So you have an idea/concept/product vision and bottom line people aren’t buying it at the rate you feel they could be. Do you know why? Perspective.
I have been in the world of entertainment, art, and now for 6 years, sales. I have sold $50,000+ items and I have sold $3 items and everything in between. I got into sales because I love Psychology, and sales are 100% psychological. We need to get into the other person’s world and communicate in a way that is balanced, considerate, honest and as factual as possible. I have been asked how I sell things so well. Besides making sure I believe in what I’m selling, here are some very common areas where I see room for improvement in the industry of selling from a psychological standpoint.
Before we get into this, this article applies to a certain demographic. To those of you who are small business owners and entrepreneurs in any way, shape or form. Stop buying Facebook ads and start looking deeper. Stop hiring agencies to market and promote you and get centered. You may have the greatest product in the world but there are certain things that are vital to expanding that you may not be aware of
Ok, here we go…
1.You did not give your team a strong enough “why”.
The people that you hired or people that are representing you don’t have a clear idea of why they are doing what they’re doing beyond a paycheck or the insensitive of a strong work ethic. When you give your team a strong perspective, they will go to the world on fire and have the motivation to go the extra mile. I’ve worked with all different kinds of companies from Spiritual and Holistic Healing to Marketing and Promotion. It’s shocking to me sometimes to see how people are in a passion-driven industry and are “sleep-working”. Wake your team up!
2. You’re a master and you’ve already got everything figured out.
I have worked with people who are younger minded at 70 years old than someone who is 30-40 years old. I have learned to keep a young mind in order to adapt to this fast-paced industry of dream pursuing. So many people who have had success (and many who have not) already have a system in place. A strategy. This system has worked wonders, then out of nowhere, the algorithm changes yet again. Or your target market doesn’t like Facebook ads because they are on Instagram more. Meanwhile, you’re just donating free money to agencies and people who are making promises and not delivering. Or…your ego and or stubbornness is not even considering the possibility of another perspective to make a bigger impact.
I know that you may know this, but I’m reminding you as a friend and someone who wants to see you succeed. Youtube has a lot of great tutorials on how to get more followers and build a brand and almost every week or month there’s an update by people like yourself who just want to share. Get over the anxiety!
Study and indulge. Go down the rabbit hole of education. I taught myself how to edit video and photo and now I’m a working editor with clients because someone like myself wanted to share his knowledge. It’s really important to be open, especially if you’re not on the cutting edge of technology. The masters who continue to stay relevant have younger people around them who know what’s going on and are able to trust them.
3. You’re overselling.
People don’t care that “it all started on a Tuesday”. They don’t want to hear your emotional story. They want to know why they should try it, how it works and what it is. “If you’re a person who…” works wonders.
I’ve sold products better than the person who created them and it’s because, after the experience, I tell people what it did for me. I tell them WHY the benefits are important for me. This way it’s authentic and I can see people reading to me to see if I’m pulling their leg or if I’m coming from a sincere place.
Here’s an example of how I convert a “no” to a “yes”. Now while I don’t eat a lot of yogurt, if I were selling yogurt, I might say it has x amount of probiotics, which for me is important because gut health is important and the cows are grass-fed, which means they feel better, which means I feel better and I know where the ingredients are coming from. That’s important for my body and more so my mental health So yes, you can get the other brand that’s cheaper, but long term to avoid any health concerns, I will pay extra money to have a better lifestyle. Bam. Sold.
Here is a lighthearted but true example. If you’re selling people an online course because you made $10,000 last month and you want people to signup for your free webinar to eventually pay $10,000 for the secret of how to sell a course, the conversation is telling the person on the other end I took this course because I want to work smart, not hard and investing money will give me insight that other people in my field don’t have so I’m not wishing upon a star or putting myself in a vulnerable position from a business standpoint. On the other hand, if you don’t have that strong why or perspective, you can keep putting all the money into ads that you want, but there needs to be a connection. Lifestyle and Authenticity are in style now, not shiny promises. People have google now and they want to see you.
