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If You are Selling, are You Showing or Telling?

By August 8, 2017June 3rd, 2020No Comments
1948 stamp of Will Rogers and his famous quote, I never met a man I didn't like - three rows of stamps filling in entire image

Here’s a great quote from American humorist (along with the one on the stamp), Will Rogers, “People’s minds are changed through observation and not through argument.”

If you’re selling (and, if you really think about it, we’re all selling something), this quote speaks to what it takes to close the deal among an increasingly skeptical and informed buying audience.

Most people I know say they don’t want to be “sold” on something. They want to see how a decision to buy is going to make their world better, what we call, the Better Tomorrow Message TM. They want to see proof what you are telling them is going to happen. And they want to feel good about their decision to buy from you.

As you are crafting your marketing strategy, look beyond the message (the “tell”) and focus on the proof (the “show”). Tell your organization story with endorsements, testimonials, facts and figures, and images and videos letting your customers see for themselves.

Give them a reason to believe in you and what you are selling. Doing so just might make the difference between a hard sell and an easy one or a short and costly customer relationship versus a long and profitable one.

Photography Source:  1948 stamp from the United States Postal Service from Wikimedia

Dave Michaels

Dave Michaels helps organizations accelerate their growth. Over the past 10 years, his specialty has been to help companies communicate what makes them special to find their best possible markets and customers. He has an MBA in entrepreneurship and a Masters certificate in integrated marketing communications. He’s managed a marketing agency, run marketing campaigns for companies of all sizes, and set up formal sales and marketing programs within existing businesses.