media a few times a week, can make self-promotion feel more normal and less daunting over time as it becomes a standard business practice rather than something extra or awkward.
Looking back at examples of effective promotional techniques from others, like the gift shop owner enthusiastically sharing new stickers, can inspire a shift to a more positive, value-focused approach rather than an apologetic one when it comes to one’s own promotion.

The passage discusses overcoming fear of judgment when promoting your business or products. It acknowledges that initial attempts at self-promotion can feel awkward and uncomfortable. However, it encourages continuing to put yourself out there despite the discomfort. With practice, self-promotion will become easier and more natural.

Some key recommendations for effective self-promotion include: being authentic rather than trying to act like peers; speaking directly to customers about how your products meet their needs and desires rather than assuming people don’t want to hear about your offerings; and not taking lack of immediate sales personally, as building awareness and trust takes time.

The overall message is that visible self-promotion through sharing useful information is important for business success. While the first attempts may feel awkward, with practice it gets easier and leads to connecting with clients and making sales. One shouldn’t let fear of judgment hold them back from effectively promoting themselves and their work.

Here is a summary of the passage in an energizing, natural and automatic way:

Friends, building momentum is so important for the success and longevity of our businesses. Through regular, consistent action, even if it’s just for a few minutes each day, we can reach more people and generate more sales over time.

The key is showing up reliably with helpful content for our audiences. Whether they’re just learning about us or ready to buy, people want to engage with businesses they know and trust. By greeting people each day, we gradually earn that trust and guide more clients through their journey.

It doesn’t take much - a quick post sharing a tip, story or insight. What matters most is our commitment to consistently provide value. Done daily, our small efforts compound into powerful results. Momentum carries us forward, even on challenging days.

Friends, our businesses thrive when wePrioritize reliability over intensity. So starting today, let’s commit to brief yet daily engagement. Through this easy habit of regularity, I know our audiences, sales and confidence will all grow. Who’s with me in building sustainable momentum that nourishes our businesses for the long run?

Tamu Thomas shares her experience feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable with self-promotion and selling at first. She felt like she was asking for money rather than exchanging value.
She also struggled with beliefs that making comfortable money was hard, which manifested as not invoicing on time, undercharging for her services, and overworking without tracking finances. This led to an inconsistent income.
Now she understands that selling allows her to do her job and pricing with integrity feels like joyfully campaigning for something she believes in. She works in a way that is “easeful” rather than just “easy” for her nervous system.
This shift transformed her energy around selling - she is now compelled and galvanized by her work so self-promotion comes naturally. Being passionate about her offerings helps her confidently share them.
Finding ease with self-promotion resulted in a sustainable income. She is proud to financially support herself and her daughter through her work, while maintaining a good work-life balance and enjoying leisure time.
Doing daily social media promotion and sales activities can greatly increase your sales by keeping your business top of mind with potential customers. Small, consistent actions over time build momentum and trust.
It’s important to feel proud of what you’re selling and separate your self-worth from the success or failure of your business. Maintain clear boundaries and don’t make business success define you personally.
Tamu recommends dedicating 60% of your time to marketing, promotion and sales. This includes showing up regularly on social media with clear, refined messaging to build credibility.
Do a “vibe check” on your services - if something isn’t working, make changes or end it. Have clear boundaries with clients.
Taking the 30-day challenge of daily self-promotion can help make it a habit. Keep activities simple at first - quality over quantity. Repurpose existing content across channels.
Small businesses are a big part of the economy. If more owners promoted regularly online for a few minutes daily, the economic impact could be huge through increased sales. Consistency over time, not one-off posts, leads to success.

#book-summary

More Sales Please - Sara Nasser Dalrymple