What did the bird say as it flew over Wal-Mart?
Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!
I know, it’s a lame-ass joke. I’m sorry.
The first time I went online I dropped into some pretty heavy rabbit holes on freebie sites. HOURS worth.
It absolutely blew my mind that I could get so much free stuff. I admit I ordered things even if I didn’t know I’d use them.
Stockpiles.
I know people who do that with online information still today.
(ugh. It better not be you!)
You know what I mean right?
… signing up for all those newsletters that you never read …
… or worse, that you read and try to implement every single thing immediately
… getting free trials for courses and communities …
… buying courses that you never do anything with …
… searching for the ONE thing you need to be successful .. (newsflash you won’t find it online)
It’s the reason businesses fail.
I’ll say it again.
You’re not working on the one thing you SHOULD be doing. You’re busy looking busy doing things like …
• tweaking the colours on your website for the 3rd time this year
finding the definitive number of times you should post on Facebook to increase engagement
• rushing to change your buttons because some goo-roo told you that orange buttons convert 7% higher than blue ones
• changing your opt-in from the sidebar to the top of the page, to the bottom of every post, to a full screen and then adding in exit intent and scroll-based (72.4% or more!) opt-ins.
• making sure that your posts have social share buttons
Let’s get some myths about selling and making money out of the way.
- Fake it till you make it
- The product (or service) sells itself
- You have to be outgoing to sell
- Selling is just manipulation
- I want to help people, not sell to people
What you’re really here for is the facts of what you SHOULD be doing instead of lying to yourself about the busywork that you’ve been doing.
Ready for it?
Write this down.
SELL YOUR DAMN SHIT.
I know it’s a little anti-climatic, but you’re not here for coddling. And you’re far too smart to think that there’s a magic bullet to make all your wildest dreams come true.
Here’s what I’ve watched people do (some of them are friends/family, some are clients, some I’ve just found online)
… put a Facebook page or group together — but never have a call to action
… write blog posts — but never have a call to action
… write and send emails — but never have a call to action
… give demos or chat people up in messenger — but never have a call to action
… film videos for YouTube — but never have a call to action
… do you see the pattern here?
Don’t screw this up and make the mistakes that others are making.
You can’t do things like:
- Put up a stream of social posts WITH call to action and expect sales.
- Send a sales email to a list of 10 (hi Grandma!) and expect sales
Not everyone is in the same space when it comes to money – we know that COVID-19 has literally and figuratively taken the world by storm. But if you can afford to put even a couple of dollars towards ads right now, the cost of those are way down because everyone is pulling their advertisement budget.
Not only that, because people are home, scared and often bored – they’re spending more time online. But Facebook noted that they’re also seeing a decrease in ad spend right now. So while an ad won’t cost you less than it did a few months ago, you’ll likely have less competition so your ROI on those same ads are going to be higher.
I’m going to be straight with you.
If you find yourself with more time on your hands, please don’t “stay busy” in your business. Work on something that’s going to be meaningful.
STEP 1: Find out more about your customer
(if you need me to point you in the right direction so you get the best information quickly .. like in a day or two .. let me know)
STEP 2: Find out what they need and want. You can make assumptions here or talk to them.
STEP 3: Either position your product/service as the solution or pivot quickly so you can deliver what they need.
STEP 4: Start selling. By that I mean, having sales conversations. Content with CTA’s. And continually creating an audience that is listening to you.
Before I sign off, here’s some more myths COVID-19 style.
- It’s disgraceful and shameful to be promoting your business right now (no it’s not)
- No one has any money right now! (yes they do)
- No one has the time – they’re too busy panic buying (most aren’t and they have the time)
- I’m brick & mortar so I can’t do anything (yes you can – pivot!)
