The web is full of marketing solutions for internet entrepreneurs, but if you ask me, the only thing most online entrepreneurs REALLY want to know is why other people are NOT buying their stuff. Making more sales and more money is (real talk) what we all want, which is why I decided to create this quiz.
This is actually just a series of questions that I want you to ask yourself. You can answer the questions in your head, but I think its best if you write your answers down. I personally like to get thoughts out of my head and SEE them on paper; this makes the process more real and easier to compute.
Here are the questions:
1) Have you ever bought something from me. (Seriously, that is the 1st question).
This is not a sales pitch (lol), you WILL understand this question soon enough.
2) If your answer to question #1 was "no" then skip this question. If "yes" ...
a) How long did you follow me before you bought something?
b) What did you buy?
c) What motivated you to make your purchase?
d) Was it something I said or something you heard?
3) If you have never bought something from me, give at least 1 to 3 reasons why.
Alright that is the entire quiz! Fast huh? OK let's talk about your answers. At first your might think my response is all about me (lol), but you'll get the idea of where this is going soon enough. If you have never bought something from me, I want you to think about why. Are you not familiar with my products or services? Do you think you can't afford them? Don't trust me? Don't need what I got? Don't find value in what I'm offering? Perhaps you want to get ALL my stuff, but you are waiting for a discount, freebie, or something you can read? You can be honest (nobody knows the REAL truth but you).
Think about exactly why you haven't bought something from me and in your response you will find the answer to why other people aren't buying from you. As simple as this concept is, believe me when I say that most webpreneurs DO NOT GET IT. Most of them (maybe you) think that even though they are not buying STUFF online OTHER PEOPLE will buy their stuff. They honestly believe their buying patterns are significantly DIFFERENT from the target audience they are trying to reach. BUT HERE IS THE BIG NEWS ... its not. The same things that are holding you back from buying from me OR anybody else online are just A FEW things holding others back from buying from you. Make sense?
Now lets say you have bought something from me (woo hoo!). Well how long did it take you to buy something? Have you been lurking in my circle for years, trying to see if I'm legit or just another marketer? Did you wait for a deep discount before you bought? Did you hear someone say, "you just gotta buy this now!" OR was it something in my marketing that spoke to you and motivated you to buy?
If you followed me for 2 years before you bought... If you went in circles trying to figure out what to buy BUT then eventually made a purchase ... If you kept your ear to the ground and waited to hear what other people had to say about me until you trusted me ... THEN KNOW THIS ... that is exactly what people are doing with respect to you, your products, and your services.
Whether you bought from me or not, you have GOT TO UNDERSTAND ... PEOPLE ONLINE ARE JUST LIKE PEOPLE OFFLINE ... they are going to ONLY BUY what they want when they want it. The internet isn't a magical space where money flows out of other people's pockets and into your own. SO HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY THEN? HOW DO I MAKE MONEY IF YOU AREN'T BUYING FROM ME?
That is the real question you should be asking yourself. The answer on the surface is one I am sure you have heard. You have to build relationships, build your buzz, build your brand ... BUT WHAT DOES ALL THAT REALLY MEAN. Perhaps after reading a few articles and/or listening to some marketing gurus on youtube, you THINK you have a handle of what this means, BUT UNLESS you are actually making SALES RIGHT NOW... you don't. (Sorry to be so blunt, but its the truth).
I've learned a few things about making sales online. Getting Folks to buy means:
- Being Patient
- Not Getting Pissed Off When You Share Your STUFF With Everybody and nobody bites
- Knowing exactly when AND what people want to buy
- Knowing how much people in your target audience are willing to pay for what you are selling
- Knowing what real customer service is and how to keep people happy
- Not losing faith because people don't bite when you posted a few links in forums (it ain't that easy)
- Not being so naive as to assume you can make money without spending time OR money on your business
- Not thinking you can teach yourself how to make money online when you are NOT making any
- Having people in your circle who want what you have and GET what you are about
- Having a list of solid marketing strategies that consistently work for you
- Finding new marketing strategies that can improve your sales
- When you say you are TOO BROKE to invest in yourself that energy translates into others NOT investing in you
Why do People Buy My Stuff?
For starters, I have spent A LOT of time analyzing when and why people DO NOT BUY. I learned a long time ago that you CAN NOT do the same thing and expect different results SO increasing your marketing, going on more social networks, trying to drive more traffic IS NOT going to work if the people who are currently looking at your stuff are not buying. You have to fix the "why they DON'T BUY" issue if you want to make REAL Sales. That being said, I've tried a TON of different ways to make sales in THAT PROCESS I discovered strategies that WORK especially with my target market (black business women online).
