Selling the Sizzle - How Hot Are You?

[Zendotstudio]

My father was a great salesman in the good ol' days.  We'll make that old cliche politically correct.  He could have sold ice to a Penguin.  And what was his secret?  He wasn't a blow hard, he wasn't aggressive, he wasn't like a litte dog that got hold of your pant leg and just wouldn't let go.  In fact he was a pretty quiet guy.  But boy could he sell.

He had 2 secrets.  One was he was a good listener.  Now it's pretty hard to listen out here in cyberspace, or is it?  Yeah, I think it is a bit.  But here's a few ideas.  When people send you an email or buy something from you, sit up and pay attention, try and find out what it is that appeals to them about your product.  Why do they want it?  What distinguishes you from other jewellery sellers or purse knitters or whatever it is you do.  Do you have the best prices, or fabulous imported fabric or are you making something no one else is?   And then remember to focus on that when you post your items or blog.

The second thing my Dad knew is that yes people want to know about your product, but really they want to know what can it do for them.  How will it make their life better or easier or more glamourous or whatever it is you're offering.  Do your customers tell you that they are always getting compliments on the uniqueness of their purchase?  Use that info in your descriptions.  You are casting a line and hoping to catch a sale.  

And in advertising if you watch what they're up to,  they are never really telling you about the product, they are selling you a lifestyle.  Now I'm not suggesting you resort to unbecoming ad world tactics (that kid's, is a polite description of the word's that are really running through my mind).  But do create a picture, a feeling with your descriptions and photos.  Think of catalogues that you love and how they make you want one of everything.  That's what you're aiming for.  You are really aiming to motivate your customer to buy your treasure which is beautiful and handmade.  Are you selling cool and modern, or kitschy and vintage.  Different props, different photos, different choice of words.

So even though, you're not knocking on doors or hanging out in a shop, chatting with customers, you can still use the old tried and true methods of listening to what your buyers really want, offering them something that is helpful to them and reminding them of how great their life will be when they buy your handmade treasures.  Happy sale-ing!

[PillowThrowDecor]

Wow great article. Selling online is soooo different than traditional sales.
Oh so much to learn!    So fun though.

The two principles mentioned are the same online or otherwise.  Thanks for sharing a great story about your dad!!!

Cheers

Christine

[Fairy Cardmaker]

Ooo OoO!  This article just gave me the best idea for photographing my cards in the future!  I'm moving to a new house at the end of the summer and I've been wondering where I can take my product pictures... but I think you just gave it to me!

Thanks!

[PillowThrowDecor]

Wow I think i even heard your brain click all the way over at my house!!!

Oh how I love being around inspired people.  It is so energizing

[Zendotstudio]

That's such great feedback but now you've got me curious about your idea.  But you might not want to tell us about it??  We might just have to keep watching.  Another great trick for getting people to visit your site.  Make them curious!  I can't think of one right now, but there have been ad campaigns that start with just a few words and then you start to wonder and can't help watching to see what comes next.

[iCraft Admin]

Speaking of great ad campaigns, read this article "6 Lessons From the Best Marketing Campaign Ever" http://tinyurl.com/lvyuwm

[Zendotstudio]

Wow, that is amazingly creative and engaging.  It may not apply directly to what we're doing or selling but always, if you consider things from a creative angle, there's an idea that can be adapted, ripe for the picking.  So how will you be using it on icraft?  Is your head spinning with ideas???

[PillowThrowDecor]

"6 Lessons From the Best Marketing Campaign Ever" http://tinyurl.com/lvyuwm

Wow I read the article. I LOVED it as I traveled very close to the Island that speak of so I could visualize very well.

But even better article by the same author... "No one's reading your blog"
Link at the bottom of the story.

[Northern Girl Jewelry]

When I first heard about the Best Job in the World campaign back in Janaury, I thought it was the most brillant marketing strategy ever!  

Part of it was that they had something appealing that everyone wanted (when it was -30 here and lots of snow and a transit strike, the idea of 6 months on an island in Australia had lots of appeal).  And it was original enough and desirable enough that the media covered it extensively (especially in the northern hemisphere where it was winter).  

Plus they made it possible for people to participate in it, to check in (you could see how many votes the videos had, who was most popular) and to make you want to keep going back to their site.  So by the time they were deciding on who would win, they already had a built in audience.  So the new blog won't start off obscure like most new blogs, but with a built in audience.

The contest was launched during winter in northern hemispere, and the blogging is taking place July to Dec, which is the time that people are making descisions/planning for their winter vacations.  Perfect!

But ultimately the reason that it worked is that the tourism board looked toward what was special, unique, desirable about their product (the State of Queensland in Australia) and they sold that.  And they sold it to the correct audience.  

They just did it using social media, which allowed a well planned campaign to spread like wildfire.  

Each of us can do that for our product, but it takes time, thought and planning.  Rather than scattered efforts to reach everyone, which has us reaching no one.

[PillowThrowDecor]

I totally missed the story.... probably because I run and hide whenever someone mentions "a job".

[Zendotstudio]

Ms Pillow Throw, you always make me chuckle!  I hadn't heard of it either.  And I agree with Jewelery that there are lots of ideas we can glean from this seemingly good ad campaign.  I was telling my partner about it last night and he had heard about it and he had heard that there was a heavy "scam" factor involved (ie the ad company was doing up videos and heavily involved in manipulation, etc)  Kind of like the "scripted" reality shows.

I think we all fall into a whole different kettle of soup, being smaller business types. But one thing I think we can learn from their mistakes is to be honest in our claims and tactics, that if we have something to hide or are deceptive in someway it can explode in our faces.  And that can be very messy and uncomfortable.

I don' mean to sound like a naysayer but sometimes if it's too good to be true, well it is too good to be true!

[PillowThrowDecor]

Yes... that old adage may be true but "viral marketing" or social marketing whatever name they give it is quite amazing.

In our regional news last week a story was told about how someone captured (on their cel phone) a video of 3 guys ganging up and kicking and beating a young man.  The attack was unprovoked. The video was posted to
U Tube. A long story short... the bad guys were caught and the victim made some really valuable social comments in the press. Wow talk about exposure all through UTUBE.  

Another example is our unknown  British songbird from American idol... gawwwd I can't think of her name right now.  She became a household name overnight (LOL... that's how long some things stick in my brain) all through Social Media.

This is all so foreign to me because I am like you ... a little jaded. I have seen every marketing stunt in the book over the course of my career.  But this social /viral marketing is fascinating.  It is sometimes like a watering hose under  full water pressure.  Gawd, you're never sure which direction it is going to take next. But... in a social/viral marketing plan you can assert a bit of control by pushing "peoples' buttons". There in lies the secret of "consumer content" selling ... getting the right people to say the right things at the right time.

Sighhhhhhh... haven't figured it out yet but my goal is to get Martha or Oprah obsessing my GEEK PILLOWS in my SIGNATURE line. Magazines, talk shows, oh yes... and a documentary (like CoCo Chanel) of how I came upon the idea... yup yup yup... all these things happen in the theater of my mind.  Why not? ...I have pillow fairies and Geek pillows that talk