Readers always write …

I very much enjoyed your Present Like a Pro DVD.

Thanks for all of the great tips, I’ve already put your advice to work and it’s only been two days since watching the video! Tweet

On another subject, do any of your programs talk about promoting your business to friends, neighbors, family, etc. without coming off as pushy or smothering them with info?

The last thing I want is for a friend to see me coming and then duck around the corner because he thinks I might try to sell them.

I need to find the right balance in this area. Will you please point me to the right info product in your line up? Thanks again for all of your help and wisdom.

-Richard in Ohio

My response

Hi, Richard- Thanks for the great compliment! The issue of not pushing too hard is important for all the reasons you describe.

Ideally, we marketers want to establish a mindset among our prospects and customers that behavioral psychologists refer to as “top-of-mind awareness” or TOMA.

Caruso family, circa 1996, left to right: Penguin, Dave, Rob, Mickey, Joe, Michael

By the way, I’ve not been very successful at selling to my family members (above).  They seem to like special arrangements where no money changes hands.  Works for me! There are three good ways to help folks achieve TOMA.  Tweet
Each has its strengths (S) and weaknesses (W):

1)  Autoresponders are systematic, automatic emails that goes out to your list.

S: Dependable and targeted.  W:  It can be time consuming to set up the sequence; recipients may get irritated and opt out.

2)  Social media platforms such as FB and LI are easy, affordable mechanisms for achieving TOMA.

S: Social media is an indirect form of marketing that is well tolerated, but make 80% of your posts social and only 20% business related.

W: It can be a challenge getting key customers and prospects to “friend” you online.

3)  Electronic newsletters are the overall best solution to achieve TOMA.

S: Targeted and regular, quality newsletters make it almost impossible for someone to forget about your services because they’re being regularly reminded.  Even if subscribers only read the Subject line, e-newsletters are doing a big part of their job.

Quality e-newsletters deliver great informational content and not just a sales pitch so they are not only tolerated, they are welcome!

W:  It can be time-consuming to produce fresh content every on a regular basis unless you know some tricks.  Also, people on your list will even quit a free e-newsletter, if you don’t consistently provide value.

Summary

If you’re assertively selling your products and services, it is likely that the occasional person will be offended.  Sometimes that person will be a family member or friend.  Monitor that person’s feedback and back off, if necessary.

What’s a better goal– to never, ever offend anyone when selling and make a little money or to occasionally make someone a little uncomfortable and make a lot of money?  Choose one of these two options. Tweet

I hope this helps, Richard.  Let me know if you’re interested in my teleclass on how to produce effective e-newsletters.

Meanwhile, listen to Selling More, Better, Faster, my audio CD on the subject.  It comes with a nifty 30-page e-book!