Copyblogger recently had some interesting posts on selling: Why is “Sell” such a Bad Word? and Don’t Sell…Teach.
We highly recommend both posts to real estate agents and other professionals, especially if you market yourself online.
As we all know, people hate being sold anything. This is especially true on the web. This may be because the origin of the internet was as a vehicle for academics to share information. It was not a marketplace. That’s one reason why we think self-promotion continues to be shouted down. People have been conditioned online to resist anything that smacks of “selling”. {blogger tip: When you want to promote yourself, include the passwords “shameless self-promotion” as an apology for your capitalistic arrogance}.
So what’s the best way to sell or promote? We agree with Brian Clark, and others, that teaching or providing useful information is the best way to get people to buy your product or service. Why? Because knowledge conveys expertise. There is a sense of comfort in using an expert. The connotations are all positive: experienced, educated, skilled, specialized knowledge, professional, trustworthy etc. You’d find little comfort in having brain surgery done by a podiatrist. The public perception of a real estate agent versus an expert in senior housing can be miles apart.
So how do you differentiate yourself as an expert. The best way to separate yourself from the crowd is by demonstrating it. In word or deed. Here are some suggestions for using tutorial marketing to attract clients.
- Get published. Hierarchy: Book, article in major publication, article in minor publocation, blog.
- Speak. Seminars, podcasts, speeches before professional groups or at companies or institutions. If you offer your talks for free, you will get takers. You’d be surprised how many people want to know what you know.
- Teach. At day or night school. You can even get a free cruise for your skills.
- Create & Give away a White Paper or video. Think of it as creating a PDF term paper or video on your area of expertise. Put a link to it anywhere you can to be freely downloaded. This is one step up from a newsletter. Tubetorials is a great example of this technique.
Next time you give a listing presentation leave something educational and useful with the prospect, eg. How to Stage your Home for Quick Sale. Even if it’s not your creation, people will appreciate it, and you. Give to get.
Related Posts:
5 Ways To Market Yourself As An Expert.
Art: The Death of Socrates, Jacques-Louis David (1787)
