Please read, we’re asking for your help. . .
ByWe just signed the contract for our 6th book (yet to be titled) – which will serve as the initiation document of the Soft Sell Marketing Movement . . .
And we’re asking for your help.
From time to time we will have questions we’d like to get your input on.
In exchange we will do everything we can to include your response and name in the book. We can’t guarantee this because the editorial staff at the publishing house will be part of the process . . .
However, we can assure you that if you respond your name will be included in the Acknowledgments section of the book.
As far as what you write, don’t worry about length or grammar, etc – if we can use your response we will edit it if necessary and then return it to you for your permission. We’re looking for what you say to come straight from your heart.
So here are our first questions. Please copy and paste them into the Comments box and then type in your answer under each question. Be sure to put your website under your signature at the bottom of your entry to let the Google spyders know you were here.
Thank You! And remember, there will be lots of traffic to this site with many people reading these answers – so you’ll get exposure as well!
1) Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer?
of how you value your product(s) or service(s)?
of how you relate to your prospects and customers?
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace?
Because It’s All in the Connection,
Judith & Jim
Just copy and paste the questions into the Comments box just below and then type in your answers under each question.
1) Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
Soft sell marketing is more personal and focuses on building relationships rather than just selling.
I’m a psychologist and my focus is on the person, not how much they can pay me. Soft sell marketing is more congruent with my skills and personality.
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
Hard sell marketing focuses more on the dollar rather than the person purchasing. As long as you make a sale you are doing ok rather than trying to meet your clients and purchasers needs
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer?
When I first took my work online, I wasn’t comfortable with marketing my products or services until I realised that the hard sell wasn’t necessary, there was an alternative, and for me a much more beneficial and valuable way of marketing
of how you value your product(s) or service(s)?
I’m proud of my business and products… I’m proud of the service I deliver… and I’m so much more confident in marketing what I do
of how you relate to your prospects and customers?
Nothing much has changed in the way I relate to prospects and customers because it is the same way I relate to my clients in my private practice — I see them as individual people with individual needs and hopefully I have something that they can benefit from
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace?
I hope we move away from hard sell marketing as the norm… I’ve always backed off from anyone pressuring me into buying something or anyone trying to sell something that has got no idea what my needs are. I prefer to be treated as a person rather than a credit card number. I believe many people share that preference
Jeanne May
http://www.goalsnaspirations.com
http://www.aspirationsplus.com
Hi Judith and Jim,
1) Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
As a doctor who is committed to helping people to learn more about ADD and ADHD to improve their lives, I found that the power of information marketing is incredible to help people to find my information, and to help them to take action – both to take action to get the information, and also to take action to IMPLEMENT what they learn.
Unfortunately, most of the information about marketing uses a very ‘hard sell’ approach. While this works well for topics like ‘making money’, I found that it doesn’t work well for a health niche like ADD/ADHD.
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
As a doctor – if I provide marketing materials that are too ‘hard sell’, it really turns people off. Frankly – any marketing can turn people off. However, when I use an approach that is ’soft sell’, and shares my passion and desire to be helpful (and caring), the response is far better, and it suits both my personality style and my market.
That said, it can be a hard line to walk – i.e. to present marketing messages and to not be perceived as ’selling too much’.
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer?
It has made me feel much more comfortable as a marketer. To realize that I can market information about a health topic, and do it in a place of integrity, caring and compassion – that just opened the doors for me to really begin to believe in myself as a marketer.
of how you relate to your prospects and customers?
It has helped me to realize that the ‘personal connection’ can come through in emails/websites/blog posts. This has helped me to share the approach that I would use in my office in my website and copy. That is why I value this approach – because it is a process – it takes time, and requires continual ‘course readjustment’. Hence, the importance of a ’soft sell community’.
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace?
I hope that this approach will help committed people to reach their prospects more effectively, because the marketing approach will match the niche and the message. In other words, when someone has a ’soft topic’, they will be more effective in communicating with their prospects because of the ’soft sell approach’. Frankly, I think that many ‘hard topic’ marketers will do better with a ’soft sell’ approach too…
Thanks Judith and Jim for all that you do!
