Telemarketers.
Network marketers.
Do those words make you shudder?
Do your normal social graces vanish the moment another one of these types tries to sell you anything?
Why is that?
“Because I can’t stand those pushy people trying to sell you something!”
Show me a business who isn’t trying to sell something and I’ll show you a business that’s on a one-way trip to bankruptcy! From Neways to Netflix, Amway to Apple- any business that cares about their financial health is trying to sell you something. If they can’t sell to you, they’re trying to sell to people you know- your friends, your family, your co-workers, your ex’s, that woman you berated for double-parking you that time out the front of Westfield Bondi Junction (hi Dad!)- the companies you love and trust have the same motives as the company employing that person from Mumbai who you slammed the phone down on at dinner-time last night.
So why the difference?
“Because the companies I love and trust sell stuff I actually want to buy!”
Not necessarily. If you stop to take a look at the products a lot of these loathed, heavy-pitch companies offer, they’re actually quite decent and (in some cases) superior to established brands. Chances are, the products you shut down from these companies you’d be waving your credit card at if offered to you by another company.
The difference? It's how a company gets you to buy into what they’re selling…
Imagine this: you’re lying in bed, early in the morning and arising from your slumber when somebody rushes into your room, unannounced, waving a high-powered torch in your face yelling “Wake up! Wake up!”
What would you tell that person and what would you think of them? Would it take less than 5 words for them to get the message you weren’t interested?
Now imagine that you’re back in bed, gradually waking up, but this time somebody comes into the room and slowly, steadily, turns up a dimmer switch. The light of the room gradually brightens until you’re awake. You look over at the person who’s been turning up the dimmer switch and they greet you with a smile, a cup of tea and some biscuits. How would you perceive that person? If you enjoyed the tea and biscuits, how likely is it that you’d follow up when they offered to make you a full breakfast for a price?
The reason we hate the loud, pushy salespeople on our screens, on the other end of our receivers or at our front door is because they're like that person shining the torch in our faces- they don’t care about what we want or about bothering to stick with us- they just want you to do what they want and they want it now!
Chances are, the professionals and the businesses you love and support were the ones patient enough to learn about you and what you wanted- and to share something of themselves- before they presented you with that first offer you couldn’t refuse. I’m willing to guess that not only have you bought from these people once- but you’ve kept coming back for more since that first purchase!
When you keep a regular blog and allow your existing customers, past customers and potential leads to find out more about who you are, what you know and how what you do or what you sell will be great for them- the more likely it is that you’ll become a household name to them. You won’t just get your foot in the door- they’ll welcome you inside with open arms!
“But how do I multiply my sales by 10?”
We’ll get to that soon enough. What I’m going to teach you isn’t a quick-sell. But once you know the trick, you’ll be forever thankful you stayed until the end. And that’s no bull. Part 2 is coming soon, so stay tuned!