I am as real, transparent and authentic as I can possibly be. Folks see enough 'BS' online worth ignoring. I've been able to build my visibility thus far by proving to people that I actually know what I am talking about and NOT being afraid to just keep it simple. I don't call myself a million dollar diva and I haven't hit six figures yet (lol). I don't post pictures of me in front of big houses or fancy cars. I've never professed to have or know anything beyond those things that have allowed me to build a steady, lucrative, personally full filling and financially rewarding online business. If you are putting out an image of you online that isn't a reflection of your authentic self, don't be fooled into believing people can't see the REAL YOU. As I always say, "people have to buy what you say before they will buy what you sell." If they are NOT buying you, that's part of the problem.
As for me...
- I'm not afraid to take risks.
- I've been doing this for years.
- I may cry a little when things don't work, but I dust myself off and keep going.
- I know Oprah is no different than me. Its all about drive and determination.
- I don't TELL FOLKS about my drama.
- I keep it professional and about business all the time.
- I am not afraid to share what I know.
- I give information. I give of my time. And people GET me because of my desire to GIVE.
- I have customers who like me and tell other people about me.
- I have systems and marketing strategies that clearly work for me (I AM A WORK AT HOME MOM)
- I never waited for someone to do STUFF FOR ME or GIVE ME ALL THE ANSWERS.
- I understand that people ONLY buy when they are ready.
- I figured out how to make extra money from adsense, ad sales, and affiliate marketing.
- I always try to do something new.
- I always stick to the old things that work and NOT get distracted by trends.
- I'm STILL HERE.
If you are still trying to figure out why people aren't buying from you, let me ask you this. Why haven't you joined my sista circle, and learned exactly how I get people to buy from me online? I know, I know... some how I manged to plug me into your equation (lol). BUT seriously... by now you have figured out that selling online is POSSIBLE its just not as easy as most folks think. Waiting for EASY to come will only make it harder for your business to grow. Get with the program, join the SistaSense Circle or at the very least start listening to my conversations on how you can improve your sales online.
The web is full of marketing solutions for internet entrepreneurs, but if you ask me, the only thing most online entrepreneurs REALLY want to know is why other people are NOT buying their stuff. Making more sales and more money is (real talk) what we all want, which is why I decided to create this quiz.
This is actually just a series of questions that I want you to ask yourself. You can answer the questions in your head, but I think its best if you write your answers down. I personally like to get thoughts out of my head and SEE them on paper; this makes the process more real and easier to compute.
Here are the questions:
1) Have you ever bought something from me. (Seriously, that is the 1st question).
This is not a sales pitch (lol), you WILL understand this question soon enough.
2) If your answer to question #1 was "no" then skip this question. If "yes" ...
a) How long did you follow me before you bought something?
b) What did you buy?
c) What motivated you to make your purchase?
d) Was it something I said or something you heard?
3) If you have never bought something from me, give at least 1 to 3 reasons why.
Alright that is the entire quiz! Fast huh? OK let's talk about your answers. At first your might think my response is all about me (lol), but you'll get the idea of where this is going soon enough. If you have never bought something from me, I want you to think about why. Are you not familiar with my products or services? Do you think you can't afford them? Don't trust me? Don't need what I got? Don't find value in what I'm offering? Perhaps you want to get ALL my stuff, but you are waiting for a discount, freebie, or something you can read? You can be honest (nobody knows the REAL truth but you).
Think about exactly why you haven't bought something from me and in your response you will find the answer to why other people aren't buying from you. As simple as this concept is, believe me when I say that most webpreneurs DO NOT GET IT. Most of them (maybe you) think that even though they are not buying STUFF online OTHER PEOPLE will buy their stuff. They honestly believe their buying patterns are significantly DIFFERENT from the target audience they are trying to reach. BUT HERE IS THE BIG NEWS ... its not. The same things that are holding you back from buying from me OR anybody else online are just A FEW things holding others back from buying from you. Make sense?
Now lets say you have bought something from me (woo hoo!). Well how long did it take you to buy something? Have you been lurking in my circle for years, trying to see if I'm legit or just another marketer? Did you wait for a deep discount before you bought? Did you hear someone say, "you just gotta buy this now!" OR was it something in my marketing that spoke to you and motivated you to buy?
