Giving Value is Not Enough. You MUST Sell! Here’s why…

Give value…

Deliver value…

How much value do you provide?

Give value first, and the money will follow…

This mantra is seared into our brains, chanted over and over again in our Facebook feeds and email inboxes. It seems as though “giving value”, a somewhat arbitrary concept, is the cornerstone of doing business nowadays, especially online.

And for good reason. With so many unscrupulous individuals, scam artists, and dishonest businesses trolling the web, providing VALUE to your audience before asking for the sale is often a smart business strategy. This approach allows you to build a trusting relationship with your prospect, making for a smoother transition to the sale. Done right, this warms them up and primes them to buy.

But here’s where some entrepreneurs go wrong. They get so caught up in the “value giving phase”, they forget about or neglect the most important part of the process: The SALE!

This leads to a deadly mistake: relying only on the value you provide to sell your product or service.

I hate to break it to you, but when push comes to shove, nobody really cares how much “value” you’re giving them. Sure, they are grateful and appreciative. Many will even tell you so. They will engage with you and be some of your biggest fans. But this alone does NOT guarantee they’ll ever spend a single dollar on your products or services.

Your audience will ONLY buy from you if they believe one of the following to be true:

1. Your product or service will help them obtain something they desperately want.
2.  Your product or service will solve a problem that’s been causing them deep pain or discomfort.

That’s it. It’s that simple. The amount of value you provided, the amount of goodwill you created up to this point means nothing, if you fail to meet one of these two conditions with whatever you’re selling. This is why making an effort to actively SELL your shit is critical to your success.

And honestly, it doesn’t need to be that difficult or complicated. You don’t need to be a master copywriter or marketer to successfully sell your stuff. Start with the simple PAS framework, and you’ll have a solid selling foundation in place every time.

The PAS model is a powerful marketing formula popularized by Dan Kennedy, considered by many to be one of the greatest direct response marketers of our time. If you’re not familiar with the PAS formula, here’s a quick breakdown for you:

P: Identify an intense problem or pain point your prospect is experiencing.

A: Agitate that problem. Twist the knife. Point out in vivid detail how this major problem is wreaking havoc in their lives. (Or how it will blow up if they don’t do something about it)

S: Tell them or show them how you can SOLVE their problem. Offer this solution (your product or service) for sale.

This is a very basic explanation, but the truth is this all you need to get started. If you take the time to flesh out this simple 3 step formula with consistency, you’re almost guaranteed to make some sales. This is assuming of course your offer isn’t complete shit and that you’re targeting the right people with your message.

Just last night, I attended a Facebook live webinar conducted by a pretty well-known influencer in the social media space. The first half of this live session was amazing. He delivered incredible value (yes, I know I said it!), gave simple and actionable tips for getting quick results, and his energy and passion were off the charts. Dude was electric!

It was one of the most interesting and engaging live trainings I’d attended in quite a while. But that quickly changed once he transitioned into his “pitch.” Boom! Instant shift in energy. Maybe it was partly due to nerves, which is totally understandable, especially if this was his first time selling in a live format. Not sure if it was or not. But here’s what struck me as odd:

He seemed to rush through his product pitch. He presented 3 different options at 3 different price points. But he gave very few details about what was included in each option. And guess what? If people are confused or unsure about what exactly you’re offering? They’re not gonna buy.

Not only that, he did not follow the PAS formula I just talked about. Yeah, he kind of identified the problem…but he didn’t agitate it. And he did not clearly and persuasively communicate the specific benefits his customers would receive from his program. He didn’t tell them how his program would solve their most excruciating problem.

When he was making the transition into his pitch, he actually said something to the effect of “If you liked what you learned in this training, I would like to continue working together. I would like this to be the beginning, not the end.”

Again, that’s not an exact quote…I’m paraphrasing. But it’s very close.

Statements like that don’t do anything to help you make the sale. No emotions triggered, no pain points pressed. Now I’lld admit, I have no idea what this guys sales figures were from this live training. But I’m certain based on his change in energy and body language, people just weren’t biting.

I actually felt bad for the guy. While I only know him from his activity on Facebook, he seems very passionate and authentic. And the dude’s constantly dropping mad knawledge bombs everywhere. If he gave his product pitch just a little more TLC…if he followed the simple PAS formula…I’m confident he would have had better results.

I want the same for you.

If you only remember one thing from this post, make sure it’s this:

Value alone is not enough. When the time comes, you must be willing to SELL.

Adam Napolitano