What Are the Real Values of the Soft Sell Point of View — Authenticity

*******************************************
A Special Bonus for You
“How To Build Your Soft Sell Marketing Platform”
1 hour audio download

Go to Bridging Heart and Marketing – Platform Bonus
*******************************************

Value is prominent in any sales transaction. In the traditional and typical transaction, value refers to the expected result obtained from the product or service purchased balanced against the dollar cost.

From the buyer’s side — “Is what you promise worth what you’re asking?”

From the seller’s side — “What you’re going to get from what I offer will be worth every penny and then some.”

This product-for-price value measure is totally appropriate. However it’s limited. Why? Because it’s entirely external. It’s only about the numbers.

There’s another measure of value that is equal to if not more important than even the price, a value that is central to the soft sell point of view. It’s about the relationship developed between the buyer and seller — the partnership.

It’s based not on quantity but quality. As a soft sell marketer you must keep conscious of the external, quantity measures — price, discount, special sale, guarantee, et al. They are important elements of a transaction.

But they must be balanced by the quality measures — authenticity, transparency, integrity, connectedness, interdependence, openness, emotional accessibility — the internal measures.

These internal elements have recently become vogue. But what do they really mean? What do they look and feel like when they’re applied in an email, a sales letter, a marketing campaign?

We’re going to explore these questions during the next several postings beginning with authenticity.

How do you know when someone’s communication is authentic? How can you trust that your message will be received as authentic?

Although authenticity is primarily an internal measure of value, to be whole it requires both internal and external qualities.

From the external side, authenticity requires proof.

Does what you say measure up with what your product actually delivers? Does your product walk your talk?

That’s easy to prove. It either does or doesn’t.

One simple way to reach that conclusion is to count the number of positive responses against the negative (no product will satisfy everyone). If the positives outweigh the negatives you can be said to be authentic.

There are many other ways to prove your product’s value and therefore your authenticity, but the point is made.

When you and your product walk your talk, your customers can confidently expect to achieve the result you claim your product will deliver.

And what have you done? You’ve established a believable expectation — and that’s one of the internal qualities of authenticity.

When your customer’s expectations are met, you’ve established trust — a cornerstone quality of authenticity. Your words and your products are genuine. Real. Free from deceit, falseness, or exaggeration. They are what they appear to be.

What you say and what your product can do come from a reliable source. You. In other words, you can be believed.

When someone gives you their belief, they emotionally identify with you and your offer. They see themselves in you and you in them.

It’s as though they say — “What you have out there I find and feel in here. There’s a match.”

Now they can act, because they are emotionally connected. They are safe to go forward.

Emotional identification is the foundation of any sale — and it’s another internal value of a successful transaction.

When there is solid emotional identification, the externals — price, return policy, etc, — fade into second position.

When the emotional connection is weak the externals dominate, and the possibility of a buyer’s-remorse-refund increases dramatically.

Emotional identification is the bedrock of a soft sell transaction, because it’s the connection that forms the partnership between seller and buyer.

Authenticity is the essence of a soft sell transaction, because it’s the source that inspires the connection and holds the partnership together.

When you are devising your marketing plan, be sure to give ample time (if not the predominant amount of time) to the internal values — because it’s on the inside that the sale is made.

Because It’s All in the Connection,

Judith & Jim

PS — Be sure to downlaod “How to Build Your Soft Sell Platform” by going to
Bridging Heart and Marketing – Platform Bonus