If I’m selling a $90 supplement that will spiritually enlighten you, my conversation is mental health is important to me and having emotional clarity is priority #1 for me to make stronger choices for myself and not get caught up in my emotions all day. If it resonates with them, it’s an instant sell. If it doesn’t, it’s not for them, it’s non-emotional. Move on and enjoy your day!
4. Your perspective isn’t broad enough.
I always try to find ways to connect with the person I’m “selling to”. I understand sales are psychological, people are emotional spenders and are looking for an experience. I’m having a ____ day, they are having a ____ day with a different set of ups and downs and they might not mentally be in the headspace I am. So I make sure that I build an experience around what I’m doing with the intention of connecting on a level of universal, undeniable truth. My “agenda” is being factual. People have so many beliefs in so many areas of life that it can be a challenge to get past those beliefs. When I acknowledge the person who doesn’t agree with me and follow it with “yes, I understand where you’re coming from, for me what I like is…”, it changes the energy and that person is just happy to be acknowledged. People will buy things just because they like you. It’s true.
5. You haven’t considered people’s perspective on you.
I learned after the first month of being in sales how important presentation is. You have one person who moisturizes, takes better care of themselves physically and mentally then you have the person who just knows the facts. It could be something as simple as the tone of your voice is deep and sounds more intimidating to people. I got let go of a job because I wasn’t “upbeat” enough. I felt like I was better than the job, so it was a blessing I got let go. When I focused more on not just my communication, but the rhythm, the excitement, the tonality and how I’m coming across to people, I started noticing better sales.
I have tattoos and that can be intimidating for people or be off-putting so I need to go the extra mile. I’m not a perky kind of person, I’m more laid back so I had to really find ways to authentically convey excitement with anything that I was introducing to a person who comes from a different background.
6. You’re not thinking outside the box.
I like introducing things and concepts to people that they never knew they needed but have been desperately looking for. When I’m selling something in the world of mental health, I find dialogue and perspective to open up. I give a powerful and vulnerable share. I humanize the dialogue. Bam. It’s natural and it’s authentic and I am motivated to keep going and not just focused on making sales and generating income. Money comes and money goes. The experience is everything.
The benefits of owning, trying, or doing something are one thing, but if you’re not connecting and humanizing the conversation, you’re going to have an uphill battle and burn yourself out. So the example I give is random, but let’s say you’re hiring a club promoter. If you know someone who is social they might be the perfect fit. If they don’t have experience in this world however, they might get overwhelmed or think they aren’t capable of being a promoter. So if I say “become a club promoter” that is an instant no. When I say “get paid to party with your friends” it opens up a different perspective and dialogue for people who weren’t even aware of the opportunity. Create possibilities.
7. There is not a strong culture in your workplace.
I have worked for companies where nobody knows what the other person does and that is a disaster for one simple reason. Most people are multi-talented. I can edit videos. I can market and promote a product. I can create a strategy to build a brand, I can do VoiceOver, I can DJ, I can produce music, I can also speak Spanish. I also have a great community and network. So maybe some of these things don’t apply to the business I’m working with, but if someone is doing something on the creative side and it needs audio, or engineering, or music for a video or someone to give insight, I can add value. Make an introduction. Broker a deal. So it’s important for people to know what the people around them are doing, what strategies are happening in comparison to what is needed, why people are doing what they’re doing.
I’m sharing this because there are certain things that are important to me, and the biggest one is education. Not necessarily the college diploma kind of education. I’m talking about human to human education. Someone sharing information they really believe in. Concepts, philosophies, information to expand the mind. It’s great to have an intention and be driven by this want to share it, it’s also important to understand most people don’t care outside of your circle. It’s not a sad or a bad thing, different people have a different set of priorities. So when we can operate from a place of curiosity, and understanding not everyone thinks like us and acknowledge those who share different views, we can open up a different dialogue and create big possibilities.
Find ways to connect with your client/customer and if possible try to share something in the conversation you wouldn’t normally in regards to what you’re selling.
Sales = Connection + Experience.
Peace.
P.S.
Let me know your thoughts on this matter or if there’s any criticism/critiques, feel free to share!
Enjoy your day.
Best,
Nicky Scorpio.