The Dark Side of Online Marketing That May Be Killing Your Success

I remember about 5 years ago I took this great course with Brendon Burchard called “Total Product Blueprint”.  It was a good course, if a bit overpriced, but the main premise was all you need to do is create a ladder of digital info products for your tribe and you would be making 6 figures in no time. 

Now, I am not by any means saying this business model does not work, but the model he taught there is dying.  If you want to learn more about where it is heading, check out this talk by Danny Iny about “How to Prosper in the New World of Online Education.”  He discusses the huge shift from “information products” to true “online education,” and how you can take advantage of this shift as an authentic expert.  The days of having a pure information product and selling it for a premium price are coming to an end.

The purpose of this article is not to say don’t build an online business, but to point out the 1 crucial piece, which is kind of the dark side of online marketing that nobody tells you and will make all the difference in your business.

Yes, you should build a list and have free offers and low price point products to move people through your funnel.  However, when it comes to selling your more expensive services there is one way that will ALWAYS be better than any other.

Can you guess what it is?

• A high converting webinar?
• A slick sales page?
• A well planned social media campaign?
• Some cool Facebook advertising with retargeting?
• Facebook Live or Periscope?

Nope, all of those are great ways to expose a lot of people to you and your brand and offerings but when it comes to actually getting someone to give you a large sum of money (which I would define as anything over a few hundred dollars) the best way has always been and always will be a LIVE one on one conversation with them.

You mean I have to get on the phone and sell my services?

Only if you want to be profitable.

I know this is one of those topics that makes coaches nervous.  We are healers and by nature many of us are not really sales people.

This is where the concept of consultative selling is crucial.

In a nutshell, you get your potential client on the phone, you get to know them and what their particular pains and challenges are…and make a friend. 

This is so much more effective than only relying on more mass media platforms.  They are much better for top of the funnel engagement, but at the bottom of nearly every successful sales funnel is a 1:1 chat.

So what do you do after you learn what your new friends pains and challenges are?  If you have a product or service that can help them, you tell them about it.  Then you ask for the sale.  This is an over simplification, but it does not need to be rocket science. 

The key is to be authentic and if you don’t truly think your product or service will be of benefit or it just doesn’t seem like a fit, don’t try to force it.  Who knows where this will lead.  Maybe your new friend will refer you to someone else, maybe they will become a loyal fan and at some later date hire you.  The key is to be consistent and to get out from behind your computer.

I imagine you will have the same experience that I did and learn that it is not that scary and you actually enjoy getting to know your tribe, and will build deeper and more meaningful connections with them.