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How to Get People to BUY From You

by blackli0n
20 replies
It's really hard. Because there are so many things you have to do before you can sell to people. It's because you have no credibility.

If Michael Jordan asks you to buy a pair of shoes, you do it. But if Joe Schmoe asks you to buy shoes, you say BUT WHY?!

If you keep telling people to buy and nobody does it, it's probably because A) the product doesn't help them, or B) they don't trust you or trust that the product will help them.

And if you want people to trust you to help them, you need to start helping them in the first place. The first thing is you should be doing is helping people. Teaching, sharing, contributing, HELPING! If all you're trying to do is sell, sell, sell, don't be surprised if they don't buy.

Your website should be helping them 90% of the time. And why? Well...because if you're like most people, you have no credibility and no authority on the subject.

And so that's why you have to spend so much time helping people. It's the easiest and fastest way to build credibility. Whatever they need, whatever they want, give to them. Help them. And then when it comes time to sell, you have a much easier time. And in fact, you won't have to sell at all...because they'll be begging to buy from you! All the people you've helped will say, "Who do you recommend? Can you do this for me? I'd rather buy it from you because I trust you!"

Stop building sales-funnels and start building help-funnels. The more you can help people WITHOUT having to ask them for money, the faster you build your credibility.
#buy #people
  • Profile picture of the author Michael Harris
    Originally Posted by blackli0n View Post

    Your website should be helping them 90% of the time.
    I disagree, your website should be collecting email addresses.

    Then you should be sending those people emails that compel them to visit your sales funnels/offers.

    You can't help anyone until you help yourself..
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    • Profile picture of the author blackli0n
      Originally Posted by quantumtiger View Post

      I disagree, your website should be collecting email addresses.

      Then you should be sending those people emails that compel them to visit your sales funnels/offers.

      You can't help anyone until you help yourself..
      Hey if collecting those emails are going to be helping them, then sure. If you're only collecting emails to try and sell more stuff, ok, then don't complain if you're not getting the results you want.

      "You can't help anyone until you help yourself." is one of the worst attitudes you can have in business. Look at all the big internet companies around you (Google, Youtube, Paypal, Ebay, Craigslist...) huge online businesses built around a free service. Heck...theWarriorForum itself could be a good learning example for you.

      I'm looking at this from a general viewpoint of credibility. And most people don't have it because they're too busy trying to sell, sell, sell. Everything on their website is designed for selling purposes...and then they wonder why they don't make any money.
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      • Profile picture of the author Michael Harris
        Originally Posted by blackli0n View Post

        Hey if collecting those emails are going to be helping them, then sure. If you're only collecting emails to try and sell more stuff, ok, then don't complain if you're not getting the results you want.
        Dude for the record,

        I am not the one complaining about lack of credibility here.

        Maybe take a step back and consider, your lack of credibility is telling you that you have not completely researched you market, found their "pain points" come up with a product that solves some or all of the these points.

        And then communicated that values back to them in their language.

        Like I said help yourself first by doing the correct work then you can help others.
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      • Profile picture of the author AdwordsMogul
        Originally Posted by blackli0n View Post

        Hey if collecting those emails are going to be helping them, then sure. If you're only collecting emails to try and sell more stuff, ok, then don't complain if you're not getting the results you want.

        "You can't help anyone until you help yourself." is one of the worst attitudes you can have in business. Look at all the big internet companies around you (Google, Youtube, Paypal, Ebay, Craigslist...) huge online businesses built around a free service. Heck...theWarriorForum itself could be a good learning example for you.

        I'm looking at this from a general viewpoint of credibility. And most people don't have it because they're too busy trying to sell, sell, sell. Everything on their website is designed for selling purposes...and then they wonder why they don't make any money.
        The thing is people don't know how to sell. They think selling is pitching the product or asking them to buy.

        In reality, your "pitch" or asking someone to buy is just a small part of the process - although it is essential.

        But as you said, this only applies if you have enough credibility for people to believe they will profit from buying your product/service.
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    • Profile picture of the author AdwordsMogul
      Originally Posted by quantumtiger View Post

      I disagree, your website should be collecting email addresses.

      Then you should be sending those people emails that compel them to visit your sales funnels/offers.

      You can't help anyone until you help yourself..
      Yes, you're right - but this only works if you're actually helping them in the process, and if they believe you can help them.
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      "Those who can - DO IT. Those who can't, say it's impossible."
      Jean Paul a.k.a AdwordsMogul
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      ⇉ Easy Link Saver - Are you tired of the pain of constantly searching for your affiliate links? ( Chrome extension - FREE )
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    • Profile picture of the author blackli0n
      Originally Posted by quantumtiger View Post

      I disagree, your website should be collecting email addresses.

      Then you should be sending those people emails that compel them to visit your sales funnels/offers.

      You can't help anyone until you help yourself..
      I'm pretty sure I misunderstood your use of the word "help". I figured you meant it in a more capitalistic kind of way whereas you meant in a more informative/research standpoint.

      Regardless, I don't feel the website should be completely designed for sales if ALL you have is that one website (no word of mouth, or good references, or business value existing anywhere offline, etc). I've discovered an online website to be far more successful financially if only 20% of it is designed for sales and the rest for helping visitors. If you can do even less, it's even better.

      But hey...that's just my opinion which I share on my post. For people who have been doing the exact opposite with zero results, they can try mine...because it has worked for me.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jtraits
      Originally Posted by quantumtiger View Post

      I disagree, your website should be collecting email addresses.

      Then you should be sending those people emails that compel them to visit your sales funnels/offers.

