Why doesn’t selling work long term? First, let’s define “selling”:
For the purpose of this article, “selling” means using sales techniques to get people to buy, regardless of whether they need what you offer or not, or whether it will be a good fit for them or not.
Here are 4 reasons why selling doesn’t work in the long run:
1. People don’t like being sold.
When people shop it is to fill a want or need they have. They want to feel that they are making the choices. When you are a pushy salesperson, they feel that they forfeit the right to choose, and that they buy what they
don’t want – just to get you off their backs.
If you keep doing this with long term clients or repeat customers, they will eventually switch to a new provider/supplier – or develop sales resistance, and cut you off when you put any offer on the table.
2. “Selling” often results in a poor fit.
If you or your salesperson goes in with the mindset of “he is going to buy this today”, it means that the needs of the client or customer goes out the window. All that matters is the sale.
In many cases, the buyer makes the purchase just to get the pressure to stop. They give in just to be able to end the conversation.
After all, if all of your objections are bulldozed, the salesperson is not listening to your needs (as a buyer), right?
If you sell something to someone it is not a good fit for, you can expect the “sell” to become harder and harder with each consequent meeting.
3. People start resenting you as a person.
If you are always selling, and always pushing to close the sale, your prospects will eventually develop an aversion to you as a person. Regardless of how good your offers are, the moment they see you coming, they will be on the defensive – especially those who don’t have money to waste.
They will associate you – or your sales team/sales person with uncomfortable conversations in which they have to give up all control, and get out the checkbook.
Over time, you will find it more and more difficult to get in the doors of your existing clientele.
4. Clients develop “sales resistance”.
If you are always selling, some of your clientele will simply develop a resistance to your sales “offensive”. No matter how good a salesperson you (or your employees) are…
Once that happens, the door is shut in your face forever – regardless of what you have to offer. People will stop you the moment they realize you are “selling them” again.
The big question is this:
Do you want a few sales now, or do you want to keep each new client or customer for many years to come? Do you want to make good money right away, and always keep searching for new customers or clients…
Or are you willing to slowly, systematically build a network of people who don’t buy from you every month, but who WILL buy from YOU when they need something?
Do the math, and decide for yourself.From a business perspective this makes sense. It costs around 5 times more to find a new customer than to keep an existing one happy.
But how do you “sell without selling”?
Actually, it is simple: Figure out what they need and what they want. If you can solve people’s problems (even problems you have to make them aware of), your products and services will sell themselves.The
reality is when people sell themselves, your job is much simpler.
People love to have solutions which work for them. They don’t like a solution pushed upon them. So – showcase the problem, and offer the solution. When they are ready, they will take you up on it. It might not all happen at the pace you want it to happen, but your lifetime customer value will end up being a lot more.
At the end of the day, the effort vs reward ratio for solving problems is a lot better than the ratio for “selling”.