How To Sell Anything (Without Being Manipulative)

Because everything is selling.

It’s connecting, it helps people, it’s influencing.

Selling gets a bad rap because of how it’s been abused through the years – by the media, by scammers, by unhappy people.

It becomes a force for manipulation, no longer a force for good.

How do you sell anything, without being manipulative?

 

Listening

When something is sold, it’s because it’s fulfilling a need by the buyer.

I needed a new pair of shoes.  I must have gone to several shops, trying different shoes, but ultimately, I bought from the shop that listened to me the most.

Several salespeople did ask me what I wanted, but then they were all about what were the features of the shoe they were trying to sell me.

I bought from the person and shop who listened to me, found out what I needed from a pair of shoes, and what I was going to use them for.

The salesperson listened to my needs, what the real reasons were why I needed a new pair of shoes, and recommended accordingly.

They made me feel listened to.  I felt that they GET me.  I felt that they understood what I was going through, and what I wanted.

To sell, is to listen first to what are the desires of the person, and to make them feel that you’re listening and you’re understanding them.

 

Solve the problem

Why people buy, is that it solves a problem that they have.

It fulfills a desire, a want, a need, an aspiration, or to eliminate problems and take opportunities.

That’s why people buy.

I read somewhere, that people, at its most basic, want to get paid, made, or laid.

And that people would spend their energy, resources, and money, for things or experiences, that would help them get any of the three.

If you listen well, you can get to the core desire, the want, the need, the problem of the potential customer that you’re looking for.

It’s not about manipulation.  It’s about an honest listening and matching to what you’re selling that can solve the problem.

If your product can solve the customer’s problem, and fulfill their desires, then that’s a customer that will be happy.

And take note, not just before and during the sale, but after the sale as well.  You have to be there to support the customer.

Sometimes, the problem is that the customer needs the support after the sale has been made.  Again, if you listen well, you uncover this need and figure our how to fulfill it.

If you want to be able to make sales, honestly uncover the customer’s problem, and solve it.

 

Believe in what you have

Because nothing influences and convinces like the power of belief and confidence.

That energy is powerful and infectious – it has the ability to influence and win people over.

Put simply, if you believe in your product, and in how it can solve your customer’s problem, that will go a long way to helping you present and sell your product.

The belief will drive you to explain better, listen better, and present better.

The belief will push you to not give up easily, and to keep on going even when people say “NO”.

The belief will help you find more ways your product can solve people’s problems and fulfill their desires.

If you believe in something, you will easily find it in your heart to share it, tell stories about it, and to sell it.

 

It’s not manipulation

And it’s not supposed to be.

I don’t want the feeling of being manipulated.  I don’t know if anyone likes that feeling.

Selling is about listening well, finding out how you can help people, and finding ways to help and fulfill their needs and desires.

Listen well, even to what is not being said.

Solve their problems, needs, and desires.

Believe in your product, and most of all, believe in the people’s ability to solve their problem and fulfill their needs, with your product.

 

Any tips you have to sell, but without being manipulative?  Please share in the comments below!