Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Price Doesn't Sell Product or Services, Up Front Value Does




Have you ever worked with that one sales person who asks the customer for their money right after the handshake? You know who I am talking about. They usually make the prospect so uncomfortable that it is nearly impossible to salvage a sale. Don't be like them. Let me explain.


You can absolutely sell more stuff by giving up front value to potential clients. I see the same mistake over and over all around the internet. Big Flashy Ads that say “if you pay me, I will show you how to do this or let me help you master this for X amount” are starting to be big turn offs. Plus, if you only have one tool in the toolbox, then you really have no perceived long term value to them.


With that in mind, I would seriously consider changing the way you sell online. Most all of the biggest brands and names in internet and social media marketing have already made these changes, my advice to you, is to follow suit. “Evolve or Die” as Craig Charles of BrainyQuote fame likes to say. From this moment on, if you are prospecting clients in any way, shape or form.. be it, online, in person, on the phone or whatever, you have to start giving them examples of up front value to prove why you are the go-to person for their needs.


Example: If you have a landing page up, with a free video offer for opting in, that’s a great start. But assuming once they see a 2 minute FREE video, you can immediately ask them for money to buy your stuff, is just insane. I guess you can, if you are the most persuasive writer ever, but for the other 100% of us, we have to take a few more steps before we can just ask for money. I think of internet and social media marketing, no differently then I think of face to face or phone marketing. I always put a human element to it. Try this, If you just met a random person on the streets that ask you for directions to the local Lexus dealership, just accross town, and you try to sell them your latest and greatest mobile GPS unit, you are going to miss a sale. Why? You missed the chance to prove your up front value by demonstrating how easy your mobile GPS unit is to use and how accurate it is, and you should have used it to offer them free directions and asking them if can you follow up with them later to see if they made it to their destination safely. Now that is VALUE ladies and gentlemen.


If your landing pages are converting but you are not getting sales, then you need to survey your list and find out why they did not buy. Don’t be afraid to ask them the tough questions like; Did I do something wrong? Was the video of any value to you? Did you learn anything new? or did I just plain suck? They will almost always be more than happy to give you all the feedback you need, and sometimes far more than you want.

If you are immediately asking for money at the end of your two minute video presentation, and they are not buying, you need to spend more time creating percieved up front value and bonding with your prospects. In this particular scenario, at least the landing page is converting and you are building an email list. If you want to improve your conversion rates almost immediately give everyone on your list something of real value that they can use instantly, something that will help them succeed. Give them additional videos, sales tips or branding merchandise that you have lying around so that they can see, first hand, that you are a valuable asset to them.

Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!

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