When trying to sell, we often need to leverage something to help us out. A lot of the time, customers do not come running over to our product eager to buy. We often have to put in the hard work to make them aware of the product we have for them.

In an age where social media is booming, now more than ever, we can get in the face of our customers. However, it is becoming increasingly hard to stand out from all the noise.

In most cases, it appears that the best is always using the same strategies. They all say the same things and are on the same platforms. For those just starting, this can be misleading. And they often try to model their selling strategy after more established entrepreneurs.

In this short article, I will highlight some of the common things entrepreneurs try to leverage that could be hurting their product. Of course, context matters, but for the most part, your customers do not want to hear you leveraging on these things to sell to them.

After a year of trying to sell my articles to my readers, here are a few strategies I have learned to avoid. I am sure they work for some, but there are better ways to persuade customers to buy your product. So, here are the three things you should stop doing if you want more customers.

1. Selling Your Expertise

Now I know what you are going to say. Yes, it goes against all common sense, but hear me out. People indeed trust those who are more competent than they are. So yes, having a level of expertise in your field will help attract some listening hears. However, we do not want people to listen. We want people to act.

Your expertise is important, but we can often blur the lines between competence and quality. There is a positive correlation between the two, but it is not always true that higher expertise produces better products.

Unfortunately, in a world with loads of information, your expertise is not as valuable as it used to be. In the world of work, they are still essential. But when it comes to selling, not so much. Your customers are now only a google search away to see if what you are selling is good for them or not.

Your customers will not buy your product just because you are an expert in the field. However, we see a lot of entrepreneurs trying to use this as leverage to sell to others. They will say things like:

“I have 20 years experience.”
“I am a Product Manager at my company.”

These are all great achievements, but your customer will buy from you when they are convinced of your product, not your expertise. So, take the focus off of yourself and put it on your product. Instead, attract your customer by letting them know what others think about your product.

2. Selling Your Process

In some cases, I think this can be beneficial. One example of this is telling your customer that you produce your product in a certain way to reduce carbon emissions. The information may not cause your customer to buy, but it does make them feel good about buying if they do.

However, in most cases, selling your process is not going to help your customers make their decision. I have seen a tonne of adverts by entrepreneurs letting their customers know their process.

They explain why their process of getting them what they want is successful. The whole advert is them going into the intricate method that took “20 years” to develop. Your customers are not stupid, they know your process is not original, and it probably did not take that long either.

Your customers will be willing to listen to your process, but they are not interested so much in the “how”. Your customers are more interested in the“why”. When you are selling to someone, the first question is WHY they should buy your product. So, responding to the answer with HOW does not help.

Instead of selling your process, start with why you do what you do. Then you can lead with why your process is efficient and meets the purpose you are trying to achieve.

3. Selling Your Competitors Failings

Finally, please do not sell your competitors failings. So many times, I see entrepreneurs letting their customers know what their competitors do not do. They tell their customers they are better for several reasons. They even let them know some of the problems they have heard from other people in their space.

Yes, bad-mouthing your competitors will always feel great. It even feels better when you know you are better than they are. However, it does nothing for your customer, and it only reflects badly on your character.

No one likes someone who puts another person down to lift themselves up. A lot of the time, people that do this are of low value. They do not have anything good for themselves, so they spend most of their time pointing out the bad in others.

When trying to sell to someone, you do not want to start negatively. If your customer is seeing your advert, it is more than likely because it applies to them. The last thing you want to do is make your selling about someone else.

So, focus the energy on yourself and ensure it is positive energy. It is better to speak positively about your product than spread negativity to others. After all, if your competitor is that bad, they are not worth mentioning as a competitor.