017. Why Your Product Doesn’t Sell Itself

Episode Transcript

017. Why Product Quality Doesn't Actually Matter in Sales (and what to focus on instead)

[0:58] Well hey there guys welcome to another episode of the build it like a business podcast I'm so glad that you're here today and I'm so excited to talk about this topic going to be talking about products selling themselves or rather how they don't so this isn't topic that came up last year when I was doing our leads for a lifetime lead generation challenge right before the holidays were doing this right before Black Friday and on the first day it was a five day challenge so on the first day somebody mentioned that one of their biggest takeaways was realizing that they couldn't rely on their products to sell themselves that the sale itself that getting that Salient learning that sale was really that it was about earning it that it was about so much more than actually just presenting the products and letting people buy it like we've talked about this idea of try before you buy and how when someone can try it while they'll instantly fall in love and for her she realized that that's just not the case that is not how it works at all products don't sell themselves and that might seem really obvious but it's a mindset that you might not even realize that you have.

[2:10] And I know you wouldn't be selling your product if you didn't love it right like you would never sell a product that you didn't believe in that you weren't passionate about that you weren't excited about. And that product probably is awesome I don't know because I probably haven't necessarily used it there's a lot of products out there but it's probably awesome that's why you chose to sell it. But here's the thing the quality of a product does not dictate how easy it is to sell. You can honestly have the most incredible product on Earth but if the consumer the person that you're trying to sell to feels uncomfortable or doubtful or in any way they feel anything other than great during the selling process or when you ask for the sale they will not buy. They really have to feel like they Trust.

[2:59] Product of course but they also need to trust the method of sales and that sounds really generic so I'm going to explain what that means when I see the method of sales they need to either trust you if you as a person or individually making that sales so this could be on the phone you're making a sale this could be if you're in person at. A party as a direct seller this could be if you are instant chatting with somebody they need to trust you as the person that they're talking to. But also if you are an online business or selling through a website then that website now represents you and they need to trust that website just as much as they would trust a human in person that's actually handing them a product. And making that sale that's finalizing that sale that trust has to be there.

[3:48] And if a product is great in a product is amazing but it leaves the consumer feeling doubtful.

[3:54] Awkward or unsure or uncomfortable they're out they will not buy if they don't feel good about the situation. I mean if you think about yourself that's probably true right like you would never buy if you felt, like you were being pressured or uncomfortable or like it was just a horrible experience overall. So you've got to have that trust with whatever the method of sales is whether it's you as a human. Or it's your website which is representing you when you're not there you've got to have that trust before a product can never be sold it doesn't matter how awesome the product is.

[4:32] So in direct sales or network marketing this is why it's really common to hold an in-home party in order to sell a product or even an online party to sell a product but especially in Home Products which we haven't really done as much of this year or rather last year and this year in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic but.

[4:53] In general those home parties are an opportunity to build a relationship really quickly it's really easy to build those quick relationships in person versus online, when you're in person you have your body language working for you you have conversations working for you your voice and inflection all of that is there helping you grow that relationship and it really puts it on the fast track it really makes that relationship grow much quicker. So it's really easy to build relationships in person but also why online businesses will use things like sales funnels and long-form sales Pages which you're going to find on the anchor design code website if you're ever buying a product from us like the anchor card digital business card or you're joining our social media marketing membership The Savvy social tribe we use long so long form sales Pages for both of those things and the reason for that is because it allows us to have a conversation with the consumer it allows us an opportunity to have that conversation that we're not physically present and able to have when someone's just hopping on our website because we can take up the space on that page. To talk and share and connect and we can share results from somebody else where if you were in person you might share a photo of a before-and-after well. Online on a sales page we can share testimonials.

[6:17] When you're in person you might share a demo of your product maybe they have an opportunity to actually try it before making their purchase. Or maybe you're just letting them see the product so they can see what it looks like they can touch it they can feel it and they get that interaction well online on a long form sales page you're doing the same thing. You're showing pictures you're showing videos you might even be offering some type of free trial all of those things that are happening in person at what a direct seller might call an at-home party or even a retail store might have happening in their actual physical location their happening online as well through sales funnels and those longer form sales pages.

[6:59] This is also why webinars and videos like Facebook lives or a YouTube video all of those things sell really really well. Cause they give an opportunity to build a connection and build trust and just really create that relationship. Quickly before you ever ask for a sale if you've ever joined a webinar or some type of online training where. There was a sale during that training or that webinar there was a period at the beginning where there was a lot of talking and teaching and educating and building trust and then at the end.

