Mind Mint: Sampling beats selling.

Running my own business involves attracting new clients on regular basis. Which means that selling is an essential part of my work.

I’ve found that the most enjoyable and productive way to promote my services is by offering "free samples." Whenever possible, I steer new business conversations away from my prior accomplishments and towards whatever issue the potential client is facing. I’ll gladly invest twenty or thirty minutes digging into the challenge at hand.

While I can’t solve the client's problem in a half hour, I can ask enough of the right questions to let them see my approach. And it often ends up feeling as if we’ve already begun working together. 

It’s a technique that’s proven to work across industries: if you’ve got the right product, free samples can be the ultimate sales tool.