Why You Should Quit Selling!

Everyday, thousands of people start their own online business/brand. They have a grand idea or a great product they want to release into the electronic world for everyone to consume, so they take the grand step of faith. Fast-forward a month later (or sooner) and they find themselves with their head in their hands - no sales, no followers, zilch. Maybe you've been there... I know I have.

There could be several reasons for the collapse of the newly formed business (lack of business structure, lack of business knowledge, bad location, not enough funding, etc.), but I feel like the main reason most online businesses fail is because they try to sell too much.

"Wait... Isn't that what businesses do? Don't they sell?" Yes, they do... But, for a new online business and new online brand, the most important thing you could do is turn away from selling and focus on giving. Not giving money or product away, but giving value and a relationship.

What happens is that people form their business and try to force feed their customers when their customers don't even know what they're eating. Their customers don't even know why they should eat. Make sense? The business owner goes straight from forming their business to selling. There is no in between. Here's an example.

The other day I was scrolling through Facebook and one of my friends was posting about how one of her "friends" was trying to sell her drink mix. The problem was, she didn't even really know that Facebook "friend" - she had never talked to him, seen him, or anything. He reached out to her and was trying to make conversation about this special drink mix, but never built the relationship or added value before the sale. In return, she was disgusted. Why would she buy a product from someone she didn't even know? Let me rephrase that... Why SHOULD she buy a product form someone she didn't even know?

The best way to build a loyal following and a loyal customer base is by adding value to their lives and making them feel like they are understood. Your customers are looking for something or someone to fill a void in their hearts. You could help.

How do you add value? You can add value in many ways: by informing others about the problem your product solves, encouraging your audience and helping them with their problems, by having great customer service that goes above and beyond, by teaching your audience through free podcast, ebooks, blogs, YouTube, etc, by giving away coupons and product. There are many ways to add value to your company, your customers, and your audience. Just take sometime to research it.

How do you build relationships? Like we already discussed, building relationships before the sale is important as well. Get to know your customers and allow your customers to get to know you. Trying to sell before building a relationship is like trying to kiss a girl you like before the first date! LOL Sometimes it will work and sometimes it won't, but most of the times it won't.

One of the main ways you can build long-term relationships with your customers is simply by being good at communicating. Do Q&A's, interact through your social media, ask for feedback, show your appreciation, follow-up with customers after the sale, etc. There are many ways you can build relationships with your customers, but just remember to be present.

So, if you're trying to build an online business or brand, try to add value to your audience and see what happens. Try to be authentic and give more than you take - you'll win in the end. People can smell a fake and nobody likes a greedy person.

I hope this blog post helped you in some way. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop a word in the comment section below! Thanks!