An effective sales cycle is based on building a relationship of trust with your potential clients. I'm sure you've heard it said before, but it's worth repeating, "People buy from those they like and trust." It is truly as simple as that. Trust is critical. Especially for the service professional and small business owner.

Without trust, it doesn't matter how well you've planned, what you're offering, or whether or not you've created a wide variety of buying options to meet varying budgets. If the potential client doesn't trust you, nothing else matters. They aren't going to buy from you. Period.

All sales start with a simple conversation and are executed when a need is met and trust is assured. The Book Yourself Solid Sales Cycle helps us start the trust building process and helps us systematically, automatically, and authentically move the relationship forward.

If you're good at making friends you'll be good at making sales. Sales is often a confronting subject for many of us but as I mention above the sales conversation is just that - a conversation. If you can talk to people you can make a sale for the betterment of the person that is buying your product or service. It's not about manipulation or coercion.

In order to design a Sales Cycle for your business, you must first establish your 6 Part Foundation and your 6 Part Trust Building Process. The combination of these two exercises will give you a Sales Cycle that will attract more clients than you can handle, even if you hate marketing and selling.

The 6 Part Sales Cycle Foundation - The Who, What, Where, When, Why and How

The foundation on which you rest your Sales Cycle is crucial. You need to have a solid foundation before actually designing a sales cycle. To build a foundation which will give you rock solid security you must clearly and concisely identify the who, what, where, when, why and how. This will ensure that the offers you're making in your 5 Stage Sales Cycle Process are right on target.

- Who Is Your Target Client/Customer? Focus on one person (or organization) within your target market.

- What Are They Looking For? You've got to understand what your ideal client or customer is looking for.

- When Do They Look For You? What needs to happen in their personal life or work life for them to want the kind of service that you offer?

- Why You? What is unique about you or the solutions you offer?

- How Do You Want Them To Engage with You? What is it that you want a potential client to do when they find you?

- The Book Yourself Solid 6 Stage Sales Cycle Process

In creating a sales cycle you'll design a step-by-step way to ease your potential clients from the first stage; getting them to your website, to the end stage; your highest price-point product, program or service.

Stage 1: The idea in this stage is to introduce yourself to your target market and begin to create awareness for the services, products, and programs you offer.

Stage 2: Give/Engage: Now that you've got your prospective client to your website (or other meeting place) you need to offer solutions, opportunities and relevant information in exchange for their email address or other way of continuing the conversation.

Stage 3: Keep giving low-barrier for entry offers of value-rich content, opportunities, experiences etc. Your goal is to build trust and deepen the conversation.

Stage 4: If potential client responds to Stage 3, assess then make an email or verbal offer based on the most appropriate products, programs and services.

Stage 5: If client accepts offer and becomes client/customer! Thank them, celebrate and then over-deliver. Surprise them with value.

Stage 6: If prospect does not engage and become a client or customer, still go above and beyond to offer something of unexpected value and keep in touch, keep in touch, keep in touch. Always offering value and deepening the bond of trust between them and you. When they NEED your services you will be top of mind.

There are a multitude of ways to build trust with your potential clients and to ease them toward purchasing your higher price point offerings. There is no 'one' right way, so use your imagination and creativity to tailor your sales cycle to what works best, feels most natural, and resonates most with you. This can be done in a 3-stage process or a 15-stage process. It's really up to you, but I've found through experience and research that a 6-stage cycle at a minimum is most effective.

The key is to remember that all of your marketing is about getting your message out to those who most need, and will most greatly benefit from, your services, products, and programs. It's about connecting with your potential clients to develop and deepen genuine relationships based on trust. When you understand and incorporate this philosophy into your marketing, it makes the sales process easy, relaxed and wildly successful.

2006 Michael Port & Associates LLC