It amazes me how sometimes in life, people make easy things very difficult. The art of selling happens to be one of those things. No matter what field you're in (MLM, real estate investing, etc.); selling is contingent on ONE thing ... the customer! I can't tell you how many businesspeople, entrepreneurs and seminars I've been to where the speakers "preach" about agressive selling techniques and continuous agressive upsells. Don't get me wrong, some of this stuff is important and vital to building long term wealth, but nothing beats basic customer "common courtesies". The wealthiest people I know don't really sell. They give their customers an offer so tantalizing that it virtually sells itself. Most folks in business don't realize people buy things for the "sizzle" ... not the "steak"! Once they make that first sale, they do things such as give away free gifts every quarter, they make it worth a customer's while to send referrals their way by implementing a unique stair step reward system (keeps them motivated), they surprise the customer with an unexpected "out of the ordinary" gift on their "business anniversary" and stay fresh in the customer's mind by giving away a monthly newsletter with informative information (this in itself can EXPLODE your business). When you deal with the customer in this fashion, you're thought of as more of a friend than a salesperson. In the end, the customer is getting what they want, referring more and more customers to you, and you're making boatloads of money! Try it ... you'll be surprised at the results! --Jeff "Make EVERY day a GREAT day!"
Good stuff luckadoj! Regardless of what tools we use the most important one is customer relationship.
Hi Luck- You made a comment "most folks in business don't realize people buy things for the "sizzle" ... not the "steak"!, and it reminds me of the saying "people love to buy, but they hate to be sold". Wealthy people do not really sell, because they already have sold enough to not have to actually do anything anymore...lol. Actually, I believe if you are with a solid company, the product or service you offer can and often does sell itself. I am passionate about what I do, so people feed off of that and they want to know what I can offer them, that they can use, and make money at the same time.
Hi Karen! Thanks for your reply. My question to you is "What do you mean a SOLID company?" Are you talking about a huge Fortune 500 company? Companies such as these generally have millions and millions of dollars to spend on "image" advertising ... so because the product has been so saturated to the public through marketing; many times it CAN sell itself. With small to mid-sized entrepreneurs it's quite a different story. Unless you're the ONLY game in town, the competition is so intense that you have to separate yourself from the crowd by being very smart, unique and innovative in your marketing and advertising; we don't have millions to spend like the big corporations. Now the field has been "evened" out some thanks to GOOGLE ADWORDS, but even that can get kind of expensive! My point is that for smaller companies it's hard to make the statement that "the product sells itself" because so many other people are selling it (look at real estate investing). The question should be "How am I going to create value and differentiate myself from competitors selling the same thing!".
Hi Luck- What I mean by solid, is a company that has been around a while. It could possibly be a Fortune 500 company, who knows. I realize that the "big wigs" have money to spend on advertising, but I still firmly believe that if you are offering a product or service that people are already using everyday, you will get people to listen. I agree that small business owners must find creative ways to build their business, but if you are offering something people feel is valuable, it will sell itself, maybe the timing is not right. It is also important to be confident in what you are doing and if you have/do build relationships, people will want to know what you are doing and how you are helping others. I have never used most of the tools that the "gurus" speak of on here and my business progresses just fine. I use techniques that fit my personality and style of marketing. I am certain that if I was to use some of the tools that are available, my business would grow massively, but I am about building relationships, not signing up as many people as I can. I am here to help people and they see that when I speak with them. If they want to know about my business, and possibly becoming a partner, I share it, otherwise, I stick to offering them my products and or services. Very interesting to see and hear people talk about all the different ways of building a business
funbiz Hi funbiz, Selling is giving customers what they want ... but what do you mean by the "right" price. There are many classifications of buyers who will pay a premium and even OVERPAY for a product if it meets a particular want; the key word is WANT not a need. This ideology has been exhibited, discussed and illustrated over and over again in Dan Kennedy style marketing. If you truly believe your statement and are selling any type of goods or services, you're drastically curtailing your potential income!
luckadoj: Selling is giving customers what they want ... but what do you mean by the "right" price. The "right" price is whatever the consumer is willing to pay for what she wants. Hermas
The "right" price is different for each person, depending on what it is that they are looking to purchase. Of course, if you are competing with others that have the same product/service, then that is when you have to be able to prove to them that your product/service has more value. For example, you may be offering a certain kind of cell phone, but if the cell phone you have has more features then your competitor, with the same phone, then you have to prove to them that the extra features are what make what they want the "right" price. People love to buy, but they hate to be sold!
I kind of agree. Selling can sometimes be tougher than rocket science. In rocket science you learn about materials and how they react as well as other mathematical tools. But you simply follow the parameters and do it. How difficult is it to sell someone on something they dont want?
luckadoj: The wealthiest people I know don't really sell. They give their customers an offer so tantalizing that it virtually sells itself. That is pretty much what many sales letters in many of the niches do. They pre-sell the customer that the product is awesome without the person behind the website doing any work. Sure the website owner has to work on the sales page first but when that is ready, it works on auto-pilot.
