Cindy Szponder’s Tips

Principle 12: Creating the demand converts selling to buying.

“People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy.”—Jeffrey Gitomer

These principles are getting a little harder to relate back to blogging–at least in terms of what Jeffrey is recommending the salesman to do. He’s pushing calling and creating demand. Can you actually do that? Can you create demand? I don’t think so. I think you’d create turned off readers if you tried to direct sell them. Provide useful pertinent information, however–now you’re talking.

In blogging terms, I believe that you have to identify the needs and wants of your blog readers and address your posts to those needs/wants. When you do, you begin a conversation, you provide solutions, you invite trust. Now instead of selling you’re assisting–and your readers are more willing to buy since there is no hard sell involved.

If you’re trying to make a profit with your blog, you hopefully researched your topic/niche before you began blogging. If not, maybe it’s time to refocus. Identify what your target market is searching for, what problems they want to solve, what information they’re having trouble locating. Match your posts to those needs and you’ll gain traffic and more ability to monetize that traffic. Develop your own product to fit with those needs, and you’ll be on your way to building a profitable blog.