Selling Online, Selling Offline: What's The Difference?
Selling Online, Selling Offline: What's The Difference?
"Does Unlock The Game™ apply to online selling?"
I've been holding off on answering that question because I wanted to get enough experience under my belt with my own online business so I could answer this from an authoritative position.
My answer is, "For the most part, yes -- but with some differences."
Those of you who fully understand the philosophy behind Unlock The Game™ are well aware that the core of everything I teach is based on the elimination of all sales pressure from the selling process.
You also know that the single most powerful way of eliminating sales pressure is through authentic language -- in other words, replacing traditional sales language
with the most natural dialogue possible, which creates almost instant
trust between two strangers.
This is exactly where online selling differs from person-to-person "offline" selling. In selling online,
you don't have the opportunity for that natural two-way dialogue. People come to your site and
are exposed to a one-way reading of your message, which can feel impersonal.
Check it out for yourself. If you look at 9 out of 10 website home pages, what do you see?
Online variations of the standard sales or cold-calling script: "We are ... and we do ..."
Why is this a problem? Because these sites are offering their solutions long before visitors can have any sense that they are being understood, and long before they feel any sense of trust in what they're seeing.
Visitors come to sites because they have a problem in mind and are looking for answers.
It's easier than you might think to solve the problems of one-way communication, impersonality, and lack of trust.
All you have to do is put yourself in the position of your site visitor, articulate their specific issues or problems, and gently offer solutions that they can choose without feeling as if they are being "sold."
Here are some simple ways you can warm up your site so you get as close as you can to a natural two-way dialogue:
* Remember the "Written Word" module from the Self-Study Program?
Beware of over-using "I" or "We" on your home page or at the beginning of your written message.
For example, rather than immediately pushing your product as the first thing visitors see on your home page, use language that addresses problems you know you can solve.
State those problems, and you'll find that your visitors are drawn more deeply into your site.
* Create a clear path through your site that lets visitors
make their own decisions about what's best for them.
* Give your visitors a taste of your solutions so they can feel
that you can actually solve their problems or issues.
Downloads, "test drives" and other "free samples" give visitors the
live experience of your solution and make them feel more comfortable with it.
* Last, and maybe most importantly: I'm always surprised by how few
website owners seem to actually want to communicate with the potential
customers who visit their website.
But...have you ever gone to a site to order a product or service and
ended up calling the toll-free number instead?
Have you ever thought about why you did that?
Maybe it was because you could ask questions of the live person
who took your order, and this increased your sense of trust.
So...make yourself available to site visitors by having a Live Chat or Push To Talk button
(see below) on your website.
Talk directly with visitors to your site as they enter the virtual world that you've created for them.
There's nothing better than a two-way dialogue to humanize the online experience.
I enjoy it so much when visitors click on my Live Chat or Push To talk button,
and we establish that all-important personal connection.
Try it on your site. You'll love talking to your website visitors
because you'll be able to help them solve their problems.
To Your Success,
Selling Online Selling Offline Whats The Difference - To learn more about this author, visit Ari Galper's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Ever since I created Unlock The Game™, one of the first questions people always ask me is,
"Does Unlock The Game™ apply to online selling?"
I've been holding off on answering that question because I wanted to get enough experience under my belt with my own online business so I could answer this from an authoritative position.
My answer is, "For the most part, yes -- but with some differences."
Those of you who fully understand the philosophy behind Unlock The Game™ are well aware that the core of everything I teach is based on the elimination of all sales pressure from the selling process.
You also know that the single most powerful way of eliminating sales pressure is through authentic language -- in other words, replacing traditional sales language
with the most natural dialogue possible, which creates almost instant
trust between two strangers.
This is exactly where online selling differs from person-to-person "offline" selling. In selling online,
you don't have the opportunity for that natural two-way dialogue. People come to your site and
are exposed to a one-way reading of your message, which can feel impersonal.
Check it out for yourself. If you look at 9 out of 10 website home pages, what do you see?
Online variations of the standard sales or cold-calling script: "We are ... and we do ..."
Why is this a problem? Because these sites are offering their solutions long before visitors can have any sense that they are being understood, and long before they feel any sense of trust in what they're seeing.
Visitors come to sites because they have a problem in mind and are looking for answers.
It's easier than you might think to solve the problems of one-way communication, impersonality, and lack of trust.
All you have to do is put yourself in the position of your site visitor, articulate their specific issues or problems, and gently offer solutions that they can choose without feeling as if they are being "sold."
Here are some simple ways you can warm up your site so you get as close as you can to a natural two-way dialogue:
* Remember the "Written Word" module from the Self-Study Program?
Beware of over-using "I" or "We" on your home page or at the beginning of your written message.
For example, rather than immediately pushing your product as the first thing visitors see on your home page, use language that addresses problems you know you can solve.
State those problems, and you'll find that your visitors are drawn more deeply into your site.
* Create a clear path through your site that lets visitors
make their own decisions about what's best for them.
* Give your visitors a taste of your solutions so they can feel
that you can actually solve their problems or issues.
Downloads, "test drives" and other "free samples" give visitors the
live experience of your solution and make them feel more comfortable with it.
* Last, and maybe most importantly: I'm always surprised by how few
website owners seem to actually want to communicate with the potential
customers who visit their website.
But...have you ever gone to a site to order a product or service and
ended up calling the toll-free number instead?
Have you ever thought about why you did that?
Maybe it was because you could ask questions of the live person
who took your order, and this increased your sense of trust.
So...make yourself available to site visitors by having a Live Chat or Push To Talk button
(see below) on your website.
Talk directly with visitors to your site as they enter the virtual world that you've created for them.
There's nothing better than a two-way dialogue to humanize the online experience.
I enjoy it so much when visitors click on my Live Chat or Push To talk button,
and we establish that all-important personal connection.
Try it on your site. You'll love talking to your website visitors
because you'll be able to help them solve their problems.
To Your Success,
Selling Online Selling Offline Whats The Difference - To learn more about this author, visit Ari Galper's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
|||
Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
|||
John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
|||
Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
|||
Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Ari's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 |
|
New Cold Calling and Sales Approach - Cold calling and sales guru and EvanCarmichael.com expert Ari Galper explains how the Unlock The Game sales approach can provide you with a framework for how to create trust over the phone when you are cold calling.
|
|
|
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
|
||
|
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Authentic Leadership Create A Mission Statement Law of Attraction Performance Emotional Intelligence The Small Picture |
|
 | ||
 |
More PR Resources
Press Release Builder | |
 |
The Top 10 ProBlogger Posts
Best Posts for Bloggers | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||