Why Being “Salesy” is the Best New Sales Strategy in 2024

In the latest episode of The Blogger Genius Podcast, I tackle a topic that many bloggers and online entrepreneurs find daunting: the art of being “salesy.” I passionately argue that adopting a sales-oriented approach can be transformative, especially those who feel uncomfortable with the idea of being “salesy.”

I share eight reasons to be “salesy,” encouraging you to overcome their discomfort and recognize the value of your products and services. This episode will break down each of these reasons in detail, offering actionable advice to help you embrace a more sales-focused mindset.

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1. Stand Out in a Crowded Online Space

The Challenge of Visibility

The online space is incredibly crowded, with countless blogs, businesses, and social media accounts vying for attention. If you don’t actively promote your products and services, you risk getting lost in the noise.

Actionable Tips:

• Leverage Social Media: Use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to showcase your products. Regularly post engaging content that highlights the benefits of what you offer.
• SEO Optimization: Ensure your website and blog posts are optimized for search engines to increase organic traffic.
• Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with influencers in your niche to reach a broader audience.

2. Confidence is Key

The Power of Belief

Gillian emphasizes the importance of confidence in sales. If you genuinely believe in your product or service, you should feel proud to share it with others. Confidence can position you as a leader in your niche, attracting more followers and potential customers.

Actionable Tips:

• Practice Your Pitch: Rehearse your sales pitch until you can deliver it confidently and naturally.
• Gather Testimonials: Collect and display testimonials from satisfied customers to build credibility.
• Mindset Training: Engage in activities that boost your self-confidence, such as public speaking or personal development courses.

3. Transparency Builds Trust

Overcoming the Pushy Misconception

Many people equate being salesy with being pushy. However, Gillian argues that transparency about what you offer and its value can build trust with your audience.

Actionable Tips:

• Clear Communication: Clearly explain what your product is, how it works, and the benefits it provides.
• Honest Marketing: Avoid exaggerated claims and be honest about what your product can and cannot do.
• Customer Support: Offer excellent customer support to address any questions or concerns promptly.

4. Ask for the Sale

The Importance of the Nudge

If you don’t ask for the sale, you won’t make any sales. Many entrepreneurs set up their sales pages and expect customers to find them magically. Being assertive and encouraging potential customers to make a purchase can significantly increase conversion rates.

Actionable Tips:

• Call to Action (CTA): Include strong CTAs in your content, urging readers to take the next step.
• Email Marketing: Use email campaigns to remind potential customers about your products and encourage them to buy.
• Limited-Time Offers: Create a sense of urgency with limited-time discounts or bonuses.

5. Maximize Your ROI

The Value of Promotion

Many bloggers spend countless hours developing e-books, courses, or other digital products but fail to promote them effectively. By being salesy, you ensure that your hard work pays off, maximizing your return on investment.

Actionable Tips:

• Marketing Plan: Develop a comprehensive marketing plan that includes various promotional strategies.
• Analytics: Use analytics tools to track the performance of your marketing efforts and adjust accordingly.
• Cross-Promotion: Promote your products across different platforms and channels to reach a wider audience.

6. People Value What They Pay For

The Psychology of Pricing

When customers invest in your expertise, they are more likely to take it seriously and apply it to their lives. Charging for your knowledge not only compensates you for your hard work but also reinforces the idea that what you offer is valuable.

Actionable Tips:

• Pricing Strategy: Develop a pricing strategy that reflects the value of your product.
• Premium Options: Offer premium versions of your products with additional features or benefits.
• Payment Plans: Provide flexible payment options to make your products more accessible.

7. Make a Positive Impact

The Responsibility of Selling

If you believe in what you’re selling and know it can help people, it’s your responsibility to get the word out. Selling isn’t just about making money; it’s about solving problems and improving lives.

Actionable Tips:

• Storytelling: Use storytelling to illustrate how your product has positively impacted others.
• Educational Content: Create content that educates your audience about the benefits of your product.
• Community Engagement: Engage with your community to understand their needs and how your product can help.

