I often tell my clients and prospects… “I’m not a great salesperson…but I am one heck of a marketer.”

The reason I say that is because I focus my time on things differently than just getting the sale. Instead, I focus on…

• The customer journey
• The real problems my prospects face
• The real solutions I can give them
• Improving the solution and tweaking it to get clients faster results
• And communicating the value and the shortcuts effectively online

Some may hear this and think…wow, that’s still a great sales pitch…

Some may hear this and think…yeesh this person really needs to learn to sell…

And some may hear this and think, “She just isn’t aggressive enough and doesn’t want the sale bad enough.”

Anyway you look at it, they are both right…and wrong at the same time.

Why is that?

Because yes, some people will hear how I approach marketing to get sales and think that it’s brilliant, because that’s how they would love to be sold to more.

Others will hear it and will think it’s a passive approach and needs a little more straight forward talking and action because that’s how they like to be sold too.

And others will hear it and wonder why I don’t hunt them down and aggressively ask them to buy my product - because maybe that’s what they like when someone is selling to them (they like to be chased).

The point is…everyone has a different way of selling and everyone has a preference for how they are sold too.

I’ve found in the online space, most people love to buy, but they want to be the one making the decision to what they buy.

That may seem pretty straightforward, but it’s often missed in the sales process when people are coming from a place of, ‘I gotta just make the sale’.

And the other thing is…people mistake the sales process for being fast. It’s not - in fact, it’s much more of a marathon than a sprint.

So here’s my top 10 list of ways to sell online without feeling sleazy…

1. Set your intentions before you go online to simply be of service with your expertise.
2. Engage your ideal audience by asking open ended questions and then answer them.
3. Take a few minutes every day on your favorite social media platforms to just answer questions to those who are needing an answer.
4. Create more videos that give a solution and a quick action or hack to help those who are struggling (for example - I do livestream videos on LinkedIn every 2-3 weeks that acts as demos).
5. Overdeliver to your current clients and ask them if they know anyone who could use your help (yes it’s a referral ask, but when you overdeliver, many times they’ll suggest you before you have to ask for the referral).
6. Create an opportunity calculator and break down what it’s like to work with you and give that to your ideal clients so you can show them where their best opportunities lie. (Click here if you’d like to download the training and the excel for my LinkedIn Leads and Sales Opportunity Calculator).
7. Build relationships even with those who aren’t ideal clients. Yup, that’s right. Just because you’re looking to hit a sales quota doesn’t mean you are only talking to those who seem like the right fit. Expand out, and talk to others and see how you can help. Even if they aren’t ideal…they may know someone that is.
8. Create thought provoking content, that is different than what is out there and tie it into what your ideal client is needing and wanting to hear more about. Always have a call to action at the end that offers to support more and answer questions.
9. Follow up with those who have reached out for help. This is where most sales are actually missed, so make sure you get out your calendar and write in everyone who needs a follow up.
10. Check in on your past clients. See how you can help them and see what is new and exciting for them….without going right in to a sales pitch.

Believe it or not, these 10 things have gotten me sales faster than those other sales opportunities taught in the online space. And they’ve been the easiest thing to do.

That’s it! My 10 ways to sell online without feeling sleazy. I hope that supports all of you who are looking to sell by marketing yourself first, and creating relationships as you build the trust and move people into your sales pipeline.

So until next time, make it a great one!