Comments on: Sales Lead Blogs – The Art of Selling with Your Blog http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/ the business of blogging and new media Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:23:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Chris Garrett http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3324 Chris Garrett Sat, 19 May 2007 19:36:37 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3324 Yeah blogs can be good for customer service, for example saving people emailing or calling support for downtime updates etc Yeah blogs can be good for customer service, for example saving people emailing or calling support for downtime updates etc

]]> By: Molly Gordon http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3315 Molly Gordon Fri, 18 May 2007 22:51:33 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3315 Hey Chris - One of the lovely things about selling through a blog is that you can provide exceptional support for consumption in (virtually) real time. Customers can post a question, ask for help, or register a bug easily, and other customers don't have to wait for your updated FAQ to benefit from the information. It also provides a forum for community members to find out about new uses for existing products, tricks and techniques, etc. In this sense, selling through your blog is a customer service. Hey Chris -

One of the lovely things about selling through a blog is that you can provide exceptional support for consumption in (virtually) real time. Customers can post a question, ask for help, or register a bug easily, and other customers don’t have to wait for your updated FAQ to benefit from the information.

It also provides a forum for community members to find out about new uses for existing products, tricks and techniques, etc.

In this sense, selling through your blog is a customer service.

]]> By: Chris Garrett http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3245 Chris Garrett Sun, 13 May 2007 21:05:12 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3245 Yes but we should be glad of the people blogging half-heartedly - they make the rest of us look *good* :) I had the pleasure of listening to the photographic lighting wisdom of David Hobby (of http://strobist.com fame) today. Now that is a man who has genuine passion, and the expertise to back it up. When you find it there is no mistaking it and even the best actors can't fake it. Yes but we should be glad of the people blogging half-heartedly – they make the rest of us look *good* :) I had the pleasure of listening to the photographic lighting wisdom of David Hobby (of http://strobist.com fame) today. Now that is a man who has genuine passion, and the expertise to back it up. When you find it there is no mistaking it and even the best actors can’t fake it.

]]> By: mark http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3243 mark Sun, 13 May 2007 19:18:46 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3243 I was late getting around to reading this one; it's now Sunday, but it was worth it. You hit the nail of the head when you say, "Genuine passion for the topic" -- in my book, that's the key ingredient. Far too often people start blogs or websites simply for the monetary gain. They grab a template, toss up some Google Absence or some Amazon affiliate stuff and get right to work trying to make a buck. It's so easily spotted through the writing that they really aren't passionate about the topic. I was late getting around to reading this one; it’s now Sunday, but it was worth it.

You hit the nail of the head when you say, “Genuine passion for the topic” — in my book, that’s the key ingredient.

Far too often people start blogs or websites simply for the monetary gain. They grab a template, toss up some Google Absence or some Amazon affiliate stuff and get right to work trying to make a buck. It’s so easily spotted through the writing that they really aren’t passionate about the topic.

]]> By: Chris Garrett http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3234 Chris Garrett Fri, 11 May 2007 19:34:47 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3234 @Raj - I look forward to seeing what you come up with :) @John - I think more likely I said "not yet ready" and "I am trying to bring people along" or words to that effect ;) @Raj – I look forward to seeing what you come up with :)

@John – I think more likely I said “not yet ready” and “I am trying to bring people along” or words to that effect ;)

]]> By: John On Sales http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3233 John On Sales Fri, 11 May 2007 19:31:35 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3233 Chris, I thought you said that your readers weren't that interested in selling issues? (of course I was begging for links at the time 8-). I've been reading your feed for several months, and I think that this might be one of your best posts, especially for those out there wondering what they are doing and what they should do next. I will be posting a free e-book on my blog soon, and I promise to give you a heads up. Thanks for your great work! xoxoxo johnonsales Chris, I thought you said that your readers weren’t that interested in selling issues? (of course I was begging for links at the time 8-). I’ve been reading your feed for several months, and I think that this might be one of your best posts, especially for those out there wondering what they are doing and what they should do next. I will be posting a free e-book on my blog soon, and I promise to give you a heads up. Thanks for your great work! xoxoxo johnonsales

]]> By: raj http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3232 raj Fri, 11 May 2007 19:28:42 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3232 It's actually amazing how hard it sometimes is to give away something of quality for free, because people become suspicious. At least in offline life. Online, however, there'll always be an audience for free information. So my planned sales funnel is to continue offering free advice on my blog, then add free teaser e-books, and if the response is good,then a few paid e-books. If you've established trust in your writing, you can eventually monetize your blog indirectly (without ever running an ad). Or so the theory goes :) I'm going to test it. It’s actually amazing how hard it sometimes is to give away something of quality for free, because people become suspicious. At least in offline life. Online, however, there’ll always be an audience for free information.