8. Embrace a Growth Mindset

Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

Being salesy requires stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks, which can lead to incredible opportunities for personal and professional growth. By actively promoting your products, you reinforce the belief that your expertise is worth it, creating a positive feedback loop that boosts your confidence and encourages you to keep striving for more.

Actionable Tips:

• Continuous Learning: Invest in learning new sales and marketing techniques.
• Feedback Loop: Regularly seek feedback from your audience and use it to improve your offerings.
• Personal Development: Engage in activities that promote personal growth, such as reading, networking, and attending workshops.

Conclusion

Jillian Leslie’s message is clear: being salesy is not something to shy away from; it’s an essential skill that can lead to greater visibility, confidence, and success in your online business. By embracing a sales-oriented mindset, you can transform your business and make a positive impact on the world around you. Jillian invites her listeners to engage with her for further discussion and support, encouraging them to take the first steps toward embracing a more sales-oriented approach.

By following these detailed tips and insights, you can overcome your discomfort with selling and start seeing the benefits of a more proactive approach to promoting your products and services. Remember, selling is not just about making money; it’s about sharing your expertise, solving problems, and making a difference in the lives of your customers.

Are you happy with the results?

Other Related Blogger Genius Podcast episodes You’ll Enjoy:

• #298: Secret Truths About Selling – Part 4 (Why Your Customer Journey Is SO Important) with Jillian Leslie
• #297: Secret Truths About Selling – Part 3 (Unlocking the Psychology of Selling) with Jillian Leslie
• #296: Secret Truths About Selling – Part 2 (Insider Tips on 6 Best Ways to Sell) with Jillian Leslie
• #295: Secret Truths About Selling – Part 1 (Why Is It So Uncomfortable?) with Jillian Leslie

MiloTreeCart, the Best Tool for Non-Techies to Sell Digital Products

I also want to introduce you to the MiloTreeCart, a tool designed for non-techies to sell digital products easily. It comes with features like fill-in-the-blank sales pages, check-out pages, a sales dashboard, upsells, and customer support. MiloTreeCart is currently available for a lifetime deal of $349 or three easy installments of $116.33.

#340 Transcript: Why Being “Salesy” is the Best New Sales Strategy in 2024

Jillian Leslie (00:00:06) – Hello and welcome back to the Blogger Genius podcast. I’m your host, Jillian Leslie, founder of MiloTree. If you haven’t heard, MiloTree is your all in one suite for growing your online business. It includes Milo Tree Cart, the easiest way to sell digital products in under five minutes. MiloTreeLeads, leads, which allows you to collect email subscribers by offering unlimited freebies and the military pop up app for boosting your social media followers. Today in my solo episode, I have a bit of a controversial take, but hear me out because I believe this could be a game changer for you. So in this episode, I’m talking about why I recommend you lean into being more salesy in your business, not less. I picked this topic because it’s been coming up in my conversations with so many of you now. Many bloggers have reached out to me to talk about selling digital products. If you are one of these bloggers who wants to explore this, just go to milotree.com, scroll down, you’ll see my calendar, and we can get on a free 20 minute zoom call where I can share with you how you might think about starting to sell digital products and services to your audience.

Jillian Leslie (00:01:33) – But here’s the thing on so many calls recently, you have shared with me that you are uncomfortable selling. It feels weird, feels inauthentic, a little icky, and it’s not how you want to show up. You much prefer to create content, maybe recipes. You want to share it. You want to post these on Instagram, but the idea of getting out there and selling makes you very uncomfortable. And you guys are always surprised when I say selling is a really good skill to develop, because if you can sell your own products and services, you can futureproof your business and not be so reliant on Google or social media algorithms. And so it’s funny, I say, hey, you might want to reconsider this whole idea of selling, but I don’t just stop there. I say not only sell but be salesy. And every time I say it, I see you shudder in the zoom call. Now, don’t think this has been easy for me from the get go. I was shuddering too. I’ve just now had a little more practice and I’ve seen the results.

