4 TIPS TO BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE WHEN SELLING YOUR HIGH-TICKET SERVICES ONLINE

It’s never about being perfect. NOPE. As a matter of fact, no one – not even the most experienced or influential people in your industry that you look up to, is perfect (although it may seem like it from their beautifully curated Instagram feed. I know!). Everyone is figuring things out as they are building their businesses serving their people. Even while you are in the ‘I’ll figure it out’ mode, the key is to show up in a way that enables your target audience to trust you. For them, things need to add up and make sense. So with that fact on the table, I want to call this out:

“No one is perfect, it’s all about how confidently you are showing up for your people!”

Hubspot lays this viewpoint out so well by pointing out the direct correlation between confidence and self-esteem. If you are able to show up in your business confidently, that confidence will make you feel so sure about your abilities and it will reflect in the way you talk to your target audience.

Your confidence will:

• attract high-paying clientele
• justify your high-ticket prices without you having to convince potential clients or worse – undersell your services 😦
• create a good impression of your brand even before you get on a sales call or initial meeting
• portray you as the expert

Now, you see what confidence can do for your creative service-based business? What you need is a boost of confidence so that you have all the ammunition you need to sell your high-ticket services online. For that, I’ve got 4 effective ways that will give you a big boost of confidence.

IDENTIFY YOUR UNIQUENESS

Find what sets you apart from everyone else when it comes to solving your dream client’s problems. You do not need 10 things, even 1 solid differentiating factor is enough. When you have that ONE thing nailed down (it may need deep thinking and multiple iterations) – that’s your North Star! Position your business and offerings around it. Make it visible across all touchpoints – in your marketing, on your website copy, social media messaging, etc. Let your uniqueness shine! Being clear on what makes your business unique, will help you confidently pitch your high-ticket services. When branding for creatives using my signature brand strategy process, my focus is on identifying and bringing out the unique selling point for my clients around which the whole brand will be built. This really sets the brand apart from its competitors and hence allows the brand to confidently show up. If you’re wondering how you can set your business apart to land high-paying clients, I’ve got you, my friend! Here is a free guide + workbook to help you clarify your brand’s positioning. Check it out!

CLEARLY DEFINE YOUR WHY

Being super clear on why you are doing what you are doing, is huge in confidently showing up. This is the no-fluff way to bond with your audience & to sell confidently. When I first read about this concept coined by Simon Sinek in his book Start With Why, I was floored! With a sea of competition out there, the only reason your audience will choose you is if they believe what you believe. You have to be super clear of your brand’s why. And, when this why reflects in your day-to-day actions + messaging, you will confidently attract your people.

USE HIGH QUALITY VISUALS

The quality of visuals and overall appearance says a lot about the quality of services you provide. Your visuals are one of the very first things that create an impression in the minds of your target audience. When potential clients come across your website or social media or through any touchpoint, good quality visuals instantly help them believe that your brand can be trusted. Poor quality visuals like low-resolution photography create doubts in the buyer’s mind. I specialize in branding for interior designers and creative service professionals in the premium space. Premium services like interior designing for example, where per project cost starts at an average of $8-10K, high-quality visuals play a huge role in building trust with the audience before landing the project. To confidently charge your worth, invest in professional photography. If you are unable to invest in brand photography, pick high-quality stock images that resonate with your brand values. My favorite places for stock images are – Pexels and Unsplash. Show up putting your best foot forward (because people judge!). Moreover, knowing that your brand’s appearance is great, will really boost your confidence when pitching your services.

You may also like: 5 Signs That Your Interior Design Business Is Hard To Trust & How To Fix It

MAKE YOUR WEBSITE USER-FOCUSED

Spend some time on your website. Don’t just let it be a prop. Make sure your website is focused on your target audience and their problems, not yourself. I see a lot of creatives make the mistake of using their website as a self-promoting tool. Through a well-structured website that makes your audience feel heard, you can build a level of trust ahead of your initial discovery call or meeting. Once they trust you, you can confidently convert them into paying clients. Make sure your website is fully thought through. The overall experience should be simple, clear and things should be easy to navigate for your audience. This will drastically increase your chances of conversions.

