<p>Think of stereotypical seller Joe Goe.</p> <ol> <li>He's aggressively pitching you, daily.</li> <li>Dude-just-does-not-stop. Ever.</li> </ol> <h2>Why Joe Can't Sell</h2> <p><span class="highlight">Joe's approach is like prodding some stranger to buy you a free gift.</span></p> <ol> <li>You'll probably succeed once in a kabillion tries.</li> <li><span class="highlight">You'll turn the rest of 'em off fo life.</span></li> </ol> <p>Say NO! to being a net-negative on peeps' lives.</p> <p><span class="highlight"><strong>Instead, be a net-positive -- and sell more.</strong></span></p> <h2>Provide Ridiculous Value</h2> <p>How to sell your <strong>IT services</strong> to Billy:</p> <ol> <li><span class="highlight">First, provide Billy value -- genuinely. (Teach him where to source for the best tech suppliers, how to keep maintenance costs down, tips to build his software application iteratively, etc.)</span></li> <li>Billy still won't buy? Provide him <strong>more value</strong>.</li> <li>Still won't buy? Provide him <strong>even more value</strong>.</li> <li>Still won't? Provide him <strong>even much more crazy-ridiculous value</strong>.</li> <li><strong>Etc.</strong></li> </ol> <p><span class="highlight">Billy tunes in more to your messages because you're helping his life, making him more open to your offerings.</span></p> <h3>Value, Value, Value, Value.</h3> <p>Keep piling on value, and he'll eventually:</p> <ol> <li><span class="highlight">Buy from you, unsolicited.</span></li> <li>Or, he'll <strong>refer</strong> his connections to you.</li> </ol> <p>(Rule of reciprocity: You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.)</p> <p>Hooray for you.</p> <p>One caveat:</p> <h2>You have to really want to help.</h2> <p>People can spot ungenuine mother-kabluckers from a million miles away.</p> <p>If you sell some product that provides absolutely no value to peeps' lives, you'll:</p> <ul> <li>lose those customers for life</li> <li>lose their networks for life</li> </ul> <p><span class="highlight">Your long-term earning potential: S.U.C.K.</span></p> <p>When you:</p> <ol> <li><span class="highlight"><strong>genuinely try to improve people's lives</strong></span></li> <li><span class="highlight"><strong>sell stuff that improves their lives even more</strong></span></li> </ol> <p>...you'll become a ridiculously-legendary selling machine who wrestles carne asada burritos for fun.</p> <h2>Ridiculous value.</h2> 2008-04-23T23:06:00-07:00 true 635 how-to-sell-stuff 0 2009-11-06T21:45:47-08:00