Blog Income – The Art of Passive Sales

“People hate to be sold, but they love to buy” (Spenser Johnson, Larry Wilson, 1984) . Think about it, when you walk into a department store to buy jeans, the first thing the salesperson does is ask ” May I help you” and your immediate response is no thanks,  I’m just looking but that isn’t true at all, you’re actually there to buy jeans and that person could actually help you.

Personally, I like to have some fun with them and ask for something ridiculous. “Sure”, I say ” Do you carry hot pink Jordache jeans for men?” . A ridiculous comment like can eased the tension for me and for the salesperson. Because when you walk in, you both know it’s going to happen, she has to do it.  She’s been told, by her manager, that she has to ask you and you know she’s going to ask you, “can I help you”.

If you’ve been to the mall more than once ( yes I admit I have) I think you should be issued some sort of elite shoppers pass that you can flash and walked through as some sort of express lane without all the formality. Think of it as self check-out at the grocery store. Anyway, where was I going with this story? I guess I was trying to emphasize how uncomfortable it can feel to be sold.

That’s where you come in. You, like me, blog because you enjoy writing about a particular subject and if that subject is related to products or services then people will buy based upon you recommendation. The reason why they buy should be obvious, it’s because they feel like they’re receiving an unbiased and uninfluenced source of information. It’s like when your mother asks you your opinion about what laptop she should buy. She knows you’re not going to “sell” her and she thinks that you’re an expert. In my case, everybody in my family and extended family thinks I’m an expert on anything computer related (ugh).

So, I think we have to remind ourselves what the real goal is. If it is only to make money then you’re not really selling passively and if you are not selling passively then people aren’t going to buy from you. If you need to remind yourself of what it’s like to be sold then take a short trip to the mall or if you’re really up for punishment, walk into a car dealership (ouch!).

Here are my rules for selling passively:

1. Seek to educate
2. Provide genuine value (good information)
3. Be passionate about what you provide

If you have your own set of rules for selling passively and you are willing to share, then I would like to invite you to post them here.