Go to the Main Business Forum page

If you can't sell FREE, maybe you shouldn't be selling? [Archive] - SOWPub Small Business Forums

PDA

View Full Version : If you can't sell FREE, maybe you shouldn't be selling?


Pages : [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7

GordonJ
June 18, 2018, 11:54 AM
Frequent discussion; selling vs magnetic marketing. Or as I recently said at the Warrior Forum; "Little Debbie has NEVER had to sell me a delicious little snack cake."

She just sits there, all smiles, beneath her bonnet, beckoning me to sample her wares, and me being a Nutty Buddy junkie, can't resist.

Little Debbie, LAY'S, gasoline for the car, and gazillions of other items, which just sit there, on a shelf, in a tank, waiting for me and millions like me to show up and SPEND MY MONEY.

These "magnetic" items pull us to them. Sure, there may be branding involved, whether we reach for a Bud or a Miller brewski, but there isn't a PERSON standing there, or knocking on my door SELLING these things to me.

VAST majority of people don't want to sell, hate it, can't take the rejection. Those that can sell are some of the highest income producers in business.

Which is why REMOTE selling, and Copywriting is so popular and one of the fastest growing trades (dare I say commodities?) online.

Anyhow, my advice to people starting out is pick a product which doesn't need selling. OR, learn to sell, either by direct or remote means.

Then, I may get asked, WHAT? to sell. My answer, find buyers. DEMAND, wants, needs.

Business need customers. ADVERTISING is one of the most needed things which businesses buy. Sell advertising.

PART 3.

Over the last 5 years I've been involved with several people who have done or are doing the "selling advertising". Long ago, I latched on to a Don Alm idea (restaurant daily specials) and did very well with those programs.

Although I'm not a stranger to selling ads, started in 1965 with ACTION AD CLOCKS, and have been in many programs, selling ads can be a grind.

It was a shoe leather business, a SEE the people, see the people, see the people thing, and the competition is still fierce. Today, instead of TV, radio, and Yellow Page ad salespeople coming in, biz owners are daily assaulted with Web site salesman, SEO, social media, and us POSTCARD salesman.

There are ads sold on the back of register tapes, on mugs in a restaurant, on top of pizza boxes, on coupon mailers, in booklets, billboards, buses, benches, everywhere you turn you get an ad in your face.

HOW to compete in the modern world of advertising selling?

Don't.

Be different, offer something unique, something which works. And, offer something for FREE.

After a couple of years of testing, refining and perfecting, we're close to having the ultimate Advertising venture ready.

Nothing new, not exactly. But the HOST card with offers on them is or may be the very best of the business generating promotions, low cost, targeted mailings with very good offers.

The problem is, too many businesses don't know what they are doing, or how to maximize their business. They lack a plan to KEEP customers. Of course, it depends on the type of business too.

The gas station up the street doesn't need to advertise, the little red light on my dashboard is the best salesman there is, when he starts blinking at me, I head for the station.

Gordon


Some recent posts on the forum...




Unusual Business Ideas
Interesting, proven, and unusual business ideas
Entrepreneur-Web Internet Resources
Directory of resources for entrepreneurs
Best of Sowpub
Some of the best posts


This is a SOWPub Archive page