Posted by I was talking to a friend the other day. He runs these monthly gratitude gatherings, where people come and talk about gratitude and how it improves their lives.
He generally only has 4 to 8 people in attendance each month.
It’s a better program than I just made it sound, but here’s a funny thing: When I made a suggestion to get more people to show up for these monthly meetings, he shot me down.
“It’s not my job to sell this to people,” he said.
Huh?
I know he wants to help people with these meetings, so I asked if he wouldn’t want to help MORE people.
Nope. “If I can help just one person to have a better life, that’s what it’s all about, right?”
It was like talking to an alien. Why wouldn’t he want to help 10 people or 100 people or 10,000 people if he could?
Why the fatalistic thought that he should be happy if he helps just one?
If 100 people were drowning, would he save just one and then quit for the day? By his logic, yes.
Anyway, my friend is nice guy. He’s just not too bright about some things.
Since he chose to do these gatherings, it is indeed his ‘job’ to convey the benefits of attendance. No one is going to figure it out through osmosis.
And as marketers, it is our job to help as many people as possible, too.
Just because you are ‘selling’ something does NOT mean you get to take a break. If your product helps people – and I’m sure it does, or you wouldn’t be promoting it – then it’s your job to tell the WORLD, or at least everyone in your niche.
And it’s your job to put forth the best possible effort to convey the benefits of using your product. Tell the story of how it will change their life for the better. Acknowledge that they’ve tried things before that didn’t work. Explain why this one actually is different. Take away all of the risk with an irrefutable guarantee. And be the person who makes a positive difference in their lives.
People out there are drowning in their problems. You have the solution to at least one of those problems. And it’s your job to get your solution in their hands. You’re on a mission. So get busy.
There Are Only 4 Types of Products
Every product falls into one of 4 categories, and here they are ranked by order of how easy they are to sell:
1: Relief of Pain.
This is always going to be the easiest thing to sell because people are willing to pay to relieve pain.
Think of the last time you had a toothache. I’m guessing you didn’t put off going to the dentist, and in fact you insisted on seeing your doctor the same day you called.
If someone wakes up to a flooded basement, they are on the phone searching for the plumber that can get there immediately.
And yes, this can also work with information products. Just think of the heart broken person who was just left by their spouse. How much would they pay to learn how to get their loved one back in their arms?
Any time you can convince your customer that your solution will relieve their pain, they will be eager to buy your product.
2: Solving a Problem.
This isn’t as urgent as pain relief, but it’s still highly effective for getting the sale.
If someone needs to make money and you can teach them how… or they have trouble getting dates, or need to lose weight, or they have no energy or can’t get a good job or… there are thousands of problems that need solving.
And often you’ll find there is also a pain element to problems.
For example, the man who wants to lose weight might be in pain because he fears his spouse will leave him for another, or because women don’t find him attractive and he’s lonely.
3: Giving Pleasure.
This is a huge category, and includes hobbies, sports, food, travel and a whole lot more.
People won’t do as much for pleasure as they will to relieve pain or solve a problem but take heart: The golf industry alone is a multi-billion dollar business, and that’s just one hobby.
4: Preventing Problems.
Preventing problems is hardest of all to promote, because hardly anyone wants to pay today to prevent a problem tomorrow.
Logically it doesn’t make sense, but we’re dealing with human nature.
You’re not going to change people, so it’s best to understand what they are willing to pay for (pain relief, problem solving and pleasure) rather than trying to convince them otherwise.