Dr. Kenny Handelman
1) Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
A way to market my products and services with an integrity and heart that matches my heart and message.
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
A just don’t believe that I will go broke and my family will starve if I don’t jump on every latest and greatest of each day (an overstatement, but not by much!)
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer? – I have a message I was born to tell and have an obligation to tell
of how you value your product(s) or service(s)? – I must get them out to those that need them – if not I am cheating them and me
of how you relate to your prospects and customers? – the marketing and selling process is now a spiritual service – cool thing is my sons are beginning to get this too!
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace? win-win-win – the message gets out there to those that need it – they benefit from what they get from us and share their message- we get to profit and keep getting the message out there…
1. Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
Although I want to make money, and do, it is not my primary motivating factor. My primary motivating factor in selling is helping other people improve their lives and make their lives more enjoyable. It was starkly illustrated for me that I think differently about sales than the majority of others in the field when I was in the very competative travel agent business. In response to the manager’s question, “What do you see when a customer walks through the door?” all the other people mentioned money, or commissions, or dollar signs; I saw a broadly smiling person returning to thank me for helping them plan a fantastic vacation with their family and friends, and to tell me they referred all of those people to me. I truly believe that it is in helping others get what they want that we get the greatest reward, and, ultimately, get what we want as well. And I also believe that when we do have an opportunity to help others, even if it means they have to make an investment of their money or time, we have an obligation to expose them to our product or service and let them know how it will benefit them.
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
I don’t like being told what to do, that I must do something, or that I “have to” have something, or that I “should” want something, especially if it is couched in a paternalistic, “I know better than you what’s good for you,” attitude. (Could be the result of being the youngest of 12 children and bossed around quite a bit!)
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer?
of how you value your product(s) or service(s)?
of how you relate to your prospects and customers?
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace?
I hope it will make it less wordy! I know some of the very, very long sales letters appeal to some people, but I like enough information and a testimonial or two to give me a good idea about making a decision, not a sales version of War and Peace. Does anyone really read all those lengthy sales letters?
1) Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
I am attracted to Soft Sell Marketing because it’s about reaching people through the heart and building relationships with clients to empower them.
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
The marketing classes and books I have seen, send the message “get the sell at any cost,” “trick the buyer,” and “push their fear buttons.” These marketing gurus…and I use the term loosely, seem to “hunt” buyers like prey.
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer?
of how you value your product(s) or service(s)?
of how you relate to your prospects and customers?
I have been changed because of Jim and Judith. They have brought such value and integrity to Soft Sell Marketing because of who they are. They truly care about people, and want services to get to the people who need them … and have been looking for them. Because of this dynamic couple, I saw a new way of looking at marketing. That’s gold for me, because I have been doing publicity and marketing for Television Networks for over 20 years, and the way marketing is done for the media is entirely different that Soft Sell Marketing. So…I had been frustrated. I knew I had to reach people, but the only way I knew how was the traditional way which just didn’t sit right with my soul, because of the services we offer…”How to communicate with awareness and heart.”
Because I attended the Soft-Sell conference, I really see a different way of marketing. It’s like thinking of your service as being a light in the dark for many people who have been praying for answers. The soft sell marketing is like being a beacon light for others to find you. Those of us who have services that can benefit others, like Judith and Jim say, “have a duty, and an obligation to reach those people.”
Soft Sell Marketing showed me the importance of staying in touch with buyers and clients through constant contact… blogs, newsletters etc. When someone receives mail offering them tips, and not trying to sell them something, it’s empowering… just like when I receive emails from Jim and Judith.
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace?
Because there is a lot of hard-selling on the Internet, I think people are immune to ALL types of selling – hard sell or soft sell. Maybe more people will be reached through soft sell who find valuable products and services. This will then allow them to be open to soft sell copy when they see it, instead of categorizing it as hard sell and as detesting as spam and junk mail. .
