I’ve seen it many, many, many times before.
Someone has a great product or a great service.
But they aren’t selling it to the level they want to.
So they come to me.
And I tell them what to do.
And one of two things then happens…
They either do it and turn their business around.
Or they ignore me and sod all happens.
Why would they ignore me? Why would they pay someone to turn their business around and then ignore the advice?
Because the advice I give them is on how to use specific techniques that get people to buy stuff.
Techniques that have been proven not just by me but by many masters of selling I learned from too.
Not to mention all the people they and I have taught that get massive results.
And they hear what I tell them and they say one of the lines that makes me wince:
“But I don’t want to come across as too ‘salesy'”
Or…
“Won’t people be annoyed if I use those tactics?”
Or even worse…
“I just want to be able to tell people what I have to sell and have people buy it. I don’t want to have to use any sales tactics”
It frustrates the hell outta me.
But here’s the thing.
I get it.
I completely understand where they are coming from.
As a society we’ve been conditioned to think selling is bad. TV shows depict slick talking salesman talking people into buying something they don’t want.
Films show the confident salesman making a sale, banging the phone down on the receiver and then putting his finger up at the phone as they he’s just ‘beaten’ the prospect.
If I ask you to picture a car salesman you’ll probably picture someone who is a pain in the arse.
We’ve all had someone call during dinner and try to sell us double glazing or some other crap.
But this perception many have of selling is completely and utterly wrong. For many reasons.
One reason in particular though.
It’s called The Gap.
Unlike the perception so many have, you can’t persuade someone to buy something they don’t want to buy.
As Eugene Schwartz, in my opinion the greatest ad man of all time, says:
“The number one mistake sales people make is to try to create desire rather than tap into pre-existing desires for solutions the prospect has”
Sure you may persuade the odd person to buy something they don’t want.
But seriously – if you were looking for a bike and someone tried selling you one without a saddle, no matter how hard he tried and the tactics he used, you wouldn’t buy it.
Unless you were some kinda pervert that is.
People don’t buy things they don’t, on some level, want.
And that right there is The Gap.
There is a gap between their current situation and where they want to be.
They’re skinny and weak…and want to be strong and muscly.
They’re broke and bored…and want to be wealthy and excited.
They’re single…and they want to be in a relationship.
A pipe has burst in their house…they want to fix it before it ruins everything.
Their hairstyle makes them look like a Bee Gee…they want to look like Frank Sinatra.
Their knee pain is stopping them playing football…they want to play football.
Compare that to…
They already have double glazing and you try to sell them double glazing.
They think yoga is ‘weird’ and you try to sell them a place in your yoga class.
They don’t care about losing their belly fat and you try to sell them a healthy eating cookbook.
See the difference?
No gap. No sale.
No desire for solution – no value in the solution.
I’m a frigging master of selling stuff. But if you don’t want what I have to sell – my sales tactics won’t work on you.
And that’s a GOOD thing.
But it’s also the reason why selling is a GOOD thing.
Because selling solves problems. It has to by the sheer nature of the fact that without problems no one will desire the solution.
Without a gap between the persons current situation and desired situation there will be no need for your product or service.
Present ——————————
Gap
No gap. No sale.
No gap. no sale.
No gap. No sale.
I want to drum that into you because it’s a crucial point to understand, not just in sales mastery, but in the fact that selling is actually a good thing because it closes the gap between peoples present and desired situation.
And so when people say to me “I don’t want to come across as too salesy” straight away I can see that they think selling isn’t a good thing. To them it’s almost…taboo.
No – it isn’t.
It’s necessary.
You see IF there is a gap between where the person is and where they want to be…
And IF they want a solution…
Then they need help to decide on who/what is the right solution for them.
And that’s where the sales process comes in.
And here’s the thing.
If you have a genuine solution that can get people what they want.
That can solve a problem they have.
That can provide the solution they deeply desire.
That can fix a problem that is causing them stress or fear or boredom or loneliness or their sink to flood the kitchen or whatever.
Then it is your DUTY to sell. And sell hard.
You should never terrify anyone or make them feel godawful about themselves.
But you sometimes need to create a little tension in them in order to propel them to the sale which will fix the problem they actually want fixed.
As David Ogilvy, who started the most successful advertising agency of all time said, “you need to jolt the prospect out of their indifference”.
And sometimes that takes making them a little bit uncomfortable.
They may need someone to get them to take a realistic look at their situation rather than keep burying their head in the sand.
And, providing you’re selling a quality product or service, you’re helping them by doing that. Because it motivates them to take action on a problem they want to solve.
“Why would they need motivation on a problem they actually want solved?” you may be thinking.
Because of something called The Pain Scale.
Someone who has a severe problem that is actually occurring right now will be at the peak of pain and won’t take too much motivation to buy.
For example someone who has just slipped a disc in their back – if you could give them a magic pill that cured the pain the sale would be easy because they’re experiencing pain at that very moment.
Someone who has a little back pain, but not tons at this very moment, would need more persuading.
Until they do slip a disc. And they shoot to the ‘easy-to-sell’ to category.
But here’s the thing…
Even in the ‘easy-to-sell-to’ category there is something that makes the skill of selling crucial.
It’s called competition.
Even if someone has severe, agonising back pain, they will still shop around. Not necessarily for the cheapest, but the one they believe is right for them.
And guess what will help them decide?
The sales process.
If they land on one web site and there’s no sales process and just a few lines of text and a “buy my back pain ebook for twenty dollars” link – how the hell do they know your solution is right for them?
They don’t. So they will leave your site and buy from someone who does sell to them in such a way that conveys the benefits, differences and values of the solution they want.
So when someone says “I just want to be able to tell people what I have to sell and have people buy it. I don’t want to have to use any sales tactics” I know what their problem is and why they’re struggling.
Selling is not only necessary but a good thing.
It solves problems.
It communicates why you are the right solution.
It closes the gap.
No gap.
No. Bloomin’. Sale.
So whenever you are writing copy for your own web site or a clients, ask yourself what the gap is between where the prospect is and where they want to be and how your offer can close that gap.
Think about the benefits they get when the gap is closed.
Think about the emotions they’ll feel when the gap is closed.
About what it will cost them to NOT close it.
This is what selling is about. Helping someone make a decision that is right for them because they get more value back than what they spend with you.
When someone winces at the word “selling”, I get it.
But I also worry for them.
Because their great idea might just end up on the scrap-heap of all the great ideas that have come before theirs by people who thought selling was bad…and then never got their solution out there because they didn’t realise people NEED to be sold to correctly in order to make a buying decision.
Don’t be that guy or gal.
Create a product or service that is genuinely valuable and then sell the hell out of it with pride. If you really care about your prospects, and believe your solution is right, it’s the only ethical option for you.
Or don’t. And watch your web site struggle for traffic and sales whilst prospects flood your competition with business you could have had if you stopped thinking that selling was a bad thing and started realising it is a necessary process that helps the prospect see value in what you offer.
Jon