Web 2.0 Series : Stop Selling and Start Blogging

Stop Selling and Start Blogging

I bet salesmen and business owners will think I’m off my rocker on this one!
Stay with me and I’m sure you’ll see the gold in this blog post. Here’s an age old fact us copywriters learn early on. PEOPLE DON’T LIKE TO BE SOLD. It’s a belief you must respect.

When I go into a store to look around it drives me nuts when salesmen approach. Why? I know they are trying to sell me something. I’m not given a choice to see things for myself or ask questions. Here’s another tidbit to store in your sales hat. Most salesmen are not good at selling. They’re too focused on reaching their sales goals and not solving customer problems. As a result people avoid salesmen like the plague.

Overcome the Anti-Selling Attitude

How do you overcome this anti-selling attitude from qualified buyers and customers? Stop selling and start blogging. A blog allows qualified buyers and customers to learn about you without being sold. People prefer to be sold to indirectly. This may sound nuts, but hear me out. Today’s consumers are not stupid. They’re well aware of what we’re up to. This includes blogging. Ultimately they know we’re trying to sell them something. People don’t want to be attacked with sales pitches and advertising.

They like blogs, because they know two things will happen. First they’re getting free information. And who doesn’t love something for free? Second, they’re getting information that’s useful. What’s the bottom line? They get to control the relationship. People despise selling, because they believe the sales person has control. People don’t like to be sold to, because they don’t like to be controlled. Your blog gives them all the control.

They decide if they want to read your blog. They decide if your information is useful. They decide if you’re an authority they can trust. And they decide if they will buy from you. This tickles them, because you no longer have control over them. These are the types of people you want for customers. The best customers are those who don’t have to be talked into buying from you. Your blog establish everything they need to know about you.

Blogging Leads to Profits

Here’s how blogging leads to profits. Let’s say you’re a landscaping company with a weekly blog. You specialize in landscaping properties for real estate investors. Each week you provide a blog on landscaping tips. These tips may include what catches the eyes of buyers in the front yard and so on. At the end of each blog you provide a link sending them to a specific landing page. This landing page sells one product that solves a problem for them. Your click through rate will most likely increase.

The reason is simple. Your blog provided them with useful information they can implement now. If your free information works they’ll buy your paid information. They know your product will deliver, because you’ve already delivered before. Don’t ignore the power of your blogs. This simple tool is a powerful way to increase your profits.

One popular blogging tool is www.blogger.com. You can set up a separate blog for qualified buyers and customers. You can put pictures, videos and other web media in your blog. Most website templates come with a blogging option built in. You can do away with selling and start giving the control to qualified buyers and customers.

Clyde McDade is a Website Copywriter who writes websites for iLocal, Inc.
You can learn more about iLocal, Inc. at . Visit our blog at http://www.blog.ilocaonline.com
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