There are some timeless principles of business and sales that still work and will always work. However, it is fair to say that many techniques and approaches are so saturated that they may cause people to immediately put up walls of resistance.
For example, the old approach of ‘21 yes’s and they will certainly buy’ certainly backfired when more females purchased the dating book “The Game” than men. As a result, when men went out and used the techniques in the book – they didn’t get so lucky!
During these first few months of 2015 there have been more sponsored advertisements on websites and social media feeds than ever before. No longer is our social media just for keeping in touch with friends and family Our lives are truly now becoming a business and ‘sell and be sold’ is certainly ringing true for 2015 and beyond.
Earlier this year, I ran some generic adverts, directing people to a squeeze page where they opt in with their email address and receive a special offer. Interestingly, however, the analytics highlighted that this campaign was actually 200% less effective than when it was run same through Facebook only 18 months ago. This was a real disappointment as my copyright was better, my content was better and my brand was a lot stronger, but the actual results were poorer!
2015 is the year where people are tired of being sold by emails and automation. One of my favorite authors Randy Gage (Risky is the New Safe) put this well when he stated ‘when everyone is zigging, you got to be zagging!’
With this concept in mind, rather than just directing people to my landing page, I added the magic words ‘‘TALK TO ME, HAVE A CHAT AND SEE IF IT’S FOR YOU”. As a result of this small change, my inbox was inundated, in fact, I had so many people make contact that I had to stop running the campaign. The other effective line that I used in my campaign was “see if it’s for you” which again, eased the tension and anxiety of a potential customer as they no longer felt the pressure of being sold to.
So, what is the catch? This approach is of course more time consuming, but it was far more effective.
In 2015 we have never been more connected technologically, but we have NEVER BEEN SO DISCONNECTED socially. Therefore, if you are good with people and you can connect with people you have a true advantage over the competition.
Think of it as reverse psychology at work, when you don’t seem needy and desperate; you seem to be more attractive! (a bit like the dating game).
So the new rules for 2015 are break the rules! Think outside the box and connect authentically. Consider returning to some of the old school techniques that people no longer do (my buddy in real estate is back letter box dropping as no one is doing it anymore and he is getting awesome results). Try speaking with humor (particularly if dealing the Gen Y’s) and don’t be afraid to throw in some controversial statements online. (This will cause an increase of comments and traffic and will ultimately get your content out to more people).
Experiment in being a little harder hitting, raw and less cliché. Take of the suite and tie and ditch cheesy corporate presentation. Go for being real, passionate and enthusiastic. In doing this you bring back that all important human element and have a distinct advantage over the rest of the playing field.
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About the Author:
Dave Nelson is a successful entrepreneur, speaker and director who specialises in mentoring Gen Y’s to 6 figure salaries. He is the Author of “The New Era of Network Marketing” and a director of YOR Health. For more information, please see facebook.com/officialdavenelson or http://davenelson.tv/
