I took part in a webinar last week about how to sell your product/service using Linkedin and email.  It was interesting, but I didn’t think I was quite ready for emailing out to potential customers just yet.  I needed to build my network a bit more through networking first.  Consequently, I didn’t sign up for the campaign.

Since then, I have had lots of emails about signing up for their service and it feels a bit too much.  I know the business owner is only trying to make a living and he wasn’t pushy in the webinar, so I’m wondering why his emails seem more desperate. This made me think about how you manage to sell, without blatantly selling.

When I think about what makes me buy something, I have certain criteria, which I think are quite obvious:

• It has to be something that is going to be worthwhile to me or my work.  Like most people, I haven’t got an unlimited budget. I must assess whether what is being offered to me is something that I need and whether the cost is justified. 
• Do I know the person doing the selling?  It’s unlikely that I would buy something from someone that I had never met or didn’t know very well.
• How are they presenting their product/service?  Are they cold calling/emailing?  Or are they offering it in a more beneficial way via a presentation etc.
• How many times have they contacted me?  During what period of time?  Too many emails in a short period of time, would definitely put me off.
• Do the proceeds go to charity?  If a cat or dog shelter is going to benefit, I can be persuaded to buy all manner of things.

I think we’ve all been cornered by someone trying to sell us something that we don’t really want or need but we don’t know how to escape without appearing rude.  It used to happen a lot on our own doorstep.  Inevitably these situations are so uncomfortable that we try to avoid them – we put a note on the door, cross the road etc.

So, what have I learnt about my experience with the webinar guy and his emails?  Well, I think the main thing is that, initially I was interested in what he had to say.  Then I wasn’t sure if his methods of selling were right for me.  When he sent various emails in a short space of time, I knew it wasn’t right for me.  I didn’t want potential clients being put off by me not reading the cues and continuing to pester them.

We’re all different but I’m sure there are other people like me who like to sit back and consider the options before purchasing/signing up for something.  The more someone tries to rush us/push us into making a quick decision, the more we back off.

So many salespeople don’t get this, but the Dogs Trust charity representative did recently.  He told me all about Tetley, who had 3 legs and was looking to be sponsored.  I said I would think about it, he said that was fine.  Within 5 minutes I was back signing his form for a monthly donation. 

No hard sell but have a look at the services I can offer your business.