This whole concept of Soft Sell Marketing had to start with people who were respected, and have been known to inspire and lift others. It couldn’t have been even a notion without Judith and Jim.
Janet Alston Jackson
http://www.SportingtheRightAttitude.com
http://www.JanetAJackson.com
1) Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
Mostly because people need to be talked to with respect – scaring people or trying to force them to respond quickly does not respect their intelligence or their right to think about things.
It also respects the fact that older people, myself included, don’t like hype – they’ve seen the scams and are rightfully suspicious of half baked promises. We know that there are other things that are meaningful and above all I know I don’t like being thought of as so stupid I won’t see through the spiel….
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
Because it relies on fear and scarcity and it reminds me too much of the double glazing, time share and used car sales man… It backfires in the form of buyers remorse. It also seems kind of underhand – a form of smoke and mirrors. It shows a conspicuous lack of care and respect for the individual customer.
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer?
of how you value your product(s) or service(s)?
of how you relate to your prospects and customers?
I can’t say that it has changed me. But it has shown me that there are some marketers who are prepared to respect the fact that I might like to think about it – that I object to being hassled and prodded into making a decision without the facts – I know they are hoping to rush me into a sale.
I want customers to take their time and be confident that what I am selling fits their needs.
The benefit is that soft sell marketing gives me permission to care about my customers rather than how fast I can lighten their wallet.
So much so that I might even begin to actually sell things!
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace?
Clearly wishing for world peace is a step too far but I would like to think that it will make the market place more realistic, more humane and less greedy. On second thought, perhaps world peace would have been easier.
As a PS I loved the comment about less wordy. People buy based on their emotions and hopes – the benefits – the actual features tend to come a poor second. Recent research has shown that we make decisions subconsciously before we “think” and choose. How long does it take to tell the story that will sell? ………. Hmm, and how long was that piece of string?
1) Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
My primary reason for being attracted to Soft Sell Marketing is the focus is not about making money but instead it is about truly delivering my message from the heart and knowing that the money will follow. In addition the more conscious consumer, which is my where my clientele come from are tired of being pitched and sold.
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
Hard sell marketing and sales is all about the money – it’s about what in it for me (the marketer/sales person) versus what’s in it for the client. The conscious consumer today is tired of hard sell, they just want to know what they will be getting in value without all of the anxiety and pressure that comes from a hard sell technique.
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer? I feel much more comfortable asking for the money because I know that I am giving a great deal of value and not pressuring anyone to buy. In addition it’s given me the peace of mind that money will continue to flow into my accounts without arm wrestingly it out of my clients. The client feels they got a great deal and I can live with myself.
of how you value your product(s) or service(s)?
It’s reminded me that it’s important to value my products and services because without income from these products and services I would be unable to continue to help people and provide the gifts I have to help the world. Money is Power – We must have it to do good in the World.
of how you relate to your prospects and customers?
I come from a heart centered space with my prospects and customers and attract the those who have the money to purchase my products and services, where previously I felt that the prospects I attracted didn’t have any money.
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace?
I trust that Soft Sell Marketing will help to bring Internet Marketing into a safe place for people to have a way to buy products and services, and that the hard sell marketers will either have to change or start losing clients.
I was recently put into a situation where a customer’s credit card was declined. I contacted the client to take the order over the phone and the client said they took the credit card decline as a sign. Having worked in the Hard Sell Internet Marketing world for some time, I reflected on what I had been taught to do, and then reflected on what I teach – which is to trust your intuition… So I suggested to the client that she sit with it and to let me know if she changed her mind. I didn’t use any hard sales techniques and then I released the incident to Spirit for the Highest Good, she called back and placed the order and has since ordered several other things from me.
I believe this is what people are looking for – I think people are tired of the hard sell and ready to work with people who are honest and work with them while coming from the heart.
1) Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
As a woman who has long taught and used the “soft sell” approach I’m attracted to the fact that it is now something more people do. Everyone can come from their heart. That’s what Soft Sell Marketing is and why it works – it means you’re genuine.
