When attorney regulations took over the financial services industry, selling insurance became a complicated game of cut and paste instead of an art. It was no longer about great salesmanship and building relationships with people who trusted you. It instead became a numbers game. We all read from the same script and rarely could we sway off course.
Now here I am with a successful import business and I’m selling again.
It’s not face to face, of course. But the art is still there. Who are these people I’m trying to reach and what do they want to buy?
In the past two years, I’ve tried a bunch of different products and bundles. I’ve tried things I’m interested in like sports gear. And things I had no clue even existed (like chakra beads.) And quite frankly, that’s part of the fun. I get a real kick out of seeing what other people want and how they spend their money. It amazes me sometimes.
And the funny thing is, you’d think the secrets to selling sports gear and chakra beads would be different. But they’re really not.
I’ve learned in this process that once you learn to market and sell, it doesn’t really matter what you’re selling. You can adapt the same sales techniques to any product.
The secrets to selling online are simple…
***First…find a niche product – I’ve sold chakra, yoga, and exercise products in bundles. You can choose anything that interests you. I’ve also sold sports gear and kid’s birthday supplies (though my kids are fully grown).
***Second…immerse yourself in the niche and learn everything you can about who would want to buy your product. That person is your target customer. Facebook will help you find them.
***Third…provide an irresistible offer your target customers can’t live without. (Again, see what I’ve said before about bundles.)
So here again is how I’d do it…
Kettlebells are a new exercise trend. Let’s say you want to sell those.
First, you’ll look for things to bundle with them. Maybe an exercise towel and a water bottle. Then, you’ll throw in something extra – something unexpected – like an e-book that offers tips for weight loss to make the bundle more appealing.
You can write the book yourself or you can hire someone else on elance.com or fiverr.com to do it for you.
I typically combine elements from a bunch of different sources to create something unique. That way I’m not rehashing the same advice they’ve heard again and again online. It gives my products more value.
Offering the e-books also gives me the opportunity to build a list of e-mail addresses for the future. In order to get the e-book, they need to provide me with a valid email address.
I haven’t used these addresses for anything yet. But I will. And that’ll just be another avenue of sales.
And then you just repeat this process again and again with any product you choose. Dog collars can be paired with grooming supplies and an ebook on dog whispering. Beer garden statues can be paired with garden tools and an ebook on landscape design or gardens around the world.
Bottom line…it’s all about learning how to put a good offer in front of a person who is passionate about the niche you’re selling.
And now that I’ve recognized this pattern in sales, I find a tremendous sense of security knowing I can just reproduce it again and again to take care of myself. I’m in control of my income. Not someone else.
And that’s fun.
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