[7:38] Once the value had been delivered that is when the person hosting the webinar asked for the sale and it's the exact same thing it's the same as online. Or in person parties it's the same as a long form sales page or a sales funnel it's an opportunity to build a relationship quickly.

[7:57] For you actually try to sell something.

[8:00] So it's really about a lot more than actually talking about the product I've heard people say that you need to romance the product talk about why it's amazing you need to build it up. And I get why they're saying that because you do need to do that you do need to share why your product is amazing and all the awesome things that are involved in it. But you can't stop there or really you can't start there you really have to back up and start a lot earlier than actually asking for the sale which is when you might share the benefits and amazing things about your. After service you have to back up and start before that and build a relationship. So that by the time you actually do ask for that sale you have a shot to even make it.

[8:44] If all you do is talk about your product you only ever talk about why you love it or how you use it in your life or what other people are saying about it if all you ever talk about in some way shape or form is your the product that you're selling people are going to tune out they don't know why they should trust you they hear you they understand why you think that your product is awesome but you're telling them it's awesome why should they believe what you have to say and in a world where there's just so many scammy sales people like. I'm going to be real with you I get probably seven or eight scam phone calls a day like the robo phone calls so many so that I have my phone set to immediately send all unknown numbers to voicemail because it's honestly just a little bit crazy and that's the world we're living in where I can't get through a day without a robocall and you probably experienced the same thing. So in this world where there are so many scammy salespeople and weird situations like that who are just promoting products for the money not even caring about whether or not it's a good product not caring about the end user the person who's going to consume it.

[9:54] The cost of Entry if you want to sell something is a relationship because that's what differentiates selling whatever you've got.

[10:03] From the people who are being scammy and being Sleazy and all that. It's the relationship it's the connection it's the trust is The credibility it's all of those things that set you apart and take you from just trying to sell something to actually trying to make a difference for people.

[10:22] Now I'm sure that somebody listening it right now is like no no my products really do sell themselves when someone tries out or they see it they're instantly in love and they always buy it and I hear you I understand why you're saying that I understand where you're coming from. But I'm also going to say that you are absolutely wrong okay hear me out products really don't tell themselves everything leading up to that sale is what has sold the product even if you didn't really have to say much during the actual selling process so if we're sitting in front of each other and I buy from you the minute you say do you want to buy this that moment is not what actually sold me on the product it was every interaction with you that led up to that moment it was the way that you carry yourself it was your confidence it was the way that you presented yourself online it's your branding it's how professional you look in that moment and online. The story that you shared that made me feel connected to you that made me feel like you understood me it was you identifying a need and then finding the right person with that specific need and providing a solution to them it really is so much more than that teeny tiny moment of. You saying will you buy this in the other person saying yes I will take that from you and here is my money.

[11:43] So the question is now how do we unlearn this idea of the right product will sell itself how can we be more intentional about the way that we're selling products and how we're interacting with everybody in our presence. So that we can create an experience that leads to a sale.

[12:02] As if right now you're selling something and it feels very easy when you get to the actual sale that means that something is going right. Long before the actual sale is happening and so you have a massive opportunity, to analyze that look at that and pinpoint what's going right and do more of that. And if you're struggling to make sales and you feel like you know my product is amazing is really should be selling much better like why isn't it selling. Well you now know that there's a big opportunity to actually build up that trust and credibility and connection before you ever get to the moment of the sale so that when you finally do ask.mYou actually start getting yeses you can move out of that world of no start moving into the world of yes. And the way that we do that we start paying attention to what's happening before the sale happens it's the little things that you do it's your social media and the way that you're showing up it's the way that you connect with people via email when someone asks first poor or has a question how are you answering that are you giving one word answers versus really giving them detailed answers that are personalized it's the images that you use and whether you're using only stock photos from your company. Or stock photos from some photos subscription or unsplash or something like that versus showing you in your pictures and actually being present online and making that eye contact, people it's the way you talk and the way that you.

[13:28] Have conversations and show up on video it's the consistency it's the messaging it's everything that's happening.

[13:36] For the sale and when we start paying attention to that that's when we can start to pinpoint what's working and what might not be working.

