In Summer, I launched a new product and sales tanked.
It was really bad.
I've not experienced this in the past, so I was confused. And definitely frustrated.
There wasn't much I could do at that moment, so I moved on.
A month later, I found myself in a new situation: one second I was clicking around my email inbox, and the next second I already bought a new course.
I was surprised myself — because I never bought many things impulsively.
Because of my failure earlier, I paid super close attention to this creator's sales techniques.
What did she do to make me take out my credit card within 15 minutes of reading her email? What did she do that I didn't do?
Ahhh ... I found out.
I was too honest.
It was the first time I realized being honest is sort of a bad thing.
I blurred the line between being authentic and being a great marketer.
Then when I was aware of this about myself, I started looking around and saw the same thing happening to people around me (well, because chances are if you are near me, you prioritize authenticity and honesty too).
This is what got me to write today's email to share with you.
What exactly went wrong?
People like you and me who want to do business the right way, we don't use clickbaity words. We try to be clear about everything, even if people aren't asking.
We "think" people appreciate us behaving honestly. We "think" this makes them want to do business with us.
The truth?
Yes and no.
People do appreciate others who are real and honest. They stay loyal to those who are connected through similar experiences — stories you share, mistakes you make, lessons you pick up.
Just like what I'm sharing in this email!
Here's a better way
But when it comes to selling something, you have to put on your marketer hat. You can't just focus on how people feel and connect to you. I mean you can, but you're limiting your business potential.
Your email subject line, your call-to-action button, your promotional strategy — "most of the time", you have to optimize them.
I say "most of the time" because if you over-optimize, then you're just a machine. No one is loyal to a robot (well, yet).
So now I know, you can show your authenticity when you are sharing your stories. Like how you think, acknowledge your weak sides, and openly discuss with people on the Internet.
When you want to make sales happen, put more effort into leading someone to the next action.
Okay this might be a bit vague, so let me give you some real examples from my experiences.
How does that look in real life?
Example 1:
I used to be super honest. I had a promotion for my new product and I wrote "This ends on <date>" which was a month away. People knew they had time so they didn't act quickly.
When I remodeled my premium program Build in Public Mastery into a self-guided version, I didn't specify any date and just said "This offer will end soon" and many people bought it right after they saw the email.
Example 2:
I used to be super honest. I put all my program details in the email because I wanted people to have all they needed to make a decision there.
When I wrote a short email sharing how important it is for all of us to run our personal media as entrepreneurs or even someone with a full-time job. Then I mentioned "I turned this battle-tested program into a self-guided version" and let people discover the actual offer later.
Many people bought the course right away.
I find this fascinating.
As someone who stands for transparency and honesty, I really want to inject as much of it into my business as possible.
Is this me being dishonest?
But now I'm thinking — am I being dishonest by not disclosing every bit of information upfront?
I don't think so. I didn't lie. I didn't give false information.
I realized when you share too much information, you are making it harder for someone to make a decision. Buying and selling are a multi-step process and you only need to give the right amount of info at each step.
So if you feel like you're disclosing too much information and not getting people to take action as much, I hope this helps you!
