What’s it like when you call your customers or prospects on the phone or send them an email? Do they say to themselves:
Hi, how are you?
Or do they say:
Not you again!
When you try to go out and sell your products and services, you always start with an unwilling audience. No one wants to part with their hard earned money up front. They don’t know what you do, who you are, anything about you.
Why should they spend money on you?
Well, they shouldn’t. I mean who are you to try and get them to pony up cash for something that you are peddling? You don’t know them and they don’t know you. Their fight or flight reflex kicks in. They want to run or attack because they don’t know if you are “friendly”. What if you try to pitch your product while your prospect is in the fight or flight mode? You are being disconnective.
You are not trying to build a relationship with your prospect, you are just trying to sell a product.
And sometimes, if you’re pushy and shrill enough, they’ll buy from you, a lot of times just to shut you up!
Well, people aren’t going for that anymore. Since we’ve hit these hard economic times, people are much less receptive to sales messages, whether its over the phone, on the web or in email.
Look at how fast people hooked up on the Do Not Call list. Look at how angry people get when you send an innocent opt- in email they may not remember signing up for.
It’s time to stop doing things the disconnective way, and start doing them the connective way. It may take longer, and be more expensive, but in the long run, building relationships with your customers before trying to sell them anything, will be better for your business.
So make a friend before you make a sale. Connect with people, one on one – and don’t try to “sell” to them, don’t try to “pitch” them. Just tell them what you do – if they need you – they will tell you.
Distinguish yourself from those shrill sales voices out there and believe me – you will have built a better mousetrap.
Chris Kalaboukis: Connective Sales: Sell Without Selling
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