[13:44] If you think about a store every store has like a vibe that is uniquely its own right think about Apple for example Apple products kind of seem like they sell themselves right like people walk into an Apple store and they know what they want and they leave buying if they have questions it's kind of just about how it works not necessarily whether or not they should buy it Apple's products sell really easily not because they're selling themselves though. They sell really easily based on Decades of work the messaging of Apple everything that they stand for, all of the humanitarian work that they do all of these civil rights work that they do all of that contributes it's their sense of community among users you people who have Apple products are.

[14:29] Fiercely loyal and fiercely defensive of their Apple products and it's that community that is contributing its consumers that are marketing to each other so those fiercely loyal and captivated fans and that's really an important thing to know is that their fans they're not just customers but these fans that Apple has created they are marketing to each other when someone online says what phone should I buy oh my gosh do the Apple lovers come out of the woodwork I'm one of them I come crawling out of nowhere and I'm like you need this because it's amazing blahblahblah it's not even my product I don't make a dime by recommending an iPhone to you but if you ask me what phone to buy I am going to go out of my way to tell you why I love my iPhone because that.

[15:15] Is what Apple has built among their consumers among their users.

[15:19] It's about the types of people that they hire so when you walk into a store and you're talking to someone you're going to notice that they're hiring people who are friendly who are willing to have those conversations with you spend a little extra time and all of that contributes it's this experience that they've created for their customers. Also the people who aren't customers every single person who walks into a store every person who visits their website they've given them an experience that really sets them apart and helps them stand out.

[15:51] All of that contributes if none of that existed if none of those things that I was just sharing existed and I put an iPhone on a table in front of a random stranger who didn't know what Apple was and obviously didn't have any of those experiences and I said try this I think you'll like it sure they might enjoy it but I bet they won't dish out a thousand dollars to buy it right.

[16:15] But because of all those other little things that Apple has done the community the sense of loyalty among their consumers the people they hire the experience they create for customers.

[16:26] That has contributed to the fact that I have multiple times in a row bought a one thousand dollar iPhone or probably more and so many other people have as well so many thousands of other people and that credibility and loyalty and trust that Apple has built his what has sold that product and although your business might be on a different scale. It's exactly the same for you everything leading up to the moment of the sale is what sells your product or sells your service it's really The Snowball Effect this trickle effect. Of as you're sharing and helping people get to know you and teaching and educating and connecting with people these little things are adding up to 1. Thing which is a sale think about it this way if you lived in a vacuum and just handed someone your product they would not buy it there's no history there there's no trust there is no relationship there's no credibility there's no one in need factors you don't know anything about them so the truth is is that a stranger would not buy your product without any of that context that happens before the sale and if a product sold itself that's what would happen. He'd be able to have this moment where you just walk up to a stranger you say look at this here are the details buy it from me and they would buy it but. Products don't sell themselves and that is not how sales works.

[17:49] So it's really about so much more than your actual plan to make the sale it's about more than just the way yul's asked for this sale it's more than just the way your checkout page looks and handles your checkout process on your website. It's about how are you showing up on social media are you showing up with these shallow short captions about your dog in your food well I love those things. From my mom from my best friend but. If you're a business you've got to connect and interact and teach and provide value I would love to see her dog sometimes but more so than that I need to understand why you're an expert I need to understand why you are qualified to sell me whatever product it is that you're selling me because as much as I love your dog and I will snuggle mine all day long that is not what helps me understand why I should buy your.

[18:45] And a quick side note about direct sales specifically so often in direct sales and I'm not saying this is right or wrong but often in direct sales. You're told to connect with your friends first you know sell to your friends first Contact your friends first and that's a whole different topic for a whole different podcast episode but I want to talk about for one second why that doesn't work. Because the reality is although you have a connection with your mom your sister your brother whoever it is that you're talking to you have a personal connection with them what you don't have is is any type of established relationship with you as a person representing this brand this product this industry so if you're now selling makeup and they I don't know why they should trust you for makeup advice well that's going to be a problem even though they love you and they want to support you. That doesn't mean that they're just suddenly going to instantly trust that you know everything you need to know about X Y and Z product they need the same TLC that somebody else needs, in order to trust you as the salesperson for this product because you're really connecting with them in a different capacity. That's not to say your best friend won't buy something from you right but a sale out of support is very different from a sale out of trust and. There might be some people who make a purchase out of support but there are going to be a lot more people who need to build some trust with you first.

