Most businesses believe their revenue is increasing. That may be true, but as the saying goes, ”Nothing happens until you sell something.”

Selling has changed drastically in recent years, and you need to learn new skills to succeed. Consumers are savvier than ever before.

In fact, they really don’t want to be sold anything. How can you begin to shift your strategies to fit this new savvy market? It is time to innovate your approach. My guest today, Ian Altman, is going to help you do just that.

Ian uses current data and market behavior research to develop strategies that any business can use to get their message out there so it does not fall on deaf ears. If you are seeking rapid growth, you have to boost your revenue and you have to make the sale. Instead of selling to your customers, you need to sell beside them. Ian’s approach is called “Same Side Selling,” and is emphasizes results and value rather than the service or product. Using some easy mindset shifts, you can begin to open an honest conversation with your ideal customer about their needs. Once you know what problems your customers are facing, your business can then come alongside them to solve those problems.

Ian’s strategies are simple and elegant and easy to apply to any industry. Growing and innovating is really as simple as learning a few new skills. Using Ian’s work, you can do just that! Listen to find out more.

Also in this episode:

• How Ian got his start in sales and was able to grow the value of several businesses early on.
• How can we put buyer and seller on the same side?
• There are a ton of books on sales, but Ian’s is the first written from both a buyer’s and a seller’s perspective.
• Disarming the client is really powerful.
• Selling mistakes, and fundamental challenges we need to overcome.
• Define your customer’s “elevator rant.”
• Entice, disarm, and discover.
• Lowering your price is an easy trap to fall into, but you do not have to lower!
• Focus on results.
• When you are creating a new product, make sure you know why someone would need it.
• How to effectively measure your business meetings using Same Side Quadrants.

Susan Solovic is a small-business expert, an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author.