Merit Kahn, the founder of MeritKahn.com, created the open for the business framework. A methodology she uses to help her clients reach success. When you strengthen your mindset, mechanics, and motion you become a revenue-generating machine. Today, Merit lays out the foundation of her open for business framework and shares how to put it into practice, so that you can grow your business and generate more income. For the past 20 years, Merit helped teams across multiple industries develop the proper mindset for success. If you’re looking to sharpen your team’s sales skills, fine-tune their action plans or shift their mindset, follow the open for the business framework. 

With a strong history in sales, training, and consulting it was an easy choice for Merit to open her own coaching business. Taking the opportunity created by the pandemic, Merit opened her company based on the open for business framework, helping clients increase their revenue. The open for the business framework is a mindset, where you search for hidden opportunities to close deals and make sales. The framework was created based on a personal experience Merit experienced. Feeling stifled and needing to get some air, she found herself driving through the streets of her town, looking for an open shop. In a line of stores, with closed signs, there was one that had a sign hanging on the front door that said “open for business”. Merit walked in with the intention of walking out with something. Little did she realize how much she needed a 40-gallon aquarium (she was not yet a fish owner!). But what made the experience stand out in her mind, was the way the owner approached her and sold her on something she didn’t know she needed or wanted. Merit had an ah-ha moment and realized, what just happened because the shop owner approached her with an always be selling mindset.  

As a society, we see ourselves as open-minded individuals. When you approach someone with an opportunity using this framework, people are more likely to listen and transact. The first step in the framework Merit created, is to approach each situation with an open mind, as it’s the first step to closing the deal. The second step in the framework is to stop pitching and selling your services. You want your customers to select your service because you fill a void or need in their life. 

To make the framework work for you, you need to identify your target audience. Then you need to have a solid grasp of their pain points. That way you’re not selling or pitching a product or service, rather you’re offering a solution to a need. It creates a different dynamic from the traditional sales tactics of years past. Merit’s primary clients are entrepreneurs who have already established digital marketing campaigns and leads that are spot on, but they can’t seem to bridge the gap between lead and conversion. 

Merit approaches every new client with the same question. Are you open to possibilities or do you believe this is as good as it gets? In her experience, it’s a great opening when meeting with clients for the first time. It’s engaging and takes them off the defensive. Everyone wants to be seen as open to possibilities. This is the first step to putting them in the right frame of mind. 

This strategy is the one Merit uses with all her clients, across various industries. Through workshops, Merit steps in and trains sales teams on how to sell, without scripts and sales pitches. She teaches teams how to be engaging and pull information from their clients, listening to what their pain points are and then offering solutions. When you approach sales and business with this framework, the selling happens naturally. Implement these tips in your business and watch your revenue increase. 

This episode:

[2:05] The road to creating the open for business framework

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