[20:12] From that perspective because they know one side of you and you're now coming to them from a totally different angle. So anyway that's just a quick little sidebar for my gals in direct sales who are listening to this right now so back on topic we're talking about showing up on social media and this idea of shallow captions about maybe your dog in your food versus captions that are teaching something or educating and providing value. And how that's one contributing factor to whether or not someone's going to be ready to buy from you when the time finally comes. The way you interact with your email list is another way that you can build connections with people or that you should be paying more attention to so if you think about it are you only sending an email to ask for a sale when there's like something going on or you only sending those emails that say 20% off or my new product came out. Or are you giving people a reason to really look forward to seeing your name pop up in their inbox by providing value by providing some sort of entertainment Factor.

[21:13] When you're connecting with an email list there's a lot of give-and-take that happens but you've got to give more than you take. So that people will trust you so that people understand that you really are there to help you really are there to provide value and better their lives in some way or another. And you can also think about how you present yourself you know are you looking thrown together in DIY and I might be in person it might be about the way that your dressing and the way that looking at it also might be about the way that you look online so are the graphics you're using blurry and like really old and kind of ugly looking. Or are you using these on-trend Graphics that really represent your business and represent your brand. Do you look flustered and disorganized or do you look put together and professional what message are you sending through the way that you present yourself. In person and online.

[22:08] And we can go back to that Apple computer example for this one So for anybody who didn't know Apple actually started in a garage like literally in a garage that's the whole entire multibillion-dollar company was started crazy to think right. But here's the thing if you walked into a garage and someone said Hey by this computer from me you wouldn't buy it.

[22:30] I wouldn't buy it I know that for sure I have way too many doubts about The credibility of the person selling it like I have a lot of questions I'm weirded out by the circumstances and frankly I have other choices I could just go get my phone or computer somewhere else so why wouldn't I why would I choose to buy from this really uncomfortable awkward scenario of being sold to in somebody's garage when I could walk to Target I don't know if target cells computers that's not a great example I could walk to some Best Buy down the road or some other store down the road and have a nice experience where I very clearly know that I'm talking to a professional. So when I'm talking about image know that I'm not talking about this from a really shallow place where I'm saying you know you need to wear makeup and like happy perfect all the time and like.

[23:20] Follow the trends and like do you know whatever like you know that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is how you express without words the type of business that you are and exactly what people can expect from you that nonverbal communication is so incredibly important again in person. Or online it doesn't matter, when it's online that's your body language in person you can present yourself through your clothes through the way you look the way you keep yourself clean but when you're online it's a little bit different right like people don't know if you haven't showered in two days you know or 5 days or longer, online it's about what type of Graphics are you using what types of images are you using what kind of consistency are you bringing to the table all of that counts.

[24:08] And when we're thinking about Apple because Apple has been really intentional about their look about their feel about their messaging and their branding I trust them and because I trust them because of all these years of effort and the work that they put in and the intentionality behind every little teeny tiny thing that they do. I Do by without thinking it does look like the product sells itself I walk into an Apple store and I am out in under 10 minutes or I'm done in.

[24:36] Clicks on their website and a phone is on its way in the mail it seems like the product sold itself but the truth is that it didn't. Years and years and years of intentional consistent work has gone into putting me in the right mindset to buy has gone into creating a brand that is globally recognized and trusted by basically everyone and so for businesses like ours where online business or direct sellers you can do this on a smaller scale you don't have to spend years and years and years Although the longer you spend the more trust will be built you can start today you can start paying attention to all these little things with the people that are right in front of you and that's going to contribute to the next time you ask for a sale how quickly someone's willing to say yes to you. You can sort of think of this as your brand or your personal brand so a lot of times when people are thinking about branding they think about a logo and maybe a color scheme. But really your brand is more about the actions that we've been talking about today and a feeling more so than anything else so what can you do to create that relationship that feeling and to represent your product with actions that are going to lead to building trust and building credibility and nurturing those relationships.

[25:55] So before you wrap this up I want to give you a few ideas for how you can start connecting with your audience building that trust and credibility so so first and probably easiest step. Show up consistently on social media right you've heard that before it's not the first time I've said it and I certainly didn't come up with this so you got to show up on social media you got to do it consistently. And then when you do show up be thoughtful and be intentional about what you're sharing and what you're posting. And in those posts in what you're doing on social media give value if you're doing a Facebook live you could teach about something and your social post you can share stories, you can have a lead magnet that you're sharing with people that teaches them how to do something maybe it's a guide that helps solve a problem that they have you can educate people through your interactions on social media.

