As I get ready to co-host the program Soft Selling With Social Media with Natasha Allrich, I’m getting a lot of questions from people about the difference between a hard sell and a soft sell… not to mention how social media fits in.
The biggest misconception is that soft selling somehow removes the act of making an offer… and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Credibility and Trust
Soft selling doesn’t mean “Stop offering”.
When you use a soft sell strategy, you focus on building credibility and trust with your prospective clients AND maintaining credibility and trust with your exisiting clients. When you ultimately do make an offer (and don’t fool yourself- at some point you must know how to ask for someone’s business), it’s done from a place of knowing exactly who that person is and what the best resource is for them.
Hard selling is when you’re more concerned with what YOU’RE going to get as opposed to the transformation your client needs. You see this everyday as people walk around in buyer’s remorse, feeling swindled after being convinced to sign onto something that didn’t feel right to begin with. If you’ve ever had a bad experience with a used car salesperson, you know what I mean.
You Still Have to Talk About Money
So if you think that soft selling means you never have to address prices, or you’ll never need to send a promotional email again… well, that’s way off course.
Yes, you still need to make offers BUT when you’ve provided value, proven your credibility, and gained the trust of your followers, then the process flows without force.
Social media is a tool that enables you to focus on value, credibility, and trust giving your followers more reasons to break down their “don’t pitch me” defenses and to actually hear what you have to offer.
At the end of the day it’s all about honoring and respecting the relationships you’ve formed with your target market and prospective clients.
This is barely scratching the surface of the topic but I have a great resource for more information.
Starting August 26, Natasha Allrich and I are presenting a 4 week teleseries called Soft Selling with Social Media.
We’ll teach you step by step how to attract and engage your ideal clients, then we’ll teach you exactly how to turn those hot leads into ready to buy clients.
The 1st 150 people who sign up for this program will also get a special invitation only call with a successful entrepreneur who makes incredible money using smart strategies with a heart based sensibility.
Soft Selling with Social Media is now enrolling. If you’re ready to grow your business authentically and learn how to connect with people who love your work, then this is for you.
Check it out, join this movement and do share your soft sell success stories with me in the comments!
About Nancy Marmolejo