And, that’s that, friends. Now go work on applying these 4 tips in your business and get ready to sell your services super confidently!

Best Graphics Design Company In Chicago | 12&28

At 12&28, we do things a bit differently from other design agencies. We love diving right into the creative process and getting our curiosity fulfilled.  We are the best graphic designers in Chicago. Our focus is on creating purposeful designs for the projects we undertake. For us, it’s not just about finishing the project at hand – it’s about figuring out how it fits into the bigger picture and this leads us to get involved with all other areas of a company from the internal corporate structure, advertising initiatives, to the marketing and branding.

We like making our clients an integral part of the process because it helps us get at our craft while also allowing us to think bigger and innovate together. We bring in our Chicago-based clients regularly to our collaborative space so they can be a part of the creative process. We share what we’ve accomplished, and brainstorm new strategies for their businesses. This results in a better outcome because it feeds our creative process and opens the door to many more possibilities and bigger visions.

For example, when we take on graphic design projects, we don’t just focus on creating a suitable design. Our team starts the discovery phase that leads in to a creative process by contributing ideas on what could make the biggest impact. The best way to describe it is that while other design firms run a project through an assembly line, we like to run it through our entire collective.

When branding for interior designers, rebranding, or print and marketing collateral assignment, we like to dig deep into the company’s culture and try to fully understand the business, target market, products, and services. Our Chicago creative team often works with the internal company marketing departments to come up with creative concepts that represent their efforts.

Why Branding is Important for your Creative Business | Twelve & Twenty Eight

You’re an entrepreneur. One of the brave ones, because not many dare to start their own business, which is unique somehow. You have creative ideas, and you want to run your startup business on your terms. You have great products or services. And after so many struggles, finally, you’ve done it, owner of a creative idea. No matter how big or small is your business is, local or global. When you start the business, maybe you are involved in every department – finance, marketing, IT, customer service.

And now you feel that something is missing what stop your business to cross the bridge of sucess, from good to one of the best in the market. And the missing piece of your puzzle is nothing but the branding. In this competitive market, you have to know how to brand and market your business. If you have no or less knowledge in this field, it’s wise to hire an agency which is the best in the market.   

With a professional logo, strong brand colors and aesthetic, and clear, compelling company values, you can increase brand awareness and recognition for your business. Your company logo should be clean, memorable, and must effectively represent your business. 12&28 has the design experts designing or redesigning a logo for your business that perfectly suits your business.

 One of the biggest goals of branding is to ensure that your brand stays in consumers’ minds. If you can make a positive, lasting impression on consumers, they are more likely to share your brand and may even become an advocate for your brand. This will help grow your business with almost no cost to you! Brand value support advertisement efforts. Before your business can have effective advertisements, you must create a memorable logo, aesthetic, and identity. And 12&28 know how exactly it’s been done. We successfully did it for our so many clients in our past, and we will do it for you too.  

It’s usually seen that branding for creative businesses is more important because they face more competition than big business. So, branding. It’s the essential part of any business. It is responsible for developing a unique identity for your company. And this is your business, your baby – you don’t want to get it wrong. So what do you do? You should hire an expert – branding consultants are awesome at crafting brands; that’s their whole deal. In Chicago, 12&28 is one of the best. 12&28 has some simple steps which give you results right from the beginning to build your business as an excellent brand. They justify your investment, and in the end, you tell yourself that it was worth the investment. 

s6 STRATEGIES TO CREATE AN EXCEPTIONAL BRAND EXPERIENCE TO GAIN A LOYAL TRIBE

How do you feel about that dress hanging in your closet that makes you look so “I-can-crush-it” confident? Or that much-hyped business course you bought which turned out to be quite under-delivered. There is something so powerful in the intangibles. Things that you cannot see or touch but just feel. If one particular thing made you feel great once, you will subconsciously develop trust towards it. It could be a person, a destination, a food item, or a brand. And likewise, for a negative feeling. You will never easily forget that either and you might not even give it another chance. Isn’t it? So what do these feelings, good or bad, lead to? They lead to experience. 

“People will forget what you said. They will forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel.”

