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Friday, February 7, 2025
Sales Mastery

THE POWER OF BEING “TRANSFORMATIONAL” WHEN YOU SELL TO ANYBODY (VS BEING “TRANSACTIONAL”)

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Today, we’re talking about language. More specifically, the words we, the average entrepreneur, uses when we try to sell something. Let’s take a person, call him “Eric”, who has entered the world of online marketing!

You see, Eric is a personal fitness trainer.

And well, he’s started a Facebook page for his business. He posts an advert, with a budget of R120 per day, aimed at 20–30-year-olds in his area, that reads:

“WEEKLY FITNESS TRAINING

  • Weight Loss
  • Muscle Building
  • Functional Training

Only R1250.00 per 4-week plan”

Accurate pricing aside. This is pretty much what Eric does! This is what you get! But this is also very transactional. It only says what you’ll be getting for the price you’ll be paying. This is very much the same language we’d use if we wanted to sell commodities, like cattle or wheat. And by using this language, you will be treated like a commodity. Comparable by price, not experience.

It leaves wasted money on the table – especially when what Eric is actually offering is highly transformative in nature. He’s under-selling himself by being transactional, yet this is how 90% of people sell online. An example, you’ve probably seen before

“WE ARE GIVING AWAY MASSIVE SALES
Get 50% off all laptops, cellphones and music equipment,
Lasts till end of August.
Get yours today!”

This is a highly addictive strategy. Addictive for the consumer (great pricing!) and addictive for the business (whoa! More sales!) ¹ But it doesn’t inspire loyalty, or even the customer’s ability to remember your name. So, what does transformative language sound like? See, there is a better way Eric could have used to inspire you to invest in his services…

He could have started with the people he intends to help: “Ambitious 20-30-year-olds working hard at their careers, but also desire to take responsibility for their health.”

Eric could have said this:
“WANT HELP BEING FITTER? IN NEED OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO IMPROVE THEIR WELLBEING
Hi, I’m Eric (personal trainer) and I believe in helping working people take control of their lives by taking control of their health.

You and I work together every week with proven fitness techniques aimed to help you be:

  • Fitter every day,
  • Healthier in your choices,
  • More motivated when you wake up,
  • Better equipped to handle challenges

Help me help you get fitter and stronger.” You see in this ad, you could tap into what Eric believes, and see if that reflects in what you believe… You could stretch out into the future and possibly envision yourself in a different spot, a better position. And that is transformative selling.

Footnotes:

Simon Sinek digs deeper into the “addictive” nature of transactional selling in his book “Start With Why.” Highly worth reading if you want to dig into Belief-Based Business.