I'm sure everyone has experienced the following situation: You've bought an item or service even though you don't actually need it. But why is that? Usually, it's either a skilled salesperson, a convincing campaign, or something else: sympathy.
Behind every product or service stands one or more people. Many people underestimate their influence on the purchasing process. But it's actually quite simple: People buy from peopleEven if this fact is somewhat lost in the digital age, products and services come alive and become a little more tangible through people.
I'd like to share a few tips on how to involve your prospect in the buying process. These points are based purely on my personal experience and are not based on statistics:
Make yourself visible
Write about your product. Talk about it. Establish a connection between the product and yourself. But don't just advertise it. That's rather crude and transparent. Hardly anyone will read it. You should include yourself, your experiences, and your expertise.
By telling an authentic, humorous story, you can gain a lot of sympathy points. People will identify with you and your story and associate your product with your story and thus with you.
Stay friendly and approachable
Expressing your own opinion is perfectly fine. However, you also need to know your boundaries. If customers contact you, comment on your posts, or otherwise contact you, you should maintain the image you portray to the outside world.
Especially when it comes to comments or criticism, I've noticed time and again that a positive initial impression is quickly ruined by overly emotional comments. Not everyone will love you, and not everyone will praise your product. Don't take it personally! Stay objective and try to make the best of the situation. For example, you could ask for a suggestion for improvement. Remember, the customer is king.
Stay yourself
Storytelling is a great way to present yourself and your product. However, you shouldn't become a storyteller. As strange as that may sound, your audience or readers will notice. Maybe not immediately, but they may come back to the story at a later point, and you won't be able to spontaneously continue your fictional story – after all, you only made it up. However, if you are honest, authentic and simply yourself, you will succeed.
Dare to tell about yourself
I know this myself. There's a small hurdle: What can I publish about myself, and what should I keep to myself? Ultimately, each person has to make this decision for themselves. But what I can say from my experience is: Stay true to yourself and don't try to be someone else. People love the individualSay what you want to say. But consider whether it's something you stand for and whether it will still make sense in two or three years. If you keep changing your mind after multiple conversations or articles, you'll lose credibility and appear untrustworthy.
Conclusion
By giving your product or service a face, you reach people on a different level. You can connect emotions with your product. Be sure to respond to criticism of yourself or your product objectively, rather than emotionally. Give your counterpart a good feeling (of success). Take the plunge and go public. But always be yourself. Stay away from topics that make you uncomfortable, and don't tell fairy tales. Now go! You are the product!
Guest author Lukas Herbst
Lukas Herbst is 36 years old and founder of the Update System UpdateNode, as well as the online platform Startup BoardAfter the Kosmos box, the C64, school and university, I had my first experiences as a freelancer, a permanent position, 2 children and 2 startups.
