Friends Buy From Friends (Yes, Even Internet Friends)

If I tried to sell you something right now (let’s assume it’s something more intriguing than a counterfeit watch), would you buy it from me?

It depends.

Not on how good the product is, or the price. It depends on how well you know me, and, by extension, how much you trust me. If I stood in front of you and offered you an identical service to the service that was being offered by your BFF, there’s a good chance you’re going to buy from her instead.

Not because you are loyal, necessarily, but because you know her and you know what you’re going to get. You also trust that she’s not going to sell you something that’s crappy or that you don’t need.

Sadly, your BFF can’t possibly offer you all the things you’re looking for, so you have to go to the market. Chances are, you’ll buy from the person who is most familiar to you, because you’ve tried another offer, or seen them pass by your news feed a few times, or that super smart friend in that Facebook group who you’ve gotten to know assured you that person is the freaking best at what they do.

Bonus points if you and that person have actually spoken before and hopped on a call where they gave you a quick taste of what they can do for you.

You see, making friends and talking to people is probably the most effective sales tool you have in your chest. Ironically, it’s probably the one thing all my clients struggle with the most.

Here we have this fabulous technology at our fingertips that has been built solely to get you talking, but we hide behind our iMacs day in and day out and avoid connection.

Want to sell your stuff? Go out and make friends. Make conversations, be genuinely interested and helpful. Be present and visible and offer your services in bite sized chunks everywhere it can benefit someone. For free. Eventually you’ll have a bunch of friends and raving fans who will enthusiastically refer and support you, because they also want their friends to get the best help they can.

It’s easy, cheap and will fix your sales problems faster than any other tactic I know.

Tell me in the comments…

How many friends did you make this week?