I’m going to be honest with you.
Before I got into copywriting, I thought sales was sleazy. I guess that was my problem in life because when you think about it, most everything you need to do to earn a living somehow involves sales.
I couldn’t get the image out of my mind of the sleazy used car salesman. (No disrespect to used car salespeople out there. I’m just using the trope because most people know what I’m talking about.) You know the type, he’ll tell you anything to get you to buy a broken down piece of junk for way too much money.
I used to think of sales as over-the-top hype, making empty promises, pressuring people to spend money on something they didn’t really need. I just plan thought of it as yucky.
My thinking started to change when I read the book To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink. That book got my gears turning and flipped the way I thought about sales on its head. Inspired, I read a few more books about sales. Though I was thinking differently, I wasn’t quite ready to change yet.
Studying copywriting is what pushed me over the edge, in a good way;) My casual interest in understanding sales, fascination with human psychology, and love of writing made this profession the perfect marriage of my interests.
Enough about me.
Let’s talk about you.
You’ve got an amazing product or service to offer the world, but you haven’t been able to get it out there because you are afraid of selling. You don’t want to come off as pushy, gross, or sleazy.
Here’s my advice to you.
If you don’t want to come off as pushy, gross, or sleazy, then don’t be pushy, gross, or sleazy. Now that that’s taken care of, let’s look at what selling really is.
Selling is telling people what you have to offer and how it will help them.
Do you have something that you’re selling that will help people?
Will it make their lives easier or less stressful?
Will it save them time or help them accomplish a goal?
Will it just keep them entertained?
Great.
Tell as many people as you can about it. Don’t be shy. Tell them because you’re super proud of whatever it is you do, and you know it works.
That’s the first step. If you have something that will help people, it is your duty to let them know about it. The exchange of money for that product or service is only natural, but we’ll deal with any money hangups you might have another day.
If you are a good, honest person who wants to help others, you’re in the position to succeed in selling because one of the most important qualities you can have as a salesperson is empathy.
The truth is that the overhyped, pushy kind of sales that you hate comes back to bite the salesperson in the backside later. You don’t want that.
But if you’re not doing all that stuff, how do you sell? Actually, the answer to that is easier than you might think.
#1 Talk about the problem you solve and the emotions or feelings your prospect is experiencing. Show them that you know where they’re coming from and that you empathize.
#2 Tell them about your solution and show them examples of your solution working for others.
#3 Ease any objections they might have
#4 Thoroughly explain what you’re offering them.
#5 Invite them to buy. Be specific about what they need to do to buy.
#6 Give them a reason to buy now rather than later
That’s a very basic layout of how you can go about selling your products or services to someone.
Of course, there are nuanced ways to use language to influence people’s decisions, but right now, I just want to make sure you get the basics. The next time you are ready to try to sell something, be confident, be empathetic, and follow these basics steps. You’ll be surprised by the results.