Most People Hate Selling, So Why Are So Many Doing It?
Almost everyone hates selling. Sure there are some people that thrive on the thrill of the close, but most people hate the process that's required to get there. Let's face it, selling is creepy to most people who have the slightest amount of humility. Especially when it comes to entrepreneurs and personal brands or products. Entrepreneurs, authors, speakers, coaches and solopreneurs usually struggle with valuing their products and services as well as asking for the sale. If this is true why are so many people still doing it? Even after years of success in business people find themselves in the position of hard sales tactics to build new brands and position themselves in their industry. There must be something to it right? Or is there some driving force making everyone think that they have to?
I worked in sales for 20 years of my life. Yes even I enjoy a successful negotiation and the thrill of closing; however I too hate selling. For the past 20 years I've avoided it like the plague. I didn't want to be lumped together with the Marketing Industry even though I have a bachelors degree in Marketing. I also didn't want to be seen by my friends and family or the online audience of supporters I've grown as someone who's always trying to sell something or only engages with people who pay me. Personally I'm suspect of people who have online brands and only engage with people who buy their products and services. It just seems to lack authenticity in my opinion.
I'm not saying all people who do it lack authenticity. I'm just saying most of it comes off as a very shallow sales pitch with no genuine engagement. The products and services I've bought over the years from the Internet have either been super awesome items I've not seen elsewhere, extremely great prices and / or just someone I wanted to support because they're so awesome, engaging and reciprocal.
I'm the same with brick and mortar stores as I am with online brands. I spend my money where I get exceptional service and the peace of mind that the brand is giving back to their community.
Two of my favorite companies over the years have been Godaddy for my domains and Zoho for most everything else. I'm not a Godaddy affiliate, but I am a Zoho partner. I don't sell either, but I do share both as easy and affordable solutions when asked how I was able to design and host my own website over the years. I've tried others, some more well known and larger, but they let me down time and again. When you're a start up, entrepreneur, and or solo brand you can't afford to have the rug snatched out from under you because one of these major corporations decides to buy, sell or shift their focus after convincing you to build your brand on their products.
After 20 years I've finally realized something. I realized that what I was taught over 30 years ago as a young retail sales person and in every sales training program and book since then is that facts tell and stories sell. This clever little phrase is a quick reminder that you can give all the fancy details you want, people ultimately buy from brands they like, know and trust. Now this isn't a black and white statement obviously because many people make emotional purchases that are based on a current feeling or need. So it would seem that even when they don't know or trust the brand they may end up spending their money. Guess what, even in that, at the moment of decision there was something about the salesperson or process that made them comfortable enough to buy, even if that something was an advertisement or another customer.
The point is if you make people feel like a number, undervalued or like their business doesn't count, they aren't going to buy from you and if they do, they won't come back unless they don't have a choice in the matter (i.e. driver's license office, doctors, low income services, and etc.). Some might think that with that knowledge they can pretend to care and / or position themselves as something people have to have and can't get anywhere else. If this isn't absolutely true it makes you look even less authentic and down right shady.
Major brands have been doing this for years and even capitalizing on the efforts of people just like you to do it. Unfortunately because of the very tactics that I've mentioned here, it's become harder and harder to decipher the genuine opportunities from the fake. Ambassadors, influencers and the like have become almost taboo to regular individuals looking for ways to earn an honest income online. From secret shopper scams to the same old corporate mismanagement, the Internet is full of pitfalls and shark-pits for the new online brand. L
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I'm not hear to criticize, although it is one of my pet peeves and if you've sent me this type of social media spam, I probably told you exactly how I felt about it. I'm only sharing a different perspective and a potential way to monetize your online efforts without selling in the traditional or new spammier sense. Let me help you build a bridge so you don't have to get taken by the oldest tricks in the book with new html and flash coding.
Ask questions and share your experience via chat, audio message, or live. This week we're talking about the stuff you won't hear in the hottest marketing master class.
Check out my live event this Thursday (on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or Periscope) and all of the episodes of The Living Sugar Free Lifestyle Show, Andrea In The Morning. You can catch the previous shows and subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play or your favorite podcast app or YouTube. This series is called Level Up: #DIYHeadExtraction, if you aren't familiar check out the previous blog. It's a simple everyday tool to keep yourself in check for you.