      You can't help anyone until you help yourself..
      actually, i agree with this ... this is one way to make your self and your product known ...use an email marketing company to send them offers and so on. you will get 1 or 2 customers ... then this number will grow and grow . but it needs time and patience
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  • Profile picture of the author jaytheanalyst
    Great post man. I agree with you. I implement the 80-20 rule. 80% value and 20% selling/marketing. This is a biblical law. Give and it shall be given unto you. So focus on giving value.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by blackli0n View Post

    It's really hard. Because there are so many things you have to do before you can sell to people.
    Selling doesn't have to be "really hard" if you do it in such a way that no convincing, persuading, or pushing has to happen.

    People make purchases differently in today's Internet world. Many do their information gathering, their comparisons and product locating online, in advance of actually making a buy. They do the background work and convince or persuade themselves that this product at this price is what I am going to buy.

    Your challenge as a marketer is really to step in front of these buyers with a great offer and a compelling reason to act on it right now. They're already convinced they want it - you just need to be the one to hook up the buyer with the seller.

    Originally Posted by blackli0n View Post

    Stop building sales-funnels and start building help-funnels.
    In theory that may sound laudable, but in fact you really do need a funnel system to shuttle the customer through various stages of exposure to your selling or you might just go broke helping your customers.

    If you stop using sales funnels, what kind of a random hit-and-miss system are you going to employ that works any better?

    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author blackli0n
      Originally Posted by Steve B View Post

      In theory that may sound laudable, but in fact you really do need a funnel system to shuttle the customer through various stages of exposure to your selling or you might just go broke helping your customers.

      If you stop using sales funnels, what kind of a random hit-and-miss system are you going to employ that works any better?

      Steve
      I'm not saying you shouldn't use a sales funnel but rather to put more focus on helping people. Obviously, established companies would be operating differently from a start-up. If you've got an established position in a mature market, sure, you've can work on the sales aspect.

      But if you're a nobody (like most people on WF), then you need to get some kind of credible identity first. And trying to start that off by "selling" right off the bat is not going to work.

      Yes, yes, there are always exceptions (such as if you're the only guy with a product that caters to a niche market). But I'm speaking in terms of general advice. It's not so simple such as a PROBLEM-SOLUTION. There's so much more involved. Even if you find people who need what you have, you STILL have to do some work before you can start selling...and this is especially true if it's over the internet.
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  • Profile picture of the author kayfrank
    If your product is providing a solution to something then you are offering a solution (help) when promoting it. It must be relevant to your target audience and you must have worked on developing trust with them. This is done best in an email campaign.
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  • Profile picture of the author CpvTrafficPro
    There is a big difference between selling and recommending ... I dont ever want to be sold something, I want someone to recommend a product and make my own decision. So when Im looking for something promote I try to find all the info I would want as a buyer and try to make sure I include all of it in a clear easy to follow format.
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  • Profile picture of the author jbsmith
    Sort of...from my experience it breaks down like this:

    1. You sell the MOST by understanding who your market is and what they want and then putting in front of them where and when they are looking for it. In other words, you can sell quite a lot without building any relationship IF you know how and where to reach your audience with the right offer. I've had many, many people buy from me on the first go-around

    2. Next, by tapping into "warm" partner traffic, with the right message, again you can sell a TON of stuff...making sure you have a solid product and then making it compelling for partners to work with you lets you check this one off

    3. Having a sales funnel to pick up the "interested but not yet committed" crowd also extends the long-tail of your sales funnel - you drip useful but incomplete information and eventually a good number will be ready...but again it comes down to hitting them with the right messages (Ex. an email with case studies or endorsements sells more for me than an email with a video tutorial - the two combined sell better than either one alone)

    Providing useful, helpful information is only 1 of many aspects involved in selling to people - often it's not even the #1 factor, which never ceases to amaze me...but the numbers don't lie.

    Jeff
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  • Profile picture of the author Stephen and Jennifer
    Hi,

    Quite a ding dong going on here so we will wade in with a reality check for all those who think only about selling and forget that they are dealing with human beings with just the same problems and aspirations as they have.:rolleyes:

    Nobody likes being sold to but everybody loves to buy. Credibility is created by relationship building, serving and helping others and never by asking for their money first when they don't know or trust you.

    Trust and respect has to be earnt before money can be? Too many people forget this. Nobody will give you money just because you want it? People want to know what's in it for them?

    Unless you are a super copywriter or a slick super salesperson you need a more subtle approach. People buy from people they like who have helped them not from people who only want their money.

    No slick sales funnel without trust and respect will make anyone a millionaire. It is like building a tower block without any foundations. Get the basics in place, build a list, love and help your list and eventually they will beg to buy from you.

    Simples....

    Stephen & Jennifer.
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  • Profile picture of the author clever7
    I agree that credibility has a basic importance in your marketing efforts. Nobody will buy anything from you if they don't feel that they can trust you, and if they don't think that buying what you are offering will give them an advantage.

    You will make people buy from you when you will help them feel that they can trust you, and they can trust your recommendations or your own products.









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  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    I have found that I have a really hard time selling if I do not have a passion for the product or the service. Basically, you just have to have a passion. Don't just phone it in. Oh yes, believe in what you are promoting to consumers. Reaching the zone; that is what it is.
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  • Profile picture of the author wenbedma
    Interesting discussion on This topic. The way i see it though, helping others should be first priority, that way you won't have difficulties when you pitch a product later. This is because they might have given you some trust already
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  • Profile picture of the author irfan15
    Here we need a little creativity.. you must have the deep market Research and with that.. you must be aware of your product capabilities..
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  • Profile picture of the author pawlu68
    Its all about attraction marketing my friend. By all means collect emails and build a list .... but what is equally key is that you provide a lot of value up front before seeking to pitch your subscribers. The key is to stand out and to be totally different.
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