Ever been trapped at an event or party by some guy determined to sell you something?

No matter what you talk about he steers the conversation towards how great his products are and how they can really help you.

It's a Dante-esque nightmare that none of us would want to suffer.

And yet, in truth, we often inflict a similar situation on our own potential clients.

The first thing almost everyone learns in marketing is an “elevator pitch”. And, of course, the first thing we slap on our website is our value proposition telling people why they should hire us.

Buy almost any training course on marketing or sales and it'll focus on persuasion: convincing people they ought to hire you.

But think back to what we said in last week's email: the very best time to connect with a potential client is when they first realise they have a problem.

That means you can establish yourself as their guide, building credibility and trust so that when they're ready to buy, you're the one they turn to.

Do you think that when they first discover they have a big problem that needs addressing they're interested in hearing your elevator pitch or why you're a better choice to help than your competitors?

Far from it. Their focus is entirely on their problem.

They want to know what caused it. How big of a problem is it? What are their options to solve it? What will it take? How long?

There are a whole bunch of questions they'll want answers to way before they start thinking about who to choose to help them.

So if all they hear from you is about how much better you are than your competitors or what you're an expert in then to them you sound exactly like the awful guy trying to sell you stuff at the party.

What you don't sound like is a trusted advisor who can help them navigate their problem through to a solution.

So what does that look like in practice?

Well, it doesn't mean just giving away work for free.

It means creating reusable “attraction assets” that will draw clients to you because they clarify and help solve their most important problems.

An attraction asset might be a free diagnostic a potential client can run through to identify the root cause of a tricky leadership problem.

Or it might be a free report that lays out the key steps to reducing purchasing costs.

Or it might be a set of case studies from clients you recently worked with on improving their sales that you can share and discuss.

Pitching your services too early repels potential clients like an annoying party guest. But using an attraction asset to share valuable insight on a common problem your clients have draws them to you instead.

It starts off your relationship on the right foot: with you giving immediate value rather than just telling them about all the value you could give if they'd only hire you.

And it establishes you as an expert at what you do. Someone whose advice they'll pay attention to as they continue their quest to solve their problem or achieve their big goal.

And, frankly, it lets you feel good about your marketing rather than feeling like the creepy party guest. That can't be bad.

Then next week we'll look at a mistake that can undo all your good intentions.