Do you sell or do you entice?

Slimy-feeling marketers push a prospect’s “fear” buttons in attempt to “sell” her.

Effective, admirable marketers persuade, educate, and demonstrate their problem-solving skills as a way to facilitate her purchase.

There’s a big honkin’ difference.

There’s no question that a purchaser buys a product or service to achieve a desirable outcome or avoid an undesirable one. But that doesn’t mean you have to beat them over the head with how screwed up they are in order to make the sale.

Instead, build up your good-karma bank account by acknowledging their fear of bad results, then showing how your offering can get them the dazzling results they do want.

People may be motivated to change because of fear, but they’re inspired to change because they can imagine a better situation than the one they’re in.

So put on your painter’s pants, add your marketing super-hero cape, and craft a marketing message that paints a gorgeous future for your ideal prospects. Remember to make it clear exactly how you can put them in the middle of that scene.

If you feel your marketing has gotten a bit stale over time, give it a boost with Market Like You Mean It: How to Develop a Slime-Free Marketing Mindset and Feel Good About Promoting Yourself. I made sure this short read is packed with tools that will infuse new ideas and new energy into you and your marketing. Enjoy!

(BTW, thanks to Beshef for posting the tempting apple image in the Creative Commons section of Flickr.)

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