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
It’s not me. Hard Sell Marketing is what too many people think of as a message or a person who “sells to you” and doesn’t get you to “buy from them”. I don’t MAKE people buy. They choose.
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer? I am now a “marketing mentor” for women in small business. This is what I do and teach. I’m now even more proud to market this way and to tell others to use it, too.
of how you value your product(s) or service(s)? I believe that we owe it to others to get our products and services to those who can benefit. I’m even happier (you can see my smile) to have had these experiences and offer them to others.
of how you relate to your prospects and customers? I’m more confident now that what I tell them works. (soft sell marketing)
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace? I hope everyone on the Internet uses this and shows more of themselves. The Internet will be more accepted by ALL people – especially those who think it is run by “masculine” promotions and language. The Internet will be a friendlier place for everyone.
Trudy Van Buskirk
Marketing Mentor
http://www.smallbizbuilder.com
1) Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
I’m attracted to Soft Sell Marketing because I want to help people and make a difference in the world, as well as earning a living – it can sometimes feel hard to reconcile the two.
I really like your definition of selling as ‘spiritual service’ and your emphasis on the fact that if you deprive yourself of building a spiritual business, you are depriving others and squandering the gifts spirit has given you.
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
Because it is precisely that ‘Hard’! For me it doesn’t feel authentic and is all about ROI (return on investment) as opposed to ROE (return on experience).
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer?
My aim is to connect with those people who I am most able to help and with whom I feel a connection i.e I understand and trust them and we share similar values.
Soft Sell Marketing places marketing tools and techniques within a spiritual context and when I’m using them to generate new clients, I know that it is all about service.
of how you value your product(s) or service(s)?
It is helping me to believe that my services do make a difference to people and subsequently the wider world (and to value myself!). This in turn makes it easier for me to receive.
of how you relate to your prospects and customers?
Sometimes I get anxious about the need to find new clients and generate more money. It helps if I shift my focus to asking instead “Who may I serve?”
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace?
The internet allows marketers to target people very specifically. However, it shouldn’t be a numbers game. Instead it would be great if it became more authentic and focused on bringing people together for mutual benefit. Ultimately we are all connected and not just online!
1) Why are you attracted to Soft Sell Marketing?
I am more than attracted to Soft Sell Marketing because I believe that people are intelligent and they know when an offer is from the heart or
not. They know if the product is genuine or not and they should be respected for who they are. When you make an offer to someone and you do it with integrity, they will sense that integrity. Soft sell marketing gives the audience a chance to sort things out and discover that it is right for them. If you allow people to do this without the pressure of hard sell, you make a “friend” of them forever. Soft sell is all about the relationship that we want to develop with our customer for a loyalty that last. Honesty and integrity are the pillars of soft sell marketing and that is the reputation that I want to develop.
2) Why are you NOT attracted to Hard Sell marketing?
I do not like most of the tactics of the hard sell market. I want to develop a relationship with my clients and have that connection with them, that only the soft sell world can bring. I have purchased products I could not afford and did not need because of hard sell marketing and there is no connection in that. It seems that hard sell is all about the bottom line and not in the relationship with the people.
3) How has awareness about the Soft Sell Marketing approach changed your view:
of yourself as a marketer?
Awareness of the soft sell market has shown me that I can have a personal relationship with my clients and make it about what I can do to help them.
of how you value your product(s) or service(s)?
It has taught me to understand that I do have something to offer and I can make a difference in the lives of the people I want to serve.
of how you relate to your prospects and customers?
Soft Sell has taught me to be myself, be real and offer what I know to help others. It has also taught me to learn more, so that I can help more.
4) What kind of impact do you hope Soft Sell Marketing will have on the Internet marketplace?
I hope it revolutionizes the entire internet marketplace in a very positive way. I hope the hard sell marketing community realizes that it is not all about the money, but rather, that it’s all about the connection between the client and you.
“Because It’s All in the Connection” quote by Judith and Jim