Do you cringe at the thought of selling? If you do, you’re not alone. Unless you’re a natural-born salesperson, the job of promotion can often be an uncomfortable one. Here are 4 ways to sell without being spammy.
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Give Your Prospective Customer Some Context
To get into your prospective customer’s world, you first need to introduce your offering properly.
So instead of jumping straight into what your product can do for that person, it might be wise to acknowledge the pain points he or she is going through and how your product can help.
Instead of asking the potential customer to do all the heavy lifting, you might need to focus more on the benefits rather than the features of what you’re trying to sell.
As the owner of a car wash, for example, it’s not enough to say that the kind of wax sealer you offer will give your customer’s car a mirror-like shine. Explaining how the wax is applied by hand instead of by spray and then detailing the longer-lasting effects of applying wax by hand might be more insightful and beneficial.
In addition, using phrases like, “Never worry again about…..” or “Just imagine your life with….“ are just some of the ways that you can introduce your potential customers to your valuable products or services.
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Promise Your Potential Customers Value – And Mean It
This one is crucial for your credibility as a business owner. There is so much misinformation out there at the moment that it is very easy to fall for the first headline that we read, which is why it is crucial to explain everything fully and fulfill that promise in the remainder of your marketing copy.
The promises that we make can be used in headlines or catchphrases that might be included in a blog post or as part of a social media post.
If you choose your headline carefully, it can create the desired effect, which is to create anticipation about the product or service that you are selling. This is also why, when creating emails, headlines are so important. Do you open every email you get unless of course, it comes with an enticing headline that begs to be opened?
If you’re the owner of a health and fitness company, it might be easy to say something like, “Lose 20 Pounds in a Week.” Clearly, that’s not very doable unless the offer demands that you starve yourself for 7 days. And even then, the desired results are not based in reality.
Conversely, if you’re a family-owned business like Wegmans and you include this promise in your email communication to customers: “For Healthy Meals, We’re Here to Help,” you’d expect to find suggestions for the kinds of products that make up a healthy meal, or better yet, a list of recipes to try.
And that’s exactly what Wegmans does, including a delicious recipe that you can try using ingredients that are sold in the store.
Always remember that whatever you promise your customers, you must mean it. Telling someone that they’ll get publicity in the New York Times is not based on reality if, as a PR consultant, you know that the story you’re pitching won’t get much steam in a national publication.
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Show Them Proof
It’s easy to make a claim that your business cards are so much better than, say, Vistaprint, but how can you convince a potential new customer that you can deliver on that promise?
You offer them proof.
That can come in a variety of ways, but testimonials are usually the best proof that you can give a potential customer.
Photos are a great way to show proof, especially if you run a weight loss/fitness business.
Of course, there are other ways that you can prove to a potential customer that your product or service is the best and that it stands out among a sea of similar products and/or services.
What if you launched a new moisturizing cream that is best at combatting dry skin, especially during the winter months?
How would you prove that this new product is the best one?
You might want to detail the journey you’ve taken to create it, like listing the ingredients that go into this miracle cream. You could even make a video about it, which would actually resonate really well with an audience these days.
Perhaps it’s a unique plant that can only be found in a specific area of the world and the byproducts of that plant are crucial to creating the best dry skin cream in the world.
Whatever way you choose to present proof, be sure that it is authentic.
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Push Your Potential Customers to Take Action
So, after implementing the above strategies, you have reached the end of your sales funnel. It’s time to give these potential customers a little push to action.
What’s the best way to do that?
Call to action phrases are frequently used by top brands to elicit action. If and when you do this, be sure to make it clear. This is no time for confusing your readers.
If you want them to purchase, you’ll need to provide them with the next steps to do so.
Make sure you are clear about what you want them to do. If you want them to call your business for more information, be sure to include the proper phone number. If you are including a contact form that they will need to fill out, place it in a prominent position where it can’t be missed.
Be creative. Use large type, in boldface if you have to. Finally, don’t make your potential customers hunt for ways to get in contact with you.
Let me know if you’ve used any of the above strategies to attract new customers. Email me at [email protected] with your questions or comments.
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