I’ve written several articles in the past about the powerful sales boosting advantage of building a client and prospects/potential buyers contacts database/mailing list. You can over time grow and nurture, then ultimately MINE it for “gold” i.e form or money from sales you make to buyers on it!
This is what I do, and I do it at low to zero cost because I make smart use of PC and Internet Technology, while selling mainly digital products and services delivered by the web.
The true story you are about to read, illustrates one of many ways in which I do what I do, to make money even on public holidays or weekends – sometimes while lying down or playing with my kids 
The ideas I offer here can be successfully adapted for use by any interested persons, using a little creativity regardless of your field of interest or specialization.
SMS Conversation Starts…
Me: Tomorrow’s Sunday…and I’m in the spirit
Get a FREE copy of my Excel-VB Church Records Manager (N50k value). See your email! [NB: Offer Expires @ Noon]
Client: Did you say freeeeeeeeee?
Me: Go read your email first – 12 noon no far O. Ahem: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me..” Take action while it lasts O loool!
Client: Lol! Óyá! Take am sharply sharply. His-emall-address@gmail.com
NB: I found it intriguing that he actually thought he needed to supply me his email address, since I had always had it from the very first time he called months ago. Indeed I have email and phone lists for clients and prospects that I regularly send offers to!
So I sent him this teasing reply:
Me: See you dis man. Me I don send you email since b4 I send my SMS lool
Client: You are blessed by the Most High.
Me: Pastor (name-removed) lool!
By way of interest, here’s the email offer I sent him, in which I wrapped a FULL PRICED offer of my new audio podcast product (on Biafran Alternative Feed Formulation Ideas) around the FREE gift of my Church Records Manager app built 9 years ago:
*********************Email Starts******************
Get a FREE personalised copy of my Excel-VB driven Church Records Manager (N50k value)Tomorrow’s Sunday…and I’m in the spirit
Get a FREE personalised copy of my Excel-VB driven Church Records Manager (N50k value) when you buy my new Audio Podcast titled “Amazing Story: How Biafran Scientists Innovated Low Cost Animal Feed (During the Civil War) Using Zero Cost Local Ingredients”. See http://tinyurl.com/biafratest |
Price = N2.5k
Pay to bank or like some buyers do, send airtime to a mobile number I send to you.
Reply YES to claim it.
NB: Offer expires 12 noon today, 17th Sept 2016.
Enjoy your weekend!
Tayo K. Solagbade www.tayosolagbade.com
*********************Ends******************
Profiling your clients will make it easy for you to up-sell to them later on, and make more money!
When a prospect contacts me online about products or services I offer, I ALWAYS ask him/her to CALL me on my mobile number, so I can ask 3 important questions that will guide me in:
A. Establishing that s/he is a serious inquirer
B. Responding later via email to his/her inquiry.
Anyone that refuses to call gets ignored. All my international buyers from across Africa, Canada, UK, UAE etc went through this process before they could buy from me, and I’ve found that it inspires mutual trust and respect.
So I knew from profiling the above mentioned client 5 months ago, when he called about and eventually bought my$375 USD priced Excel-VB Poultry Farm Manager app, that he worked as a Church “leader” in his spare time.
He was not the only one. I knew others on my mailing list, and had broadcast the offer to all of them.
But he had responded first and that was not surprising since he’d recently contacted me via Whatsapp after reading my article about the app.
Here’s what he said back then on Whatsap
Client: Hello Tayo!
Happy new year. ☺
…been quite busy with work.
I saw your mail w.r.t. Excel-VB driven Church Records Manager. I love its simplicity!Well done [Sep 1 @ 10.41a.m]
Me: Thanks. That app was built > 8 years ago loool!
Client: …the video and download links aren’t active. Any clue?
NB: I respond by send an audio message saying the app is FREE for any persons who pay to join my Excel-VB club.
I add that there is no video and only the screenshots he’d seen were available.
I then type the following closing message:
Me: By the way, if you’re not interested in joining the XLVB club, you can still get the app via your membership of my Farm Biz Ideas club which gives you 40% lifetime discount on ALL products/services I offer. That means you instead of N50k, you get to pay N30k. As a gesture of goodwill, I’ll offer you N15k if you pay on or before 5p.m today. Call it my Solar Eclipse promo loool
I got no response from him and so moved on. But I make a mental note to “work” that angle by thinking up a new offer
That new offer is the one he’s responded to today – hopefully, he’ll not balk at buying the N2.5k audio podcast product, to get the FREE N50k app…lol!
Whatever happens, I’m sure you get the idea.
THIS is an example of how I sell – and I learned to think about making money this way 24/7 by studying ideas advocated by geniuses like Robert Kiyosaki.
The most important lesson I learned from is how to print my own money by creating Cashflow Generating Assets – in my case, with a focus on digital delivery platforms.
Several of my past articles on this blog (like this one) offer ideas you can use to do that.
I create and sell information products in book form, as videos, or in audio form directly downloadable or delivered offline via courier on my branded DVDs etc.
With regard to custom Excel-VB solutions, I have a growing range of popular apps bought by business – especially farm operations.
But I also have many more apps I built for all sorts of clients from my decade long pavement pounding past that are just lying idle on my disks.
This is because I’ve narrowed my focus to serve what I’ve identified to be my most lucrative niche market.
But rather let them go to waste, I constantly review potential opportunities to sell such otherwise obsolete apps, or to bundle them with other in demand products/services as deal-sweeteners.
I share this story to illustrate the power of building relationships to facilitate selling to total strangers, regardless of geographical distance.
It is only when you profile a potential buyer that you will more accurately understand their felt needs, interests and preferences.
This is what I’ve done for years, selling to buyers in and out of Africa in a manner that’s helped me build valuable high quality lasting friendships with clients I’ve yet to meet in the flesh.
It goes without saying, as can be seen from the conversations shown above, that selling this way can be a lot of fun. You should be able to enjoy yourself in doing a business you love and making money in the process.
Adopting the ideas I’ve share here can help you do just that.
Send me a message if you need help.