How You Sell, Instead of What You Sell

Alejandra | July 12, 2021

Do you remember that iconic scene from the film, “The Wolf of Wall Street”?

That part when Jordan Belfort brings out a pen and asks his friends to sell it. We’re certain that you first thought it was just a simple pen and nothing special. So what’s the point? 

In marketing today, you can sell anything.

It doesn’t matter what it is or how awesome it is, it’s all about how you market it to your audience. There are so many ways to get the attention of your audience on a large scale online and offline.

So think about it, a pen is one of the most simple things out there, but sell it the right way and people could be raving for pens. This is where we move on to the two very closely related, but highly different, terms: Content and Marketing.

You might think otherwise, but we’ll say this now:

content isn’t king, marketing is – plus what more during this age of digital marketing!

Source: https://blog.mailrelay.com/en/2018/10/23/10-common-marketing-challenges-or-problems-that-most-businesses-will-face

So let’s understand why. To give you more of a visual, let’s first put it in the context of the scene in the film about selling a pen.

*Warning: spoiler alert for those who still haven’t seen the movie (but let’s be real, if you haven’t, stop reading this first and watch it right now)*

Content: “This Pen Is Great”

Of course, you want to make your pen stand out and you want none of your competitors to have the same characteristics of your pen. If you’d notice at the end of the movie, Jordan Belfort tells the audience, “Sell me this pen.” 

So, what do they do? They do exactly as you’d expect.

They start stating the basic features of the pen. Basically, bragging about the pen they have no idea about. From here, you can already see their mindset. All they want is to get the pen out of their hands and sell it to as many people as possible. 

However, this is a grave mistake. 

All they’re focusing on is the content and their “script” on what to say to the customer. Truthfully, you can say all you want, but how sure are you that your audience is listening?

Marketing: “What Are You Looking for in a Pen?”

Marketing is the necessary asset your organization needs in order to attract, educate, convince, and retain a potential customer. 

Notice the title of this section? It takes on a whole new meaning on how to sell a pen.

This is because we’re making the customer create the content for us. Take note of that.

Source: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/interview-answers-for-sell-me-this-apple-2060976

From here, we would know exactly how to market it to them – enough to make them realize and understand that we are truly listening. Marketing in this day and age tells us that we need to find that grasp in order to get a good hold of our leads. We have to attract them and then eventually retain them.

We do this by putting customers first and understanding what exactly it is that they want.   

Can you see the picture now? Let’s sum it up. 

Content, The Prince & Marketing, The King

Content and marketing are both equally as important. Remember when I mentioned digital marketing? That’s actually the sole reason why marketing is at its prime. 

The fact you have to keep in mind is: how you sell is more important than what you sell.

Content focuses on the latter, and you still shouldn’t miss out on this because it gives you that foundation to build your marketing strategy. 

Through Content, your business will: 

1. Tell the audience what you’re all about.
2. Get promoted on various online channels.
3. Showcase your products and services in a pleasing way. 
   
   

But keep in mind, content is everywhere. 

What you’ll do next in order to make your content seem unique is by marketing it effectively.

Today, it’s digital marketing that leads all the aspects of your business together in these ways: 

1. Attraction through a solid brand and reputation.
2. An intimate connection between you and your market.
3. How your brand stands out from your competitors.
   
   

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/354378

As digital marketing reigns supreme, it gives companies a whole new view of selling their products or services today. Technology and applications are already giving you a step forward for your business to attract the market. You just have to use these advancements to build networks and sell your business at the right moment. 

Need a booster? Check out our full-blown marketing package and become the true king of marketing!

We’ll leave you with this, when thinking of a marketing strategy for your business, remember the trick in selling a pen. However, picture it like you’re selling it online. Analyze it, lay out your plans, and trust me, from there you’ll see how much you should use digital marketing to the fullest potential. 

Need help with your marketing strategy? Let’s talk about it.