I wandered into my favorite dress shop the other day, to have a browse. Actually, that is a bit of an understatement, I marched in there, a woman on a mission, to (come hell or high water) buy myself a fabulous dress. Now, I had no particular occassion to wear the aforementioned dress, but I was rewarding myself for a stretch of diligent and consistent exercise with a spot of retail therapy.
My favorite dress shop is called “Sweet and Viscious”, and it is a real shopping experience. Firstly, it is across the road from the beach at Mooloolaba, which is the grooviest and most goreous place. It has a fantastic vibe about it. Gourmet coffee shops, restaraunts, designer boutiques and exclusive gift shops (plus the most amazing Gelateria I’ve ever seen – naturally, after being so diligent with the exercise, I gave it the big swerve on this particular occassion).
Walking into Sweet and Viscous is quite the experience. It is like an Aladdin’s Cave of “one of a kind” dresses, shoes to die for (and die in, as I have found after stumbling around on a pair of platform heels that make me taller than Cameron). There are funky pieces of costume jewellry, scarves, bags and belts that you just won’t find anywhere else.
So this particular day, I was greeted at the door by the shop owner. I don’t know her name, but every time I walk in there, she greets me like an old friend. Always makes eye contact, smiles, gives me a little wave, and then points out new pieces (she knows what sort of stuff I like now, which is probably an indication that I spend too much time in there) as well as the sale items.
I wandered around in an agony of indecision: so many gorgeous things, so many bills sitting on my desk at home, competeing for my funding allocation. Finally, I plumped for two pieces which had particularly grabbed me. Armed with my choices, I made a beeline for the change room. The shop owner wandered over to the dressing room as I emerged in my first choice. It really was an amazing dress. The colour was stunning, it was the latest style…and it looked ridiculous on me. I was crushed. On the hanger, it was like a couture piece, a stylish confection of silk, lace and exquisite beading. When I wandered out of the dressing room in it, I resembled the love child of Ronald MacDonald and Paris Hilton.
Now, it was quite an expensive dress, so I fully expected the shop owner to gush over me (as sales people usually do when they have the heady scent of a generous commission in their nostrils) and tell me it looked “fabulous daarling!”. But no, she shook her head vehemently and said “that is really not for you”. Feeling somewhat deflated, I slumped back into the change room, almost inclined not to try on the other dress, but she sang out after me “That one is the wrong length for you, and it does not accentuate your best features”. Hmmm…perhaps she was not just going to ‘gun for a quick sale’. I came out in the other dress, and perhaps having sensed my disappointment, she went to great lengths to explain why the second dress (which incidentally was a lot less expensive) suited me very well.
She talked to me about what types of patterns I should look for to suit my figure, and which to avoid. She explained to me the importance of choosing the right length for my height and body shape, which neckline works best for me, and fabrics that drape versus fabrics that cling. In short, she educated me. I immediately flashed forward to half a dozen or more items in my wardrobe that cost me a lot of money, but that I don’t wear, because I don’t feel comfortable in them. And for the most part, I purchased them as a result of a lot of convincing by a salesperson.
I bought the second dress, and then sought her opinion on a pair of shoes and a belt to go with it, even though it was not my intention originally to buy anything but a dress. And I love my outfit, and wear it to death. I get comments every time I wear it, and I feel great when I put it on. What’s more, I shop almost exclusively at Sweet and Viscous now, because I know the owner, I like her, and most importantly, I trust her to be honest with me.
So, to salesmanship and the only reasons why someone will buy something from you. They will buy if, and only if, they know you, they like you, and they trust you. Don’t think for a moment that this is a process that only happens offline. It is a universal, timeless principle, and the technology we use in a sales pipeline online, is designed fundamentally to emulate that process in an automatic and leveraged way across time and space.
Think about the process I just described, and break it down: I (the customer) had a desire to buy a product, but the problem was, I needed more information to happily make an informed decision. The salesperson established a relationship with me, and built rapport, by educating me. She did not push me, or try to convince me to buy something that would have yielded her a wonderful commission, but did not suit me, and that in all likelihood, I would never have worn. Worse still, while convincing might lead to a quick sale in the moment, the chances that I would continue to patronise her business in the future are slim to none.
The best and fastest way to build any business, is to develop strong relationships with your customer base, and sell more to the people you already have a relationship with. It is more rewarding and profitable all round, and far less expensive than constantly trying to acquire new customers. Better Karma too.
Take these concepts and see how they apply to your online business. Your Adwords ads, articles or videos attract the attention of the person who is searching for what you have to offer. Your landing page gives them the information they are looking for, which compels them to enter their contact information to become a lead. When they opt in to become a lead in your system, autoresponders continue to deliver high quality, relevant information to them on a regular basis, thereby building a relationship based on trust and confidence (and respect on your part – you never try and ear bash someone with your ‘biz opp’).
It is a simple, but largely counter intuitive process. Most people think that great salesmen are great convincers, so this is what most people try to do. And this is precisely the reason why they fail.
When you are writing content for lead generation purposes, think about the questions people ask, and answer them (what were your questions when you got started? that is often a great place to think back to). Then take this process a step further, and think about the questions people should be asking. Pose those questions in your article, video or blog post, and answer them too. Postion yourself as a knowledgeable leader, who is not gunning for an easy sale, and is prepared to put the wrong people off, if the product or opportunity is not right for them.
As Jay Kubassek said at the recent Pro marketing day “You should be turning away at least 30% of the people you speak to about the business, because it won’t be right for them”. Amen to that.
Make today a great one.
Cheers,
Tan
