Why you don't need pressure tactics and cold calling to make sales

When I tell people that I help them make more sales, they often tell me it’s the thing they hate most in their business. Yet for me, it’s by my far the most important thing! Without sales you don’t have a business, sales is the driving force behind any business. I think all business owners should use 80% of their time selling. Yes, 80%!  But, for many, it becomes an afterthought or something they only do when they need a cash injection into their business. Sales isn’t something we should be dipping in and out of, but rather something that is at the forefront of our mind every single day, we should set sales targets and be on top of the numbers. The more we can do this, the more we will be in control of the sales in our business rather than the other way around. 

Whether it’s lacking confidence or worrying that they’ll come off as pushy, many of us just hate the thought of selling. However, I’m here to tell you that it really doesn’t have to be that way. That you can sell without the pressure tactics and cold calling we usually see mentioned in business books and social media.

The problem of selling the wrong way

When done right, you’ll fall in love with sales. For me, it really is my favourite part of the business. However, the problem is, it’s got a bad reputation.And do you know why? It’s because people are using dodgy tactics, pushy closes and scarcity marketing (where you capitalise on the fear of the customer missing out). It gives sales experts like me a bad name and makes people terrified of selling.

I don’t like it. So many people in my community The Entrepreneurs' Growth Club tell me they hate sales, and these bad practices are the reason why. It’s because, in the online space as business owners, we are seeing these forms of selling over and over again.

Let me give you some more examples. One such thing I have had my attention drawn to recently is a sales tactic called ‘invisible offers.’ This is where someone sells something without actually telling you what it is.

Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous? I get that you might buy something online because you trust the person selling it, but having no idea what you are buying, that’s just crazy!

And I’m not talking about a couple of quid like when you used to buy a surprise loot bag from the toy shop when you were a child, I’m talking hundreds, sometimes thousands, of something you have no idea about. I have seen people talking about ‘intuitively buying’ or ‘being aligned with the offer,’ but for me, this is selling the wrong way.

Another example of pressure sales tactics which annoys me is when people ask ‘what will it cost you if you don’t invest in this’ well the answer is quite obviously nothing. If they don’t buy it, it won't cost them anything. The idea of shaming or guilt tripping anyone into buying anything just doesn’t sit well with me. 

Cold messaging is another thing that no longer works but instead puts people right off. They have been told to do this as ‘sales is a numbers game’ and whilst there is some truth in that, it’s not a numbers game if you just go and message thousands of random people and just hope for the best, that’s no way to sell. Our customers are more savvy than they’ve ever been before and they’ve cottoned on. If you cold message people, you’re far less likely to get the sale instead of warming them up and giving them something that’s actually compelling. 

Things have changed! Cold messaging no longer works, bombarding people, voice notes to someone you don’t know going in with a hard sell (no one wants a voice note from a stranger!) it doesn’t work!! So stop!

How to sell the right way

The truth is, sales is actually a science not an art. Sales isn’t about conning people or pressuring them into something they don’t actually need. It's about qualifying them, it’s about solving their problems, it's about seeing what product or service is right for them.

Good sales people will qualify people to see if the offer is right for them, good sales people will tell the customer if an offer isn’t right for them, good sales people genuinely want their customers to gain value and see results! I am absolutely obsessed with making sure sales are done the right way! It’s not hard, it’s actually easy. You won’t find any dodgy sales techniques, sleazy tactics or pushy closes from me. It’s all about selling the right way with the customers best interests at heart, selling without selling and seeing serious results.

1. Start with the audience’s wants and needs

Think about: what’s in it for them? Why would they listen to you? Why would they absorb your content? Come from it from what's in it for them? Rather than being pushy, cold and using outdated tactics.

2. Think about your messaging

We want to make clear what people will get from us if they buy from us, what transformation they will see and how they will feel.

When you shift your messaging from you trying to create more sales to focusing on your customers biggest wants and needs, the sales come a lot easier. What will people miss out on if they don't buy from you? Make this really clear in your messaging on social media and when talking to potential leads. 

3. Use testimonials

72% of customers say positive testimonials increase their trust, so using testimonials from your customers is the best way to do this.

4. Find leads organically

If we are businesses doing things the right way, constantly getting our message out there and putting our marketing in an array of different places then leads will pop up for us all the time. People who follow us, people who subscribe to our email list, people who comment on our social media, people who watch our videos or listen to our podcasts, they’re all leads. We need to get into conversations, either automated or actual conversations depending on how many of these leads you have, to nurture them into sales. Very simply, the more conversations we have, the more sales we will make. Getting on zoom calls, having phone calls or even just having these conversations via direct message is a great way to learn exactly what it is you want, understand which of your offerings would work best for them, and then position it as a no brainer for them to buy. Unless of course it’s not the right product or service for them, and in that case I always send them to the person who is the right fit for them at that time. 

That is what selling with integrity is all about, finding the right product for the right customer and positioning it as a no brainer for them to buy. 

Charlie Day is a multi award winning entrepreneur who has built three multi six-figure businesses from the ground up. Charlie is passionate about helping business owners create more sales in their businesses and proclaims that ‘selling is easy if you just know how.’ Charlie is the author of bestselling business book ‘Sales is easy if you just know how,’ and founder of popular business community The Entrepreneurs Growth Club.