Selling on the Internet used to be easy. Well, easier.
Back then, consumers weren’t inundated with unlimited options. All entrepreneurs had to do was put an offer in front of as many strangers as possible – and the sales would follow. Scream “Buy Now” at enough people, and your product will fly off the shelves!
Well, things have changed. These days, buyers are spoiled for choice. They are also savvier, more sophisticated – or more jaded, depending on how cynical you want to be.
Customers don’t care about you or your product. Not from the outset, at least. The “Buy Now” mentality doesn’t work anymore. Well, it never worked in the long run… but now it fails even in the short term.
If your business relies on online sales – as more and more do – it’s time to forget about making a quick buck, play the long game, and come back to basics.
In the face of literally hundreds, if not thousands, of sales channels, tactics, and software, it’s the only approach that makes any sense… and has any hope of producing the results you need.
That’s why, for today’s episode of our Get Genius podcast, we are sitting down with a veteran of digital sales. Someone who’s been selling products and services online back when people were still unsure if this whole Internet thing was going to catch on!
Dear listener, meet our guest this week – Heather Ann Havenwood!
Named by Huffington Post as one of the “Top 50-Must Follow Women Entrepreneurs,” Heather is a Entrepreneur.com contributor and a world-renowned authority on digital marketing strategies and online business sales systems.
She built and marketed her first online business in 1999, when home computers were still a rarity, and has played an active role in the digital marketing world ever since.
With stunning results, we might add! Just to name a few:
In 2006, Heather started, developed, and grew an online publishing company from zero to $1 million in sales in less than 12 months.
In 2015, she did it again, building a local weight loss and online supplement business from zero to $1.5 Million in sales in less than 18 months.
Heather is now an entrepreneur mentor, marketing coach and sales systems strategist.
She is currently focused her work on working with solo-entrepreneurs, small businesses, sales professionals on how to leverage cutting-edge online technologies such as chatbots, online social behaviors analysis, podcast profiting and measurement marketing (reading the data to make best marketing decisions for all CMO’s and CEO’s).
In this interview, Heather and Summer will talk about everything that will help you sell more products and services: hiring a sales team (the right way), connecting deeply with your buyers, ditching the “buy now” mentality for a more effective – and ethical – approach, and more!
Without further ado, please tune in and enjoy today’s episode!
Click here for the full transcription
Here’s what you will learn:
[00:15] Introducing Heather
[04:21] How Heather started her business and became an entrepreneur
[10:15] Reaching the top… only to get kicked off
[11:15] How to approach sales the smart way – and hire the right salesperson
[15:26] Why it’s smart to have a diverse sales team
[17:16] Dealing with different personalities and knowing when to close
[20:44] The difference between a “setter” and a “closer”
[21:35] Finding the right personalities for sales
[25:54] The importance of one-to-one and “belly-to-belly” communication
[29:56] Selling to an employee vs. selling to a business owner
[33:44] Heather describes her dream client
[35:05] Working with a new client? Pay attention to these things
[36:11] The many avenues of sales, and how to choose the best one for you
[38:34] Heather still works one-on-one with her clients – here’s why
[40:10] Haven Media Network
[41:07] Why it’s time to ditch the “Buy Now” mentality
[42:07] Find Heather online
Resources from Heather: