Business Brainstorm
Lately, I’ve found myself using a phrase I haven’t used in years: hand selling. Back in my days at America’s former second largest bookseller, hand selling was my favorite thing.
In bookselling, hand selling is making a recommendation to a customer based on her description of what she’s looking for. Literary vampire fiction? Funny but informative non-fiction by a journalist? Gothic books about books and the people who love them? I had you covered.
I read Publisher’s Weekly religiously. I poured over displays. I read advance copies. I did everything I could to have an answer when a customer asked me for a book. And if I didn’t know the right book for her, I would know the team member who would.
Why? Because there was no greater joy than connecting the right person with the right book.
That’s it: knowing that what I put into that person’s hands was exactly what they needed for their next reading fix.
It would make my day.
Now, why am I thinking about hand selling again after so long?
There’s a misconception in the online space that customers will (or need to) come to you. Yes, inbound marketing is a beautiful thing but it’s not the only thing. Especially with markets and conversations as crowded—and loud—as they are.
Sometimes, you need to put your solution in the hands of the right people. That can not only make your goals, but make their days.
When is hand selling the right solution for your business?
- When you’re offering a “beta” or Minimum Viable Product version of an offer
- When you’re branching into new territory either with your offerings or your market
- When you’re feeling sure of your value but unsure of your drawing in your right prospects
- When your network is a goldmine of potential clients
The truth is that it’s not always feasible to expect that your existing audience will supply the necessary numbers to make your product idea work. You might have to look elsewhere. And that will probably require making individual offers, supplying personalized insights, and looking for specific problems your new offer can solve.
Put your product in the hands of the people who need it most. Make their day. And feel good about it—even if that means selling your work one book at a time.
Art of Growth
Last week’s post on why more offers don’t equal more revenue inspired some great conversation on Facebook. My friend Amanda Steinberg, founder of DailyWorth, invited several others to comment with their own experiences in the make-more-stuff trap.
Adda Birnir, the founder of SkillCrush, made the excellent point that it is easier to sell new products to old customers than it is to find new customers to sell old products to. I completely agree. The evidence is overwhelming. In fact, it’s not only easier but it’s cheaper and more efficient as well.
That very idea is the basis of how I work with clients on their Customer Journeys and Business Model Plans in 10ThousandFeet.
However, that fundamental idea of business assumes that you have sold your existing audience on your old products. I posit that there is, in fact, something even easier than selling new products to old customers. There is a much bigger, more lucrative opportunity for you and that is:
Selling old products to old customers.
That is selling existing products to people in your sphere of influence already who haven’t bought before. These are people who read your blog, open your emails, follow your business on social media, but still haven’t bought what you offer. Clearly, it’s not that they’re not interested in the work you do and the value you offer. They’d stop reading, unsubscribe, or unfollow you if that was the case.
The reason they haven’t bought is because you haven’t given them a good reason to buy. True story.
You haven’t tapped into their needs or wants with a clear statement of what your work offers them.
Most business owners I come into contact with don’t stretch their messaging beyond “It’s new!” And because they don’t push themselves to find the real reason people want to buy, they keep creating new products so that there’s always something they can say “It’s new!” about. It’s less a strategic decision than a wish and a prayer.
You see, there is a segment of your customers who like to buy from your business just because you’ve created something new. They’re called Early Adopters. But statistically, they’re an incredibly small part of your potential customer base. The Majority of your customers base waits to find out what other people think about your product, how you improve it, and how the market evolves. They won’t buy because “It’s new!” but they will buy if you offer your product again and tell them how it is a tool to help them solve their specific problem or reach their big goal.
And that is extremely good news!
It means there’s an excellent chance that your Next Big Thing–your next money-maker, your next signature offer, your next game-changer–is a product already in your arsenal. Maybe it was an idea you were super proud of but that didn’t sell well. Maybe it’s something you designed to be evergreen that needs a shot of marketing mojo. Maybe it’s a product that needs a spotlight at a trade show or on stage.
The bottom line is that offering something once, when it’s new, is never enough. But that’s exactly what so many businesses do. (Have you?)
While outreach and list-building should always be a goal, there’s every chance that your existing audience is a gold mine opportunity for your existing products. But they won’t buy just because “It’s new!” They want to know why it’s the right tool for them.
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Does this have you thinking about one of your own existing products? Do you have an inkling of excitement about the revenue possibilities of something you’ve already put hard work into?
Leave a comment with the name of your product or offer and how you could reposition it to attract more of your existing audience.
Announcements, Business Brainstorm
This is a time of year when many business owners are thinking about what’s next in their businesses. And for you, that might be your “Next Big Thing.” It’s a product, program, or service that you’re incredibly excited about. Something you think might represent your business for years to come. Something that might finally put you over the top of your revenue goal or revolutionize your business model.
A Next Big Thing could be exactly what your business needs to do all those things. Unfortunately, if you’re an idea person like me—and I reckon you probably are, it’s likely that you’ll get carried away with the idea itself and forget to engage some of the strategies that can help you realize the true potential of your idea.
After all, you’d like people to be hungry to buy your new idea, right?
Here are 4 mistakes you’re likely to make in the process of marketing, launching, and selling your new product—and how to avoid them:
1) You take it to market too slowly.
Yes, too slowly. The faster you can bring a product to market the better. My highest grossing, most respected and well-known products have gone from idea to sales in the shortest periods of time. And that’s no fluke.
When you take a product to market as quickly as possible, you get “proof of concept.” The proof, of course, is whether people are willing to buy it or not.