If you followed me for 2 years before you bought... If you went in circles trying to figure out what to buy BUT then eventually made a purchase ... If you kept your ear to the ground and waited to hear what other people had to say about me until you trusted me ... THEN KNOW THIS ... that is exactly what people are doing with respect to you, your products, and your services.
Whether you bought from me or not, you have GOT TO UNDERSTAND ... PEOPLE ONLINE ARE JUST LIKE PEOPLE OFFLINE ... they are going to ONLY BUY what they want when they want it. The internet isn't a magical space where money flows out of other people's pockets and into your own. SO HOW DO YOU MAKE MONEY THEN? HOW DO I MAKE MONEY IF YOU AREN'T BUYING FROM ME?
That is the real question you should be asking yourself. The answer on the surface is one I am sure you have heard. You have to build relationships, build your buzz, build your brand ... BUT WHAT DOES ALL THAT REALLY MEAN. Perhaps after reading a few articles and/or listening to some marketing gurus on youtube, you THINK you have a handle of what this means, BUT UNLESS you are actually making SALES RIGHT NOW... you don't. (Sorry to be so blunt, but its the truth).
I've learned a few things about making sales online. Getting Folks to buy means:
- Being Patient
- Not Getting Pissed Off When You Share Your STUFF With Everybody and nobody bites
- Knowing exactly when AND what people want to buy
- Knowing how much people in your target audience are willing to pay for what you are selling
- Knowing what real customer service is and how to keep people happy
- Not losing faith because people don't bite when you posted a few links in forums (it ain't that easy)
- Not being so naive as to assume you can make money without spending time OR money on your business
- Not thinking you can teach yourself how to make money online when you are NOT making any
- Having people in your circle who want what you have and GET what you are about
- Having a list of solid marketing strategies that consistently work for you
- Finding new marketing strategies that can improve your sales
- When you say you are TOO BROKE to invest in yourself that energy translates into others NOT investing in you
Why do People Buy My Stuff?
For starters, I have spent A LOT of time analyzing when and why people DO NOT BUY. I learned a long time ago that you CAN NOT do the same thing and expect different results SO increasing your marketing, going on more social networks, trying to drive more traffic IS NOT going to work if the people who are currently looking at your stuff are not buying. You have to fix the "why they DON'T BUY" issue if you want to make REAL Sales. That being said, I've tried a TON of different ways to make sales in THAT PROCESS I discovered strategies that WORK especially with my target market (black business women online).
I am as real, transparent and authentic as I can possibly be. Folks see enough 'BS' online worth ignoring. I've been able to build my visibility thus far by proving to people that I actually know what I am talking about and NOT being afraid to just keep it simple. I don't call myself a million dollar diva and I haven't hit six figures yet (lol). I don't post pictures of me in front of big houses or fancy cars. I've never professed to have or know anything beyond those things that have allowed me to build a steady, lucrative, personally full filling and financially rewarding online business. If you are putting out an image of you online that isn't a reflection of your authentic self, don't be fooled into believing people can't see the REAL YOU. As I always say, "people have to buy what you say before they will buy what you sell." If they are NOT buying you, that's part of the problem.
As for me...
- I'm not afraid to take risks.
- I've been doing this for years.
- I may cry a little when things don't work, but I dust myself off and keep going.
- I know Oprah is no different than me. Its all about drive and determination.
- I don't TELL FOLKS about my drama.
- I keep it professional and about business all the time.
- I am not afraid to share what I know.
- I give information. I give of my time. And people GET me because of my desire to GIVE.
- I have customers who like me and tell other people about me.
- I have systems and marketing strategies that clearly work for me (I AM A WORK AT HOME MOM)
- I never waited for someone to do STUFF FOR ME or GIVE ME ALL THE ANSWERS.
- I understand that people ONLY buy when they are ready.
- I figured out how to make extra money from adsense, ad sales, and affiliate marketing.
- I always try to do something new.
- I always stick to the old things that work and NOT get distracted by trends.
- I'm STILL HERE.
If you are still trying to figure out why people aren't buying from you, let me ask you this. Why haven't you joined my sista circle, and learned exactly how I get people to buy from me online? I know, I know... some how I manged to plug me into your equation (lol). BUT seriously... by now you have figured out that selling online is POSSIBLE its just not as easy as most folks think. Waiting for EASY to come will only make it harder for your business to grow. Get with the program, join the SistaSense Circle or at the very least start listening to my conversations on how you can improve your sales online.
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Replies
Thanks for your candor and insight. It's appreciated!
DQ
Thanks,
Shanna Stroud