Jillian Leslie (00:02:49) – So in this episode I want to share my eight reasons why I recommend you not just start selling your products and services, but that you get salesy at the end. I would love you to reach out to me on Instagram at milotree.com, or email me to tell me if I’ve changed your mind. Let’s get started. Reason number one it is hard to be visible on the internet. The online world is so incredibly crowded, so every day people launch new blogs, businesses, social media accounts, brands are constantly popping up and they are vying for attention. So if you are not actively promoting your products and services, you are going to get lost in the noise. Being salesy means you are putting yourself out there and making sure people know who you are, know the problem you solve, and know that you sell solutions. Okay, my second reason is all about confidence. If you believe in your product or service, you should be proud to share it with everybody. Remember the adage, fake it til you make it.

Jillian Leslie (00:04:10) – That’s all about confidence. People want to buy from people who seem confident about what they’re selling. When you’re enthusiastic and assertive, it shows your audience that you stand behind your offering. So being confident in what you’re selling, aka being salesy, can also position you as a leader in your niche when you’re consistently promoting your products and sharing your expertise. You are demonstrating that you’re an authority. People are naturally drawn to leaders and experts, so don’t be afraid, even if it feels weird to step into that role. My third reason for being salesy. You might think that it seems pushy, but it can actually build trust when you’re transparent about what you’re offering and why it is so valuable, you’re being honest with your audience. They appreciate knowing exactly what they’re getting and why it matters so much. So this transparency can lead actually to a stronger relationship and increased loyalty. My fourth reason why I would love it if you became salesy is because if you don’t ask for the sale, you don’t get it. A lot of times I get on calls with people and they kind of set something up and set up their sales page and think it’s magically going to be found.

Jillian Leslie (00:05:49) – And that’s not true. Being salesy means you’re not afraid to ask somebody to purchase. Many potential customers are on the fence, and they just need a little nudge to make the purchase. So by you being more assertive again, this speaks to that confidence in your sales approach, saying, no, actually, you really could use this. This could really benefit you. You are more likely to convert those hesitant visitors into paying customers. A lot of times we want to be told what to do. Tell your potential customers what to do, which is to buy your product to solve their problem. My fifth reason I recommend becoming salesy is to think about all the time and effort you’ve put into creating your products. I see this all the time. You spend a long time creating an ebook or a guide and then you never really sell it. So you’ve spent all this time, but you’re not maximizing the return on those hours. So please let me know if you’re one of these people who has an e-book or a course or something you’ve created and you’ve never put it out there.

Jillian Leslie (00:07:11) – Being salesy ensures that all your hard work pays off by driving sales, by making that money back from spending all that time creating all of these useful products and services. My sixth reason for being salesy is that we value what we pay for. It’s just kind of a thing. When people invest in your expertise, they’re more likely to take it seriously and apply it to their lives. If you buy a course that’s $1,000, I promise you you’re going to be in there at least somewhat versus say something for free. Charging for your expertise is a win win. I’m going to say that again. Charging for your expertise is a win win. Your audience gets the value they need, and you get compensated for your hard work and knowledge. This transaction reinforces the idea that what you offer is worthwhile and valuable. My seventh reason to be salesy is if you believe in your product, then you have to get it out there because it can help people. If you offer, say, a guarantee because you stand by your product, you must sell it.

Jillian Leslie (00:08:35) – If someone can truly benefit from what you offer, you’re doing them and the world a disservice by not getting the word out. It’s not just about making sales at this point. It’s about helping people solve their problems and improve their lives. That’s a big responsibility, and my final reason to be salesy is because it’s about embracing a growth mindset. It means you’re not afraid to step out of your comfort zone and take risks. The approach can lead to incredible opportunities and growth for your business. It’s about continually pushing yourself to reach new heights, to be uncomfortable for it, not to work in the beginning, and then for it to be a skill that you work at piece by piece. So from a self-esteem and personal growth perspective, being salesy is powerful. By actively promoting your products and services, you’re telling the world, I do believe in the world, in the universe that you deserve to be paid, that your expertise is worth it. And when you start getting sales by being salesy, it reinforces this unconscious belief.