To get that proof, you need to ask yourself, “What’s the least amount of work I can do on this for people to be willing to buy it?” Perfectionists, please stay with me. I’m a Virgo, I get it.
Challenge yourself to think small.
The answer to that question is the design of your Minimum Viable Product. Often for service or information businesses, the answer is nothing more than an offer, a sales page, or even just a conversation. For product businesses, it might be a photoshop mockup or a sketch.
If you don’t have at least some people willing to buy this kind of product, your Next Big Thing isn’t going to be that big the way you’ve conceived it. The great part of going to market fast is that you can make changes, adjust your idea—possibly several times—so that when it comes time to really investing your time, money, or energy into your idea, you know it’s going to work.
2) You don’t take into account who’s ready to buy.
Now, not everyone buys a Minimum Viable Product. Who does? Early Adopters. They’re often your business’s biggest fans and most loyal customers. They love trying out new stuff and are just tickled when they get to try out something before everyone else.
But what about when you move past of the MVP stage? Every stage of product iteration and marketing development should take into consideration the segment of the market you’re ready to reach—and who’s ready to be sold to.
For example, you might develop an internal launch of your new product that is designed specifically for customers who wouldn’t have been comfortable buying a prototype but are nonetheless excited about a new idea. They’re focused on what they’re trying to achieve, how they want to feel, and how they could be doing things better.
Later in the game, you might turn an active product into a more passive product or evergreen offering and put it on autopilot. The kind of customer who is going to buy that product wants to have everything figured out for them. They’re likely more focused on fixing a problem or alleviating some pain.
Each of these stages deserves a fresh marketing message that appeals to that customer segment’s specific needs.
3) You focus on feel-good ideas instead of urgent needs.
Speaking of needs, let’s talk about that. I know you, you hate to be “salesy.” And you just love this idea that business “starts with why” because it feels good, feels safe, feels altruistic.
Here’s the thing, business starts with why but transactions don’t end with it.
Instead, the real reason people Buy Now is because they’re actually looking for something to buy. People love to buy! And when you tap into the natural reasons they’re already in the market with their wallets out, you’re much more likely to get the sale.
And the really beautiful part of that is that you still don’t have to be salesy. You just have to match your sales copy to the reasons people are looking to buy, whether that’s because they’re looking for a great necklace for date night, they’re frustrated by their website, or they’re finally ready to stop visiting the refrigerator every night at 8pm.
Don’t just get people excited, give them a reason to buy.
4) You don’t start marketing and selling soon enough.
Finally, the number one mistake I see with marketing, launching, and selling a new product is that business owners don’t start the marketing and sales process soon enough. Clients ask me all the time, “How early is too early to start marketing my new product?” The answer is never.
It is never too early.
It doesn’t have to be polished, it doesn’t have to be strategic. It does’t need to use the latest trend in online marketing.
First, marketing starts the minute you start product development. Because marketing is so much more than promotion, as soon as you start thinking about who your product is for, why they need it now, and how you’re going to best fill those needs with your product, you’ve started marketing.
Second, promotion can begin with a whisper. A small wave of a mention that you’re working on something for your people that does x, y, or z can lead to a tsunami at launch time.
Finally, I don’t let any of my clients start building a product if they haven’t figured out their sales message. If you don’t have confidence your product is going to sell, you’re not ready to realize your idea yet. Start there.
If you can avoid these 4 mistakes, you’ll be well on your way to creating and selling your next blockbuster product.
Want more on marketing, launching, and selling your next big thing? Check out my bestselling class on CreativeLive: Create a Marketing Plan & Grow Your Standout Business.
Art of Earning
So, you’ve got a new product or service launching in the new year. I imagine one of the tasks you’re dreading the most is actually writing the offer.
You can create a remarkable new product. But write sales copy? It’s like pulling teeth.
Here’s how you avoid the pseudo-painful task: you use fancy flourishes of speech and clever turns of phrase. You dangle big broad concepts in front of the people you want to serve. Then you quietly suggest their lives would in some small way be better for buying this product or that service.
All that beating around the proverbial bush means one thing: you have no idea why this product or service is really important to your Most Valued Customers.
Not true? Prove it.
- What are your customers doing now to try to solve the problem they have that your product solves? How would that change if they used your product?
- What kinds of things do they say to their friends or colleagues about what they really want?
- How do your customers feel about the problem you’re trying to help with? What fears exist there? What secret desires?
There now, that wasn’t so hard. If you seriously answered those questions, using words your customers would actually use–not silly things like “speak my truth” or “create synergy through multiple verticals”–you’re well on your way to more effective sales copy.
It’s a simple exercise in Empathy.
Empathy is a stunning act of imaginative derring-do, the ultimate virtual reality – climbing into another’s mind to experience the world from that person’s perspective.
— Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind
Will you put yourself in your customers’ shoes? Can you know what they’re thinking and feeling?
That, my friends, is the secret to sales copy that actually sells. No tricks. No techniques. Just being human.
Unfortunately, we all too often–myself included–try to put our smarty pants hat on and impress our potential clients with our knowledge. Not. Effective.
Our customers just want to be understood.
And they want solutions and services that speak to them where they’re at now and get them where they want to go.
Because I find the writing of sales pages such a joy (I’m not kidding!), I put together a training resource called the Sales Page Kick Start guide. It’s one of the many resources you’ll find inside Kick Start Labs.
It might just save you hours of headaches and put more money in your bank account.
Want access to that guide, many others, a community of like-minded entrepreneurs, and my expert guidance? It’s time to join Kick Start Labs, because being independent shouldn’t mean being alone.
Join now.
