Show Not Sell

How to give buyers what they really want

It is a truth universally acknowledged that everyone hates being sold to. (Apologies to Jane Austen.)

I was working on a project for a client who was writing a B2B sales manual. He had reams of data showing that salespeople had a terrible self-image. They hated telling people they were in sales because everyone hated salespeople.

One of the most popular copywriter training companies, AWAI, has several sales funnels devoted to pitching writers on lines of business where they don’t have to do any sales writing.

If we all know people hate being sold to, why is so much time and money spent on high-pressure sales tactics?

The simplest answer would be because it works. But there’s something else also happening. High-pressure sales tactics, which manipulate people’s most primitive emotions, fear, greed, and lust, work in the short term.

However, these tactics also produce high churn rates. It’s too easy to overpromise and underdeliver.

There is another way. You can create marketing that’s not manipulative. You can create customers who love your company. Better yet, you can create fans who love your work and all that you stand for.

But the way to do that is not to sell to your fans. (Did you just breathe a sigh of relief?)

Instead of selling, you need to spend your time showing your audience.