The secret to growing sales? Making friends.

A business needs to do two things to grow. First, it must cultivate relationships with potential customers. Second, it must give those customers reasons to buy more, more often. 

Like paddling on both sides of a kayak, to go forward, a business's marketing cadence must include relationship building on one side and selling on the other. However, most small businesses only paddle on the selling side of the kayak, which has them going in circles. Stopping the swirl requires sparking authentic connections with their audience.

Breaking the Hard Sell Cycle

As much as digital technology has removed barriers for small and local businesses, it's also fueled an increasingly competitive marketplace that prioritizes hard selling at the expense of relationship building.

So, how do you break the cycle? I'll start with a question. How likely are you to enter a friendship with someone who kept bragging about how great they are and tried to sell you something? Not likely. You see, the dynamics for building lasting relationships between a business and potential customers are the same among friends.

Sharing is how friendships start, whether it's sharing a laugh, an idea, interests, or beliefs. These are all things a business can do to spark new customer relationships.

Four ways to spark new relationships

Be Social: Your social media account exists to build a following, not sell products or services. People follow people, not advertisers. So, use your social media to share news, laughs, inspiration, or other content of interest. Don't get me wrong, advertising on social media can be effective. However, don't use your organic posts to sell.

Get Physical: What means more to you? Getting a birthday card in the mail or a birthday cake emoji over text? The card wins every time. Communicating through digital channels is cheap, as is often the meaning it conveys. Print says much more through shapes, colors, finishes, and textures.

Sponsor Fun: Like in our personal lives, businesses can meet new friends by participating in events and activities that interest them. Getting involved in or sponsoring local events or organizations like art shows, fun runs, or little league baseball tells those attending that you like the same things.

Make Room: Use your store or location to create a clubroom, classroom, or showroom experience. Giving customers space to hang out, learn a skill, or demo products creates opportunities to spark conversations and connections.

Winning Hearts and Minds

Conventional thinking dictates that a business must first raise awareness to move a potential customer down the purchase path. However, gaining awareness in a digital world of fast and fleeting messages is a steep challenge.

By connecting through laughter, common interests, shared beliefs, or a higher purpose, your brand travels from the tip of people's tongues to the bottom of their hearts. Earning this kind of top-of-mind presence puts you ahead of all your competitors when it comes time for the prospect to choose a business. So, now is the time to start paddling off the friendship side of the kayak.