[26:46] You can also connect with your email list in a Weekly Newsletter and this Weekly Newsletter does not need to be all sales obviously this Weekly Newsletter can just be a conversation that you're having you maybe you thought about something and you're like I really think that my audience could learn from this or would be interested in it or maybe it's kind of funny to them and like related to the industry all of those things can make great content for a newsletter I mean think about this podcast that I have. This is how I'm connecting with you how I'm providing value to you. And building a relationship with you as a listener I was thinking about how products don't sell themselves and realized that this is something that you would find valuable and I was like. Hey I'm going to share a whole podcast episode on this and with that I'm sharing a newsletter as well you may have even ended up listening to this podcast. Because I emailed you and told you that it was ready to listen to, so connecting via email without making all those emails about sales is a great way to build that connection and a great way to stay connected with your audience.

[27:50] And again engaging on social media so not just showing up and sharing your own posts but actually going out and connecting with the people that are on social media so for example you could go on Instagram. And you can find like-minded people by searching under different hashtags so if there's a hashtag that's specific to your industry try going to that hashtag and commenting on people's posts and leaving genuine. Comments about whatever they're sharing comments that you might leave to your best friend so think about how you can build that connection, the same way that you would build a connection outside of your business all of these are really little things but they add up and so when you finally ask for that sale it's going to be easier because the trust has been built your audience will see you as someone that they have a relationship with someone who is Credible someone who actually knows what they're talking about all of that is going to make a massive difference in whether or not you actually get a yes or a no when you're asking for the sale.

[28:53] And as you're thinking about all of this you might have a little voice in your head that's like I can't really afford to put focus and time and energy into marketing on social media and being present on social media until I fix my sales because I don't even have enough money to actually sustain my business so I've got to make the sale before I can go and deal with all this social media marketing stuff.

[29:15] But this is so backwards and I really want to make sure that you understand this before you leave this podcast episode today because this is going to change your life if nothing else from the rest of this episode, if you don't build the relationships. The sales are not going to come so if you're thinking that you've got to fix the sails before you go and deal with the social media marketing. You've got to flip it around you've got to work on building those relationships gaining credibility and really connecting with your audience. If you want to ever have a shot at increasing those sales but if you only ever focus on the sales you are going to struggle because you've got to start way before the moment of the sale ever actually happens. So to wrap it all up. Now you know that products do not sell themselves and you know that all the small interactions and Impressions leading up to the sale are really what contributed to actually getting a yes.

[30:19] And you know that if you want to grow your sales you have to take a step back.

[30:25] Focus on building those relationships first the sales will come. After you nurture your audience and build those connections so now it's time to go out there in the world and put all of this into action. And I want to know what can you do today to start being intentional about building those connections and building those relationships you can come and send me a message on Instagram at anchor design Co are you can come drop a note in the build it like a business Facebook group but what can you do today to start being intentional about building connections and building relationships with your audience and if you're looking for an easy way to get started I would love to invite you to come and join me in the Savvy social tribe at anchor design co.com / savvy.

[31:12] The Savvy social tribe is a marketing membership for direct sellers Network marketers and online business owners that helps you level up your messaging your image and your confidence.

[31:23] Build those lasting relationships with your audience through high-quality engaging social media content. So it has a member of The Savvy social tribe every month you'll get 30 social media post captions designed to deliver value to your audience. Build that trust and help them see you as an expert. These captions are written kind of like Mad Libs if you remember doing those in elementary school they have fill in the blanks so that you can quickly and easily personalize them for your business and audience without having to spend hours coming up with new content you can use them on Facebook you could use them on Instagram they're great for Facebook groups you can even use them to inspire emails to if you're sending out newsletters to your email list.

[32:05] You're also going to get 30 professional photos to go with every single one of those captions so that you can really stand out as a professional established business that you are. Or that you're working to grow into. And you can officially ditch that hobby image that's keeping your followers from becoming customers so you can learn more about the Savvy social tribe at. Anchor design co.com savvy if you're looking for a way to quickly and easily get started connecting with your audience using Instagram and Facebook and other types of social media without having to totally start from scratch or figure it all out a loan.

[32:43] I hope that this episode was impactful and helpful and that you were able to walk away with some actionable steps, for what you can do to start connecting with your audience and really setting yourself up for higher sales by building those relationships and building that trust and credibility I hope you join me again next week on Tuesday same time same place I will chat with you later bye for now.