This failed economy has really got a lot of business people out sell things to people on the street that would be better marketed using a different method. The way things are being pitched on Twitter is in most cases a shame.
You have seen them and if you have been on Facebook more than 10 minutes have been hit by one or two..the people with a gadget or service that is a ‘Must Have’. But, what is causing these people to do this? Do they not know that they are pissing people off with their total focus on selling something?
I have seen most of these tactics and have sat through a lot of sales training to know how these people are taught the hard sale methods they are using. However, most of the people out selling stuff today are doing things that are way outside their comfort levels and are coming across as very arrogant or overly focused on closing the deal.
What is causing these people to do what they are doing is..they don’t know what they are doing. They hear they “must stay on point” by being totally focused for the few minutes they have in conversation with someone to selling them on their product. Little do they know that they are appearing to the person they are talking to as being totally desperate to make a sale. And that does not sell anything…
This is really too bad. Some of these people are really good people, just lost in the world of needing to make a buck off everyone they talk to and taking ill advice from people who are lost in an era of “the strong pitch produces more sales”.
I know how these guys and gals are trained and it is totally corrupt. They are told that they need to book themselves solid everyday with people to pitch and that the strong pitch or hard sale is the only method of marketing that produces anything. Used car lots are full of the graduates of this method. They are asked during training..
How the heck are you to sell anything if you do not pitch it?
In today’s economy these people’s efforts are like selling matches in hell.
Things Have Changed
Online, the desperations take another form which I call Indirect Shotgun Marketing or ISM. You see it used a lot on Twitter. Some of the larger marketing and PR firms use it and defend it as the most effective way to market what they do. However, using Twitter terms, it FAIL. The ISM on Twitter usually comes in a form of a short comment or reference to the topic in the information on a Link (or URL) that is provided. Usually the link goes to an article they found that is related to something of little significant to anyone other themselves. This is called “Arms Length Marketing” which is used my people who feel they do not have time to market effectively..so they ISM stuff in hopes it drives people to check them out….which it does but not to buy stuff, just to find out what company they work for so they can not do business with them.
ISM can be used effectively on Twitter but only after the person who has uses it has made some effort to show he is part of the community. Being part of community consist of actually carrying on a conversations..or on Twitter, reaching out and touching others with a questions or comment. Again, the big dogs of Social Media do not feel they have the time so ISM is their way of saying they are part of the community.
What will happen soon if the desperation style of marketing does not stop is nobody is going to trust anyone they meet and a first contact with someone will stop since there is a fear they are going to sell them something…or waste their time..
This feeling of..
I am not looking to make friends with anyone. I have enough friends. Friends don’t buy things from friends. What I am looking for is customers, so I sell to everyone I don’t know.
..is growing. I have ran into three people this month who have said the almost exact thing to me..they must be getting this saying from someone who is lost out in La-La-Land.
I think I have enough ‘matches’ to make it through Hell..what is going to help me get out of this hell are friends and I make friends by getting to know the person first. That is what I am out here to do and I can confirm to those who defend their ISM way of marketing that my friends are who generate my paycheck now..not strangers.
Let me know how I can help.
