If you must make money, you must SELL; be it online or offline. There are no two ways about this; if you hate selling, I am sorry, there is a problem. Remember this year is running to an end; that is why I am opening your eye and preparing you for the coming year.
Charles Revlon, the founder of Revlon Inc, makers of the Revlon cosmetics range of shampoos, hair conditioners, creams, etc (they used to be very popular in Nigeria until the early 2000s), once made a famous quote.
He said, “At our factory, we make cosmetics, but in our stores we sell HOPE.”
Ever since I read that quote, it stayed in my head and has never left, so much so that each time I try to sell something to a target audience, I always ask myself,
WHAT DO THEY REALLY WANT?
This question is very important for two BIG reasons:
- Most times, your customers do not even know what they really want.
They may have an idea what it is, but they do not have a complete picture of it neither can they describe it well, but once they see it, they know and they latch onto it like sharks when they smell blood.
Here’s an example:
Before Apple came out with the iPhone, all smartphones featured a keyboard. Apple removed the keyboard and put it directly on the screen, so now to type, you simply touch your screen.
Did phone buyers ask for that? No.
If you left it to them, they didn’t know that’s what they wanted. All they wanted was a phone that was easy to use, now how to make it easy to use wasn’t something they could explain.
It was left to the genius of Steve Jobs to figure it out and then make a phone where people typed directly on the phone screen, bought apps that extended the use of the phone very easily, etc, etc.
And voila! People went bananas for the iPhone.
- You MUST find out exactly what your target audience really wants otherwise you will find it extremely difficult to sell to them.
Like I already said, most times customers really do not know in their heart of hearts what they REALLY want.
Now no matter what you are selling, there’s an obvious reason why they want it and there’s also a HIDDEN reason why they want it.
The obvious reason is based on logic, while on the other hand, the hidden reason is based on emotions.
Of course, hidden emotional reasons are hidden for a reason. They don’t sound logical, they may even sound stupid or selfish when stated, so because of that people in your target market don’t usually verbalize them.
But be rest assured, they are there, like an irritating uncomfortable itch that refuses to go away.
If you want to sell successfully, you need to figure out what the HIDDEN emotional reason is and base your marketing on that. Sell them a way to scratch that itch and they will give you money in droves.
When you master it, you will find convincing people to buy from you becomes very very easy.
Here’s a somewhat extreme example: you buy food because you are hungry. That’s the logical and obvious reason. However, the HIDDEN emotional reason why you buy food is so you don’t die.
That’s why people are alarmed when they hear someone has gone on a “hunger strike”. They are thinking, “does he/she want to die?”
You get the picture.
Now you may be selling one type of product but the logical and emotional reasons why people want them will differ depending on your
target audience.
In simple English, this means that the reasons why people will want something are different.
For example, kids want to go to a popular school because they want to be with “cool kids” and brag to their friends. Their parents however send them there because they want to set them up for a brighter future. They want them mixing up with children from families in the top 1% of the society and learning cutting-edge skills that will make them thrive when they are older.
Another example: While both men and women want to be in relationships with the opposite sex, their reasons are different.
The men do so mostly because they want to be with a piece of ass, that’s their initial thinking, then they fall in love and marry one. The ladies want a partner who they will get married to ASAP, not some unserious person who merely wants a piece of ass.
Now if that’s another extreme example, just take the lesson from it and ignore the rest. I use them so they make an impression and you don’ forget.
So what are you selling? Have you found out what your target audience really wants?
If you see real estate, are you selling land or are you selling, a retirement instrument that will appreciate in the future and keep the buyer today from having to depend on anyone when they are old and can no longer work?
If you teach business, are you selling books, tapes, and course or are you selling FREEDOM – freedom from a boss, freedom from an ordinary life, freedom from lack, freedom from small?
If you are a photographer/videographer, are you selling shoots or are you selling everlasting memories?
If you are in network marketing, are you selling yet another “money making millionaire opportunity” or are you selling escape from a hated, unexciting j?”
If you sell cakes, are you selling flour or are you selling happiness and image?
If you sew clothing/are a designer, do you sell clothing or are you selling prestige and a way to stand out from the crowd?
If you sell health supplements, are you just selling drugs or are you selling lasting relief and a longer life?
If you are a foreign education consultant, are you selling education packages, or a way to escape the failed Nigeria system and get a better education and this a better life abroad?
If you sell travel packages, are you selling travel tickets or are you selling a dream lifestyle, an opportunity to de-stress, and reinvigorate?
If you are selling cryptocurrency, are you selling scams or are you selling a ground floor opportunity to get rich really fast? 🙂
If you are selling cosmetics, are you selling creams, potions, and lotions or are you selling the hope of becoming beautiful after using the products?
What are you REALLY selling?