āThey always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.ā
Andy Warhol
Perhaps itās because Iām an introvert, or a woman or one who puts more stock in primary research than secondary ā I donāt know ā but Iāve never found the hard sell to be effective at attracting the type of clients I want to work with (or sell to).

Iāll admit it. Iām a contrarian. I tend to side with the underdog. When someone is absolute (or defensive) in their conviction I think Hamlet (āThe lady doth protest too much, methinks.ā). Ā Obvious isnāt ā usually I need to dig a little deeper to discover whatās really going on. Iām all kinds of shades of grey so find black and white thinkers challenging.
Todayās hard sell online marketing tactics arenāt new
Twenty-five years ago when I started Fulcrum Communications, pyramid to selling was the rage (hi, how are you; let me tell you about my product/service; sell, sell, sell, close, close, close, close). Manipulative selling became so pervasive shortly after I arrived on the marketing scene, the FTC was compelled to step in with what became commonly known as the buyerās remorse law.
An inverted pyramid made more sense to me. Spend majority time discussing the needs and challenges of the prospect before suggesting solutions (or recommending a better provider).
Being obnoxious seems to be back in vogue as a sales tactic with online āgurusā (my eyes roll when I see this self-proclaimed status). It seems if you donāt take out the hammer (or two-by-four) to make your point, redundantly, youāll be belittled for failing to reach sales potential.
It seems each week, I receive hundreds (and hundreds) of e-mails from a primary provider and all his affiliates selling a product (with dozens coming from each in the days leading to the āclosing dateā) reminding me to buy before itās too late.
Granted, my short-term memory isnāt was it used to be, but really, do you think Iām going to be more compelled to go grab your $10K worth of free incentives (right) in the 50th message than I was on the 3rd? Nope ā my opt-in to your list because I was interested morphed to an opt-out. If you think Iām that dumb (or time-rich to continue opening and reading all you send me to try to find a gem), weāre probably not a good fit. Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
That said, Iām seeing more small business owners previously committed to building relationship-oriented offerings shift to a hard sell approach in every blog post and/or newsletter.
Is this a turn off for you too? A follow for me means Iāve already spent some time understanding what you offer and have an interest in buying. Being accosted with a pitch on everything you send to me undermines your good will claim and my desire to continue reading. It shatters trust when what you say isnāt reflected in what you do. Ā
Subtle selling works better for relationship businesses
Are there case studies and statistics that prove the hard sell works? Sure there are. It does. But is that who you are? Ā
For decades, studies have proven a call to action (telling readers what you want them to do) sells more ā to a point. Todayās over the top approach illustrates people donāt get the notion of building trust. Remember getting newsletters sent to your home for free. Publishers didnāt sell in every article then (when costs were high with printing and postage) and you shouldnāt be doing so with every message you cast out either
Sales have always come best for the little guy with relationship building. You donāt achieve that by making readers (or listeners, or viewers) stiffen their back knowing every message is going to involve a self-serving feature.
Maybe Iām different, but I grow weary of messages from a source I know is always winding up for the pitch. Iāll trust you more and like you better if you let me appreciate what youāre sharing. In more cases than not, Iāll buy from you if given the chance to make that decision without feeling accosted.
Manipulate selling has always worked in the short-term. Youād think by now people would have realized goodwill is more important in sustaining a business. No one likes feeling bullied into a purchase. Perhaps Iām more subtle than I should be about broadcasting sales messages, but thereās a greater value in repeat and referral business than there is with a strategy that requires one to always be chasing the next new prospect (or client) because they alienated the last. Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
6 responses to “Hard sell not working for you? Good!”
I enjoyed your blog. I have meet people like what you are talking about. In my experience most of them seem to come from a larger corporation where they have to meet certain goals. There are exceptions to the rule of course.
I am with you the person who is looking for a relationship in marketing is the one who will usually get my business.
Thanks for taking the top to stop over here, read the blog and comment, Shawn. Good point on the corporate transplants. I’ve had some challenges with employees from this sector who have a lot of offer but have constricted by policy and management it’s tough to get them to learn to think independently. I think you’re among a growing majority these days looking for providers who are interested in you.
Great to see you back blogging Nanette – have you finished all your moving now?
I’m with you on the hard sell – it’s not me and never will be.
There’s a lot to be said for using calls to action, but no need for them to always be in your face.
As for daily emails – they work when done right. Like you I receive 100’s of mails from internet marketers selling the next big thing I must have right now before the price goes up. There are very few lists I stay on for that reason – really, have they even tried these things out?
Oddly there’s one list I stay on – even with daily emails with a call to buy at the end. That’s because the product doesn’t change daily or even weekly – it’s his own stuff or mastermind group and the mails usually have some good advice in there too.
I actually have a number of daily e-mails I appreciate, Jan – even with an associated sales message. I’m just growing weary of those who don’t do so after building rapport.
And to answer your question, I’m still working on the move. Should have been done by now but stuff happens.
Keep talking, Nanette! Maybe someday the world will hear it and live this way! š Glad to see you are part of the challenge this month! For me, it is zero to 60!
We’ll see, Amy :-). Yes, good to see you in the UBC too. Not sure what you mean on the zero to 60 reference.