Archive for Soft Sell Misconceptions
More Soft Sell Marketing Misconceptions
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In watching online for references to Soft Sell Marketing I keep coming across more and more misconceptions. In a post below I said they were a dime a dozen. Well it’s becoming more like a “dime for two or three dozen.” Here are a few examples of what I mean.
1) — “You could try the ‘soft sell’ approach in your marketing materials. Simply state your company’s name and include a list of the products or services you sell. This is a very common approach.”
Simply stating your company’s name and list of products has no value for your potential customer. That’s like going to a pharmacy looking for sinus headache medication and being given a list by the pharmacist and directed to the aisle where you find ten or more options.
You didn’t go to the pharmacy to be told – “Choose from the list.” You went to get help from the expert – the pharmacist – so you could experience relief from your headache.
Simply, or rather, merely, including a list of your company’s products without any description of which one may be best and how they apply is a disservice to your customer.
2) — “Soft Sell tends to rely on far more docile marketing, using glossy images and big stars to soft-sell products.”
Soft sell is not docile. It’s just not brutal. It is conscious, caring, and committed to your customer’s well-being.
“Docile” means: ● Ready and willing to be taught; or ● yielding to supervision, direction, or management. To call soft sell “docile marketing” isn’t even a logical use of the word “docile.” The phrase, as used, would mean a marketing process that yields itself to be directed. Nonsense.
3) — “Soft Sell Marketing is a strategy that uses subliminal messages to promote certain products or companies.”
Soft Sell, conscious marketing is NOT subliminal. It is up-front, transparent. You, as the marketer, are confident to make the clear and persuasive case for the value of your product and the benefits the customer will receive and you have NO reason to hide,
Subliminal marketing reflects a marketer that is in hiding:
● either purposely – for nefarious reasons –
● or unconsciously – because you don’t really understand or believe in your offer
● or just ignorantly – because you don’t know that you don’t have to hide.
4) — And lastly (for this post), “Soft selling doesn’t mean being shy or reserved in your sales efforts, but it does require a more indirect and educational approach that shows you’re listening to your customers.”
Here’s a simple question: just how well are you listening to your customers when you are using “listening” as an indirect technique in order to get them to buy.
Listening is listening. Just listen. If you have a beneficial product or service it’s not going anywhere. It’s right there in the process. Have more respect for your customer. Be direct. Wouldn’t you want to be treated that way?
Because It’s All in the Connection,
Jim
Soft Sell Marketing Misconceptions – A Dime a Dozen
Posted by: | CommentsIf you prefer listening over reading, simply start this audio player to hear the complete post.
Recently I read a blog post comparing soft sell with hard sell and the writer listed several of the many soft sell marketing misconceptions.
The Writer Wrote: “But in the race to present one’s personality to the client, it’s important to keep in mind that these soft factors are likely to result in new work only if the proposed soft sell involves something that the prospect or referral source actually believes will address a personal need. Much of the friendly, hey-I’m-really-nice marketing plans miss that mark entirely.”
This was my comment:
Misconceptions regarding soft sell have become a dime a dozen and it’s arguable they’re worth even that.
The idea that soft sell is — friendly, hey-I’m-really-nice marketing plans — would of course miss the mark. This notion arises from traditional hard sell marketers whose focus on Get The Check precludes them from really understanding the process of relationship marketing that serves the customer, serves the seller, and makes a profit.
To focus on presenting one’s personality, and under the pressure of being in a competitive race while doing it, can only be crippling, because it takes all of the real connection, the real emotion out of the process.
Presenting one’s personality is mechanical. To believe you have to present is a sure sign of insecurity and a lack of confidence that leads to thinking – “Oh I better present a good face if I’m going to make this work.” Used-car-salesman anyone?
First and foremost, clients are looking to have their problems solved – WIIFM – what’s in it for me. And yes, the best client relationships are built on a personal relationship but not at the expense of getting the job done.
Because It’s All in the Connection,
Jim
The Heart of Marketing, our #1 bestseller, will give you practical insights into how Soft Sell marketing can work for you — for your profits and your soul.
