How to sell more

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Before you look for the next crafty sales tip, let me set the expectation that this blog post has no such tips or tricks. Instead, here is a two step approach to consider:

First, create a product that others want to buy more AND

Second, craft a story that will help you reach those people and touch them emotionally.

Let me explain:

1. Create a product that people want to buy more

We all know that nobody wants to be sold but everyone loves to buy. At a fundamental level, people buy things that will make them “feel” good or “feel” safe.

For instance,

  • They buy insurance as a safety net for their loved ones.
  • They go to movies because it makes them feel joyful.
  • They buy a home because it makes them feel safe and good both at once.

In other words, they are not really looking for “getting” things. They are looking for “experiencing” feelings. If a product can provide those experiences, they will want to “get” them.

2. Craft a story that will help you reach those people and touch them emotionally

Right off the bat, we know that highlighting product features rarely will trigger people to buy whatever you are selling. People need to hear and see how exactly will they use your product or service. The best possible way is for you to tell compelling stories of how other people are using your product or service. Then, they can put themselves in the shoes of the protagonist and virtually “feel” good or safe. Sooner than later, it will trigger the feeling to buy.

Crafting a good story is at the heart of creating those feelings.

Beware of the trap: Both the steps are REQUIRED. Some people might tell you that you create a good product and there is no need to do anything else. That is RARELY the case. If that were true, you wouldn’t see a single ad from Apple. Apple probably spends hundreds of millions ( Apple’s global advertising budget in 2011 was $933M ) in telling stories about their products and services and it pays off well for them.

In summary, whoever can create a great product AND can tell a story better always wins. Both of them (indvividually and together) are very hard to do and that’s why only few people win.