Marketing 101: 4 Ways to Sell a Watermelon

Everybody has that toxic trait where they see a master artist hurriedly splash paint across a canvas & think,

“Psshhhh! I could definitely do that.”

Just like with all art, there are many skills in the world that appear fluid & simple on the surface, but are actually deeply strategic.

The Art of Selling, is one of those skills.

On the surface, it may seem to you that every good sales-person is born, & that being persuasive is a natural & intuitive trait gifted freely to these people. But today I want to prove otherwise. Today, i’m going to show you 4 simple things even YOU can do, in order to sell anything, to anyone…

And i’m going to do it…with a Watermelon.

Now, let’s take the beloved watermelon. BEAUTIFUL fruit. Family favourite. Deeply Refreshing.

How would you approach getting people to buy something like that?

Well generally speaking, there are 2 broad ways other people would usually try to approach selling something like this. Read the following very carefully:

a. Justification

“Get fresh juicy watermelons from us!

Our watermelons are big and fresh and grown under the best conditions.

We make sure each watermelon receives at least 3-straight days of prayers and 7 days of positive affirmation before we ship them out.

Wanna buy one?!”

b. Empathy

“Are you thirsty?

Here’s a free small glass of watermelon juice. We also sell watermelons separately, along with a complimentary recipe leaflet for refreshing watermelon smoothies.

Wanna buy one?”

…

Did you get all that?

Let’s focus on that second approach for a bit.

Not only does it feel more unique & powerful & natural, but more often than not, more experienced marketers will tend to lean towards a variation of that second approach.

But why? What exactly was the difference between approach a & b?

It’s simple. Most people, when trying to sell, will instantly defer to the physical qualities & statistics behind a product, just like we saw in the first approach. They will list out all the best features, & stick closely to the idea of winning you over with logic.

The only problem?

People don’t buy with logic. They buy with emotion, and THEN justify it with logic.

The best way to close a sale, is to approach the conversation with empathy & emotion.

Which is exactly why we essentially did 4 things right in approach b:

1. Make the conversation about them.

“Are you thirsty?…”

A sale should never be about you. If you’re new to selling, there’s a tendency to want to start by justifying yourself, your brand, or your products. But here’s the thing…people don’t care.

Everyone is inherently selfish- focused on their own problems & goals. Which is why, starting out by talking about yourself is very counter-productive. Most people are absorbed in their own lives, so if you want to get their attention, start by capturing their personal problems/goals in your opening statement, then positioning your brand/product as the solution after.

2. Make them aware of a problem.

“Are you thirsty?…”

Fundamentally, sales is about demand and supply. “You want this, so I give you that”.

But what a really good marketer or seller does, is to make you aware that there is a problem that needs fixing. To make that top-of-mind. And in doing so, intentionally create the demand for their supply.

3. Incentivise a purchase.

“…Here’s a free small glass of watermelon juice…with a complimentary recipe leaflet…”

Make it harder for a customer to say no by adding offers that improve your trustworthiness and credibility. Buying is about trust more than anything, and anyone confident enough in their product to offer free samples or special offers instantly appears more trustworthy, which increases the chances of a sale.

4. Sell a solution, not a product.

If all you do is sell a product, it can get easy to cage yourself into making money from the product alone. However, solving a ‘problem’ allows you to create & sell a variety of products & services which fulfil that singular purpose.

In scenario b, the goal was not to sell a watermelon (plot twist, haha), the goal was to quench thirst.

Understanding that you are a solution provider before you are a product seller allows you to broaden your scope, anticipate problems early, & create multiple potential sales channels. In this case, a recipe book, as well as juice samples, are just a few new product channels that can be created to drive increased sales around the goal of “adequately quenching thirst”.

And there you go!

4 things you can add to your next sales offer to improve your ability to sell anything to anyone, even if it’s a watermelon.

Selling, is an art. As much an art as painting, or sculpting. But here’s the thing about Arts, they look intuitive, but they are founded on principles, and can be replicated.

So the next time you see a master sales-person at work and think, “Psshhhh! I could definitely do that”, I want you to know, that with a little bit of knowledge behind you, you actually can.

…

Hi! 👋 I’m Dimeji. A content marketer & brand storyteller who’s been building & selling — mostly selling- digital products for years. I make content about how creators and business owners can communicate a message in a way their audience wants to listen to. Get more insights delivered to your inbox on my email list — subscribe right here!