— MAYA ANGELOU

Don’t we all want to have a great experience in whatever we encounter? It’s a no-brainer! You’re gonna sing praises of that book you recently bought because it had just the perfect amount of everything it claimed to have. You felt really satisfied after reading it so you will most likely pick up other books by the same author! That’s the power of a great experience and as creatives, that’s what we are capable of providing to our customers to build a loyal tribe, have repeat business and some awesome word of mouth marketing in the process won’t hurt either 🙂 So I will be diving into 6 proven strategies  to create an exceptional brand experience. Follow along!

MAKE THINGS SIMPLE

I cannot stress on this one enough. If you had to go through a 10-page manual to understand how a product works OR try and guess the process of working with a service provider, how would you feel? Frustrated, right? So we do not want to head that route. Product or service, make each step super simple for your customers. Everything needs to be clearly laid out, easy to understand and the execution has to be smooth as well. When everything is easy-breezy, the customers are going to have a great experience because YOU managed to save their time and mental energy that they can now use for another thing on their plate 🙂

DO WHAT YOU SAY

Your creative brand is builton some core values. These brand values are not something you jot down on your about page and then forget. Rather I would encourage you to internalize these values, make them a part of you and act on it day in day out. Let those values reflect in your work, brand identity, messaging, and most importantly the way you deal with your customers. This is one great way of showing them that you do what you believe in. This also leads to your customers experiencing feel-good vibes towards you.

 GET CREATIVE WITH INCENTIVES

Don’t we all LOOOVE it when someone makes us feel special? Even though freebies are a good way but the purpose of freebies mostly remains to attract customers. As creatives, here’s your chance to shine! The idea is not just to attract but genuinely give your customers an experience they can remember. Dig into those gazillion ideas buzzing in your head and find creative ways to offer incentives to your customers that will make them go weak in the knees! For example: if you are selling a service, throwing in a couple of complimentary bonuses that you know will benefit your customer, is such a sweet surprise for them. How would you feel if you got that special treatment? I for sure would love it!

You may also like: 3 Incredible Ways to Make Your Brand Innovative & Memorable

PERSONALIZE THE EXPERIENCE

Packaging is a great way to add a personalized element that extends your creativity beyond your offerings. There is something about packaging that plays a big role in the overall brand experience else why would the unboxing of an iPhone be such a big deal? Being creative does not mean you have to spend big bucks, little things go a long way too. I would love to share the example of my friend Smita (co-founder of Simply Smita) who makes organic + conscious beauty products. She adds small cards with easy to follow tips + a handwritten thank you note inside every package she sells. It’s such a sweet experience to find these messages which radiate her joy in spreading the love!

Service-based creatives can make the experience personalized for their customers by sending a thoughtful gift (really thoughtful that goes beyond an Amazon or Starbucks gift card), a handwritten note etc. Take a look at how Greetabl does a great job of making a gift package personalized. I remember receiving one such package a year ago and it had such a sweet personalized message printed on its box, I still remember how my face lit up when I opened up that box + I have not thrown it away to this date!

TELL A COMPELLING BRAND STORY

There is a psychology behind every product or service we choose to buy. We feel a certain way about something and that feeling convinces us to make a purchase. As an example, I want to point you to Airbnb’s incredible brand story.Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for consumers to list, discover, and book unique accommodations for unique travel experiences. People feel so connected with this story and as a result, they have become loyal users. Airbnb has challenged the hotel industry and totally redefined an experience for millions of customers that they would choose Airbnb any day without a second thought. Your brand story, if told well also has the power to attract a loyal tribe.

BE COMMITTED

Creating an exceptional experience for your customers involves a commitment from your end. As creatives, there is no limit to how innovative you can be with it. It’s not something frightening though, but rather continuous learning. Learning of your customers’ pain points and how you can make their life easy by adding value. Lastly, whatever you do always overdeliver. That genuinely goes a long way.

That’s it, there you go. Keep practicing these tips over the time to craft exceptional and unforgettable experiences for your audience and customers so that your brand always remains top of mind. It’s the most authentic way to build a timeless brand that nothing but scales up to its true potential. And as always, I will keep rooting for you!