So my planned sales funnel is to continue offering free advice on my blog, then add free teaser e-books, and if the response is good,then a few paid e-books. If you’ve established trust in your writing, you can eventually monetize your blog indirectly (without ever running an ad). Or so the theory goes :) I’m going to test it.

]]> By: Chris Garrett http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3231 Chris Garrett Fri, 11 May 2007 18:45:22 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3231 Ha, no I had come to the realization via a much more painful and expensive route :) Ha, no I had come to the realization via a much more painful and expensive route :)

]]> By: Sean http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3230 Sean Fri, 11 May 2007 18:37:02 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3230 Yup, that was the teleclass I did in April. And see, you'd be raving about that a little more, if you had to pay for it ;) Yup, that was the teleclass I did in April. And see, you’d be raving about that a little more, if you had to pay for it ;)

]]> By: Chris Garrett http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3229 Chris Garrett Fri, 11 May 2007 18:35:42 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3229 Yes one of my biggest lightbulb moments was when I discovered you have to sell even <em>free</em> stuff. Yes one of my biggest lightbulb moments was when I discovered you have to sell even free stuff.

]]> By: Sean http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3228 Sean Fri, 11 May 2007 18:32:18 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3228 And just for the record, when we first started out on the Internet in 2001, we had a website with great content for a good year or more. How do we know it was great content? Because we had thousands of subscribers who signed up for the newsletter, even though the only incentive was the newsletter itself (which it is, to this day). The point was, our community grew only once we sold. Once we started selling our first product called the 'Brain Audit'---that was the first time we started getting a real response. That's when we started getting evangelists. Even today at the Psychotactics site, we give away loads of product on website conversion, and other stuff. It all helps to create a factor of trust. But you don't get raving fans and you don't get community. And you certainly don't get a cent in el banco. If you really want a relationship factor involved with clients. If you real want to separate the yak from the customers, you've got to sell. Talk is cheap. Sean http://www.psychotactics.com And just for the record, when we first started out on the Internet in 2001, we had a website with great content for a good year or more. How do we know it was great content? Because we had thousands of subscribers who signed up for the newsletter, even though the only incentive was the newsletter itself (which it is, to this day).

The point was, our community grew only once we sold. Once we started selling our first product called the ‘Brain Audit’—that was the first time we started getting a real response. That’s when we started getting evangelists. Even today at the Psychotactics site, we give away loads of product on website conversion, and other stuff. It all helps to create a factor of trust. But you don’t get raving fans and you don’t get community. And you certainly don’t get a cent in el banco.

If you really want a relationship factor involved with clients. If you real want to separate the yak from the customers, you’ve got to sell.

Talk is cheap.

Sean
http://www.psychotactics.com

]]> By: Sean http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3227 Sean Fri, 11 May 2007 18:27:17 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3227 Well, no one said you should become a spammer. But if all a blog does is talk, then it's yakkity yak--and others yakkity yakking along. It may make better sense to simply close down the blog. But then again, it may appeal to your sense of vanity. You may indeed believe that people are so eager to hear what you say. And they might be. The point is still relevant. If you tell, you don't necessarily sell. You have to sell, to sell. How much you sell; where and when you sell; those are just logistics. Sean http://www.psychotactics.com Well, no one said you should become a spammer. But if all a blog does is talk, then it’s yakkity yak–and others yakkity yakking along. It may make better sense to simply close down the blog.

But then again, it may appeal to your sense of vanity. You may indeed believe that people are so eager to hear what you say. And they might be. The point is still relevant. If you tell, you don’t necessarily sell. You have to sell, to sell.

How much you sell; where and when you sell; those are just logistics.

