Have you ever passed by a bakery display case without feeling the urge to buy at least one cookie, dessert or cinnamon bun? Have you ever taken a child into a candy store and not had them ask to buy at least one of their favorite sweets?

The smell of fresh baked goods and the memory of the taste of a candy bar makes us want to buy more. The owners of bakeries and candy stores don’t have to spend a lot of time extolling the merits of their goods or the length of time they’ve been in business; they can concentrate on helping us satisfy our appetites.

Wouldn’t you like to be in a similar situation with your marketing? How would you like to have prospects who were so eager to buy that you didn’t have to sell, but could focus instead on taking more orders?

If you are like most small business owners you’d like to increase your sales but you don’t enjoy selling. You don’t want to be seen as a pushy person, whether it is on the phone, in person or in your marketing materials. The problem is that you don’t sell baked goods or candy - instead you may sell accounting, design, engineering, or informational products and services.

What can you do to increase your sales and spend less time selling?

Stop Selling
Stop worrying about closing the sale. Focus instead on understanding what your prospect wants, and open the door to a mutually profitable relationship. When a prospect thinks that all you care about is getting their money, they’ll view the relationship negatively and this can easily kill the sale.

Start Helping
Once a prospect is at your web site or on the phone with you, they’ve demonstrated an interest in finding a solution to one of their problems or concerns. Take the next step and demonstrate your interest in them. Use your conversation or your site to ask them questions that will identify what they want to accomplish and how you can help them.