First, Happy Anniversary to my beautiful wife, who’s put up with me as her husband for 16 years now.  Which is easily a two-to-one ratio in her favor so she’s really been married to me in “Craig years,” for probably at least 32 years.

They say behind every good man is a good woman, and it’s true in this case, for sure.

Today, let’s talk about selling, and I want to avoid the “long form copy versus short form copy” issue.

Because length (ha ha) is irrelevant here.  What’s important is what you’re saying, not how much you’re saying.

And the reality is, when you’re trying to sell something — regardless of WHAT you’re selling — a QUALIFIED buyer wants to know as much about that product or service as possible.

The key here is that you’re speaking to QUALIFIED prospects in the first place. See, most people don’t consider this, and so they instead, go into “convincing” mode.  And as I say in my book, “Frankly, the convincing business sucks.”

Let me give you an example of what I mean.

I had a guy coming over here last week to sell me some gutters for my house.  All his information said, referred to the cost of the gutters on a per linear foot basis.

How am I supposed to make a decision based on that?  He, in effect, commodotized his own business.  He gave me a frame of reference so the ONLY possible way I could evaluate him was by price.  And when you do this, you make it very easy to lose the sale, since there’s bound to be loads of other people willing to offer you this same commodity, for far less money.

What could he have told me about, instead?  Loads of things, actually.  For example:

*  Where the gutters are made

*  How they are made

*  How this particular manufacturing process adds value and longevity to them

*  How long they typically stand up in this oppressive Florida weather

*  The kind of training his installers have

*  How his installers handle their clients

*  The kind of product guarantee the gutters come with

*  The kind of service guarantee his installation comes with

*  How many gutters he’s installed

*  How often people have to have them back out to fix installation or product problems

*  When I can expect to replace them and what that process is

*  Why these gutters are better – or why he chooses to sell and install these gutters over others out there

*  How long it takes them to install

*  How soon they can get out here to install them…

And so on.

So here are 14 different things that would have helped me make my decision.  And if I push myself, I am sure I can think of a few more.

Mind you, I know absolutely nothing about gutters.  If I actually knew what I was talking about, I am sure I’d have twice as many things to discuss.

See where I’m going with all this?

See how this is the most effective “selling” you can do, even though it has… absolutely nothing to do with selling?

Of course.

This is why focusing on selling to the exclusion of focusing on what you’re buyer is getting out of the deal, is a waste of time.  Selling is completed in the framework of your communication, which should be based first on giving… and LAST… on receiving.

Here’s a terrific example of this. Read it straight through to the end, and let me know if you agree.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S.  Running a business isn’t just about making money — it’s about creating a life worth living.

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