How to get the first customer without paying advertising costs?

 

Let’s face it: nobody likes spammy sales calls. Spam is the enemy of consumer and advertiser relationships. And guess what? Spam is not necessarily banned by law. In fact, spamming has grown stronger and smarter in the past years, thanks to tools like email support and autoresponders.

 

So, how do you make a sales call without spamming? How can you reach customers directly without spamming the bejeezus out of them?

 

Without spamming?

 

Related: 5 Distraction-Free Websites to Watch

 

1. Focus your brand marketing efforts on creating content that people actually want to read.

 

Trust me, we’ve all seen the “inviting” email that doesn’t go away, nor do they unsubscribe to your list. So whether you’re offering a 1-on-1 mentoring service or your enterprise software package, your best bet is to create a product that’s useful, not useless.

 

For instance, if your product is meant to help a developer do more with his code, create an infographic explaining the ins and outs of a particular piece of code most shortly and simply possible.

 

When it comes to marketing, it’s better to be liked than to be loved. Don’t offer someone what they can find on the Internet. Instead, offer them what they’ve never seen before.

 

For instance, rather than a “brag sheet,” you can give them a list of developers who did a great job.

 

2. Create low-tech giveaways.

 

Before sending your “invite-only” sales message, create a contest that promotes your product. Give your customers a chance to win something free and surprise them. If you’re good at it, you can create a contest that lasts several weeks, even months.

 

Entries in giveaways are low-tech giveaways. You can easily set up an online form with some time-limited sweepstakes, which you can then reward with your invitations. If you’re lucky enough to get many entries, you can use the entries in a random drawing to choose one lucky winner.

 

3. Create social giveaways.

 

Instead of giving out thousands of copies of your sales letter, you can give away special “Social Fire Deals” on Facebook and Twitter. It’s a free way to promote your product, yet it’s a lot of fun as well.

 

Social coupons work well because they’re designed for an audience willing to purchase a product and get it for free. You can give away codes for a free product that’s available on a special page on your website. You can offer them a chance to get a new product with a coupon that’s available online. You can even offer a special edition of your product, as you’ll have the latest and greatest inside.

 

4. Be a lot more personal.

 

Start the interaction with the customer right away. Here’s a conversation starter that’ll turn any conversation into a profitable one: “Hi, I just got your email and wanted to let you know that I’m looking at signing up for your consulting service and can use all your help and support. I have a couple of questions. How can we start?”

 

There’s no way that a casual conversation can get boring. In fact, a customer is more likely to buy when a salesperson shows interest. That’s why you need to be careful not to oversell your product.

 

Related: 5 Ways to Succeed on Sales Without Selling

 

5. Use a lot of text.

 

You should be writing a lot of text, not just one line. How many people do you know that type on a computer?

 

In one of my early blog posts, I mentioned that 90 percent prefer reading a one-sentence email message over a multi-paragraph one. Unfortunately, if you’re a start-up, you might find it difficult to afford a professional copywriter. So, I’d suggest getting to know the back of your computer screen or the back of your cell phone.