Making the Sale: Do You Hate Bothering People?

Making the Sale: Do You Hate Bothering People?

We’ve talked about things like working from home, online businesses, creating a product people want, attracting joint venture partners, and crafting a sales letter based on your potential customer’s deeper desires. Now if you’re getting your marketing plan in order, it’s also likely that you’ve started a newsletter or are at least considering starting one.

As with all topics we’ve discussed so far, this is yet another place where you need to keep your reader’s needs and wants in mind. However, that doesn’t mean that you put their wants so far ahead of your own that you discount your wants.

Here’s what I mean: in theory, many of your customers likely want as much information as possible for as little money. Makes sense, especially with online businesses. Even people who aren’t particularly thrifty enjoy getting free stuff. Even people who buy very expensive items enjoy getting freebies.

From a Universal perspective (and an online business perspective for that matter), you also likely know that you need to give to receive. So you give away ebooks, reports, audios, interviews, newsletter content and more. Yes you do get an email address in exchange for these freebies, but you are also looking to develop a relationship with these people so that they trust you and eventually become your customer.

Here’s the problem: some people go overboard with the freebies to such a degree that their list soon fills up with tire-kickers (freebie seekers) who will never buy. The online marketer makes matters worse by loading on even more freebies and focusing on “free stuff.” Then when the marketer pitches a paid product, all he hears are crickets chirping.

What happened? If this marketer gave –just look at all those freebies! – why didn’t he then “receive” when he pitched a product?

In other words – why does it seem like some people can give away the store and STILL make a killing when it comes time to pitch a paid product, while others give away a few freebies and then seem to acquire a list straight out of Freebie Seekers Hell?

Perhaps the underlying problem is the online marketer’s subconscious attitude. It oozes into everything he does. Maybe it feels like he’s “bothering” people or being too pushy when he asks for a sale. So instead of asking for sales, he gives away freebies in hopes of getting into the good graces of his list members.

Instead of the list members seeing these freebies as chances to sample his product before they buy, they become conditioned to receive free stuff from this marketer …and when he asks for the sale they are downright appalled.

“How DARE he ask me to buy something! I thought we had an understanding that I’d bleed him dry of freebies and then move on to the next host!”

Perhaps the marketer expected this. Indeed, perhaps the marketer was so afraid of offending people by “pitching” a paid product that his delivery was weak. Instead of confidently closing a sale, he hesitantly tells people about a paid product and then practically apologizes about the fact that it’s a paid product and not a freebie.

If he feels like he’s bothering people and he already has the expectation that people won’t buy from him, why SHOULD people buy from him?

They probably won’t. Indeed, this fictional marketer’s list is likely populated with people who can’t or won’t buy, simply because his weak delivery ATTRACTED those sorts of people.

If you’re running a hobby site that’s fine. But if you’re running a business to make money you have a problem.

If you’ve ever had this problem or you’ve felt like you are bothering people by asking for the sale, let me ask you this: the last time you went to a shoe store and the sales clerk helped you find your size, how did you feel towards that clerk?

When you went to McDonalds to order a cheeseburger and the clerk asked you if you wanted fries with that, how did you feel about the clerk?

Chances are in both cases you felt that the clerk was being helpful (and indeed they WERE being helpful). Did you feel “bothered?” Probably not. You wanted something and the clerk helped you get what you want.

The same is true with you and your customers. Stop worrying about bothering people, and start viewing yourself as helping people. When you shift your attitude, your potential customers will become customers because their attitudes will shift as well. Those who want everything for free will go elsewhere, and you will be left with people who appreciate the freebies that you DO give away, but at the same time they’ll happily buy the products that you recommend to them. They’ll view you as a trusted friend – someone who helps them.

The beauty of this is that you are STILL putting your customer’s needs and wants ahead of your own. That’s because you are still giving away suitable freebies – but now you are giving them away as samples rather than as “bribes” for someone to stay on your list. And yes you are putting your customers’ wants and needs ahead of your own when you go out and review products for them without bias. If you like it and recommend it, then yes, it’s ok to receive compensation (a commission) for the work you do.

Even the most holy people and those with the purest of intentions get compensated for the work they do, so why not you? Do your local ministers get paid? You bet they do. Teachers? Of course. Doctors? Yep, and they’re paid well, too.

The reason I’m telling you this is because if you condition your online list to only expect freebies (and remember, it’s all in your attitude), there will be people who will complain the first time you pitch a paid product. Just remember that no matter what the crybabies say to you, you DO deserve to get paid for what you do.