Sell is not a four letter word. So stop using it like one. And acting and thinking it is a dirty word.
People do not like to be sold anything, but they do like to buy things.
Who has a positive imagine in their minds eye when they hear the word, "salesman" ...
... or does everyone just automatically translate that single word into the two words, "sleazy salesman" ?
Here is what one of the greatest salesman ever had to say about sales:
I have always said that everyone is in sales. Maybe you don’t hold the title of salesperson, but if the business you are in requires you to deal with people, you, my friend, are in sales." -- Zig Ziglar
People tend, and when I say people I mean me because when I first started I though of leads as just numbers and leads then are just a numbers game, right?
Another great take on selling from one of my favorite podcasts, the I Love Marketing Podcast
Dan Sullivan's Definition of Selling is a thing of beauty:
Get people intellectually engaged in a future result that is good for them.
Get them to emotionally engage and commit to take action to achieve that result.”
Here is some more wisdom on the art and craft of selling. And why it is not and should not be considered a four letter word.
And why selling must be the business you are in, if you want to have and stay in business.
This is from Bob Bly's Direct Response Letter email that I receive and really drives home the idea, that we should not be and are not in the business of giving away stuff for free.
We as marketers are in the business of selling and selling is how we help people achieve their goals and dreams, thru the products we promote.
"A week or so ago, I received via email a link to an article titled -- "How to Stop Acting Like a Marketer and Start Thinking Like a Publisher."
And the misguided ideal it promotes -- that we are all publishers, not marketers -- is a sure road to ruin.
The problem with this attitude ... that we are educators, not sellers ... is it fools too many unsuspecting content marketers into believing we are in the business of creating and giving away
free information.
But we are not. No, the business we are really in is that of marketing and selling our products for a profit -- ideally, products that can help our customers solve their problems and give them better value than anything else out there.
To that end, content marketing (publishing) -- is merely one of multiple channels we use to promote our business.
But it is not THE business we are in. It is simply a way of generating leads and sales.
The thinking implied in this article title is fallacious and potentially wasteful and costly.
Action step: create a marketing plan, and integrate content in support of the sales funnels, calls to action, marketing objectives, and the information needs of buyers -- overcoming objections while convincing them that your technology is the best solution for their problems."
-- This article appears courtesy of Bob Bly's Direct Response Letter," www.bly.com
A post on Facebook asked this question, "First Email After Opt-In... Do you give value only or do you sell?
My answer, tongue in check ABC - 123 ...
ABC of course stands for "Always be Closing" from the movie Glengarry Glen Ross
Is that over the top? Probably ...
But there is some truth in this as a strategy and more than that as a way to provide value.
Why is selling not considered value?
There are some great comments in the post you should be sure to check it out, of course you will have to join the group, Niches Be Crazy.
But I am providing you value by selling you on the group, because it is a great group with a lot of cool people and great questions like this one.
Again a lot of value in the group, with no selling?
Or is everyone selling with their questions and answers?
If you went to the doctor and the doctor told you,
"Yeah I see you are in pain.
But I don't want to provide you a solution just yet.
So go home and I will mail you a series of letters over the next 7 days that will explain exactly what is causing your pain and then on the 7th day after all the value I provided you I will give you a prescription that you can take to the pharmacy and buy the pain killers you need" ...
... what would you say?
Why not just give the people on your email list what they want, a solution to their pain?
Stop thinking selling is a dirty word, yes provide value but also give them the solution at the same time is what I am saying.
Will you lose people that do not like you selling, maybe yes, maybe no?
But at the end of the day who do you want on your email list?
That is your decision and you have to do what works best for you and for your list, to reach your goals.
