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Most people don’t like ‘hard sell.’ Here’s a tip for how to sell in a different way – by Purposing.
Most of us struggle with a sales pitch. We don’t want to feel pressured into buying something that we’ll regret later. We prefer to make up our own minds.
But what if it’s you doing the selling? What if you are going for an interview and you need to sell yourself? Or if you’re a business owner trying to convince someone to buy your product or service? How do you feel about that?
Most of us feel pretty nervous when it comes to selling to other people. We feel like the used car salesperson. We don’t want to come across as pushy. We don’t want to be rejected. We don’t want to ask someone to buy from us, when there’s a chance they’ll say ‘no.’
What would happen if you were to change the way you thought about selling? What if you thought about it like this?
Instead of selling, you are just chatting with a like-minded person about what you believe in, and they happen to agree with you. That wouldn’t be selling, so much as a conversation.
And that’s exactly what Purpose does. It puts people in the same space, where they can feel comfortable chatting with each other. It creates mutual trust and a level playing field. Rather than operating on a ‘me’ and ‘you’ level, it creates an ‘us’ scenario. It’s what Seth Godin describes as feeling like we are part of the same ‘Tribe.’
By telling people:
– What you believe in – as it relates to your market, (Values)
– Why you are committed to the work you do, (Purpose)
– How you can improve the lives of your customers, (Mission)
It’s up to them to decide if they agree with your thinking.
If they align with your values, beliefs and mission – they are a perfect candidate to become a partner, supporter, or a customer.
This is what I call Purposing.
Purposing is the glue that binds culture with selling. It’s the ‘new marketing,’ because rather than being based on image and outlandish claims, it’s about authenticity and honesty. It connects two like-minded and willing parties together. Purposing informs every aspect of your product or service design, your branding, and your sales approach. And it makes your conversations and communications with your potential customers a whole lot easier. You can be yourself, rather than trying to remember a script.
To put Purposing to work, I suggest you ask yourself the following three questions:
This is the foundation for how to sell without selling. It’s a conversation with a like-minded audience who ‘get’ your Purpose and sense that you are there to actually help them.
If you need help answering those three questions, check out my new course The 12 Days of Purpose – the first day is free, so you can get started right away.
Good luck and happy Purposing!
About
Justin Cooper is the founder of Brand Purpose .Co, which helps employees, start ups, business owners and business leaders to define their Purpose and leverage it through their work, business or brand in a way that inspires, unites and connects the people they work with.