Days ago, I watched this experienced marketer promote her selling course on YouTube.

She claims that most people fail at selling because they act like information counters instead of experts in their field.

And when that happens, they fail to earn the trust of their prospective customers and therefore lower their chances of making a sale with them.

Her solution is to model experts such as medical doctors who do not suggest or inform but rather state and direct when delivering medical diagnoses.

I think that this advice can be rather dangerous for an amateur sales person to emulate. I do not agree with her sales approach.

A medical doctor states and directs based on evidence and facts and years of experience in their field. They are also under a Hippocratic oath which is a solemn promise that they make to DO NO HARM to their patients.

In the many sales transactions, lack of transparency and ethics, have made many a buyer wary of glib salesmen and women.

Trust needs to be earned in a progressive and evidence-based way. Furthermore, permission should be granted and not assumed.

I quote Wonder Marketer, Seth Godin:

Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them.

It recognizes the new power of the best consumers to ignore marketing. It realizes that treating people with respect is the best way to earn their attention.

You can read more from his blog post here.

Featured Image Source Credit: Seth Godin’s Blog

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You can read more posts on relating to people here.