Sean
http://www.psychotactics.com

]]> By: Rajesh Shakya http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3226 Rajesh Shakya Fri, 11 May 2007 17:25:55 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3226 Selling is convincing. Blogs can become great sales tools. Your regular visitors are prospective loyal buyers. You already have a kind of bonding with your visitors and they are more likely to be convinced to buy from you - your product or service or the product or service you recommend. But most of the loyal buyers are very much delicate to handle, they may get hurt so quickly if you push or directly sell to them. Selling is convincing. Blogs can become great sales tools. Your regular visitors are prospective loyal buyers. You already have a kind of bonding with your visitors and they are more likely to be convinced to buy from you – your product or service or the product or service you recommend. But most of the loyal buyers are very much delicate to handle, they may get hurt so quickly if you push or directly sell to them.

]]> By: Nathan http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3225 Nathan Fri, 11 May 2007 17:24:26 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3225 If people don't want to buy what you're selling, and find that you spend more time selling than informing or entertaining, they'll quit reading the blog. So if the selling doesn't bother, it will stay. The "market will tell". If people don’t want to buy what you’re selling, and find that you spend more time selling than informing or entertaining, they’ll quit reading the blog. So if the selling doesn’t bother, it will stay. The “market will tell”.

]]> By: Chris Garrett http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3224 Chris Garrett Fri, 11 May 2007 17:11:38 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3224 @Ashish - believe me I could have kept on writing, perhaps there is an ebook there waiting to get out? :) @Sean - yup whenever someone says "you can't" or "this is just how it is" or "must/ought/should" there will always be someone else who goes against the popular "wisdom" and profits from it. :) @Ashish – believe me I could have kept on writing, perhaps there is an ebook there waiting to get out? :)

@Sean – yup whenever someone says “you can’t” or “this is just how it is” or “must/ought/should” there will always be someone else who goes against the popular “wisdom” and profits from it. :)

]]> By: Sean http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3223 Sean Fri, 11 May 2007 16:54:17 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3223 So who made the rules? You know what? They said that you couldn't sell on forums. Welll...guess what? People sell on forums. And some dope on some blog came up with rules that you can't sell on blogs. And well, many dopes followed. The point is: When you start up a blog, you're selling. You're selling your ideas. Your point of view. And hey, if you've got product/services that help the customer--and you hope that the customer is going to figure it out, then only one thing is going to happen. The customer will read your blog, but buy from someone that indeed sells. Sean http://www.psychotactics.com So who made the rules? You know what? They said that you couldn’t sell on forums. Welll…guess what? People sell on forums. And some dope on some blog came up with rules that you can’t sell on blogs. And well, many dopes followed.

The point is: When you start up a blog, you’re selling.

You’re selling your ideas.
Your point of view.
And hey, if you’ve got product/services that help the customer–and you hope that the customer is going to figure it out, then only one thing is going to happen. The customer will read your blog, but buy from someone that indeed sells.

Sean
http://www.psychotactics.com

]]> By: Ashish Mohta http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3219 Ashish Mohta Fri, 11 May 2007 16:40:49 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3219 lol Chris, That was the longest post and very impressive i read on your blog. True need to focus what you are and where you want to sell. Thats what matters. You cant sell everything on blog. Stick to what you can do best, master it and then sell it. having proof with every post is really important. I had seen news on google where posts are without any proof of the news they make. Many times i see its a complete copy paste. I wonder how google doesnt find it. lol Chris, That was the longest post and very impressive i read on your blog.

True need to focus what you are and where you want to sell. Thats what matters. You cant sell everything on blog. Stick to what you can do best, master it and then sell it.

having proof with every post is really important. I had seen news on google where posts are without any proof of the news they make. Many times i see its a complete copy paste. I wonder how google doesnt find it.

]]> By: Chris Garrett http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3218 Chris Garrett Fri, 11 May 2007 15:32:53 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3218 Aah, you spotted it - and so fast, winner of the pop-quiz :) I will try and work out a prize for you ... Aah, you spotted it – and so fast, winner of the pop-quiz :)

I will try and work out a prize for you …

]]> By: Adam Snider http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3217 Adam Snider Fri, 11 May 2007 15:12:50 +0000 http://www.chrisg.com/sales-lead-blogs-the-art-of-selling-with-your-blog/#comment-3217 Great tips Chris, but where's YOUR call to action? Great tips Chris, but where’s YOUR call to action?

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