Jillian Leslie (00:09:55) – It’s a positive feedback loop. It boosts your confidence and encourages you to keep growing and reaching for more. I want to share a confession. This whole idea being salesy, it’s hard for me to. I record these solo podcast episodes not just for you, but for myself as well. It’s a constant reminder. If I’m saying it to you, I have to somehow internalize it for myself that being salesy is a good thing, because I’m a really nice person and I don’t want to offend somebody. I don’t want to get embarrassed. And yet this is something that I push myself to do. It reinforces for me how important it is for me to step out of my comfort zone and actively promote what I believe is beneficial for so many of you. We built MiloTree, starting with our pop up app to help you guys grow your social media followers, moving on to MiloTreeCart to help you sell your products and services in the easiest, fastest way and rolling out MiloTreeLeads to help you offer freebies super easily to grow your email list.

Jillian Leslie (00:11:14) – We built these to help. When I see somebody who is our customer having tremendous success, I am so happy. I’m like a proud mom. Also, when somebody comes to me and says I would never have been able to do this without you, I feel like I’m adding positivity in the world. I am helping people build businesses. They never thought they could make money, live the lives they’ve dreamed of. I mean, honestly, what could be more satisfying for David and me if you are feeling uncomfortable listening to this, or if you’re like, oh, I could never do that, please know you are not alone. I am right there with you and we’re in it together. I just might be a couple steps ahead so early in my podcast. This must have been, I don’t know, 5 or 6 years ago, I interviewed a woman named Crystal Payne, and she’s a couponing blogger and her blog is Money Saving Mom. And many of you might know who she is, and she is an incredibly successful entrepreneur.

Jillian Leslie (00:12:27) – And what struck me most during our conversation was her positivity around making money. And Crystal said that the more money she made, the more she could give away to the charities and organizations she believed in and make the world a better place. And I was stunned by how confidently she said that. And it has stuck with me ever since. Like, why don’t we all think like this? Like, why are we all so afraid to make money? Why do we think we don’t deserve it? So it’s a reminder that maybe making money can be a good thing. Maybe making money enables me to take care of my family, to have new opportunities and to give back now. When I talk to a mom who tells me that she feels a lot of guilt around making money, and by the way, we have I have a lot of these conversations. I always say, think about your children and giving them a better life. But it’s not just about that, because the more money we make, the bigger impact we can have on the world.

Jillian Leslie (00:13:46) – And personally, I think that’s incredibly powerful. So there you have it. I have given you my eight reasons why I recommend you not just start selling products and services, but that you become unabashedly salesy. Being salesy is about visibility and confidence in authority and building trust and maximizing your hard work, your efforts. And it’s about personal growth and making a positive impact. So I know this might be a shift in mindset for some of you, but I encourage you to give it a try. So start small. Remember, selling is a muscle. It feels weird at first. In fact, I have a whole series I did on selling that I’ll link to in the show notes. People have told me they’ve loved these episodes, so please give them a try. Give them a listen. And this honestly, embracing this, changing this mindset can transform your business like nothing else. Please reach out to me and let me know if I’ve changed your mind about being salesy and if I’ve inspired you, definitely go check out Milotree.com and see how you can get started selling your own products and services with MiloTreeCart and MiloTreeLeads.

Jillian Leslie (00:15:11) – Also, if you want to get on a free 20 minute zoom call with me where we could talk about this and we could talk about just the art of selling and what it really means. Plus, talk about how you can start selling your knowledge and expertise through digital products again. Go to milotree.com, scroll down and you’ll see my calendar. If you thought this episode was helpful and you have a friend who might need to hear this, please share it. If you like the podcast, I would love it if you left a five star review on iTunes or wherever you listen to your podcasts. And as always, if you have any questions or a topic you’d like me to cover, just please reach out to me at Jillian at milotree.com. So until next time, keep growing. Your businesses get super salesy and I will see you here again next week.