Educating vs. Selling

Let’s get a few things straight. No matter what anyone tells you, selling sucks. Selling in this day and age does not work. Selling is a one sided process, creates too much tension and can exist only at a grocery store with a clearly defined need and for certain categories of products or services only. So unless you are selling oranges or ironing boards, clear necessities, the approach or the mentality won’t work.

I like to enjoy the process and provide a great experience, otherwise I would not be able to do what I do. It’s all about the long run and the sustainability. So how do we accomplish just that. I have learned that if you educate the public on the specific needs, if you get them to see and understand certain concepts, they will make the decision to acquire certain things, thereby you are not selling them, they don’t see you as a pushy person who they only want to get rid of, you are helping them and thereby they will take action on their own to make sure their needs are met, after all we are all very much self centered individuals who only care about ourselves.

When you make a person see things in a calm matter, when it makes sense to them, not only will you get a client or a customer, but you will get a proponent who will refer you to others.

Think about this. What do people like to mention and brag about? Great experiences and fun, right? Things that are enjoyable and things that make us think.

I had a haircut once when the girl told me that if she were to cut my hair a certain way, this would actually make me look better and she gave a few great advises that before her nobody ever did. She did not push it, she did not try to sell me on it, she was just being friendly and spoke through experience. I loved it, not only that while washing my hair she massaged the scalp, something noone else did. After the haircut I called up a buddy of mine and said how awesome it was and recommended he see her when he needs to get a cut.

Long story short, by providing excellent experience in all senses of that word, by not pushing anything, she was able to accomplish more than anyone else did before.

To sum up, when someone tries to sell us things, we don’t think about buying them but about how uncomfortable it makes us feel, we get confused, we can’t think clear, we may overreact, or react irrationally, on the flip side when we get educated on a proper way of doing things, on proper way of making decision, what that entails, when we get it, we decide on our own and are happy in the process.

So don’t try to sell me something, instead educate me, make me see things and I’ll decide for myself. Thank you.