Comments on: To sell with your blog, be like the Sun http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/ Advice, coaching and FREE email course to show you how to use your Business Blog to develop your reputation online and market your business Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:50:41 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Utility Warehouse Distributor http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-397205 Utility Warehouse Distributor Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:41:20 +0000 http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/#comment-397205 Great article mark. Blog selling is softly, softly and like all good selling is relationship based. Great article mark.

Blog selling is softly, softly and like all good selling is relationship based.

]]> By: Mark White, Blog Consultant http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-71426 Mark White, Blog Consultant Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:08:21 +0000 http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/#comment-71426 Thanks guys - that's very kind of you and I hope that I can continue to live up to your comments! Also do let me know what you would like to see done better and what you would like to see more of on BBB. Any and all feedback is much appreciated! Thanks guys – that’s very kind of you and I hope that I can continue to live up to your comments! Also do let me know what you would like to see done better and what you would like to see more of on BBB. Any and all feedback is much appreciated!

]]> By: Mark McGuinness http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-70304 Mark McGuinness Fri, 19 Oct 2007 15:19:45 +0000 http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/#comment-70304 Mark - yes, I suspected the word was from the original text, and the spirit of your post (like all of yours) was much closer to giving. Ian - yes I agree Mark's blog is very giving and an excellent resource, which is why I'm still reading it after unsubscribing to lots of other blogs about blogging. More of the same please, Mark! Mark – yes, I suspected the word was from the original text, and the spirit of your post (like all of yours) was much closer to giving.

Ian – yes I agree Mark’s blog is very giving and an excellent resource, which is why I’m still reading it after unsubscribing to lots of other blogs about blogging.

More of the same please, Mark!

]]> By: Ian Denny http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-69844 Ian Denny Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:03:35 +0000 http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/#comment-69844 It's an interesting debate. I suspect I fall on the side of gentle persuasion. I found Mark's blog and it is very giving. It teaches you an awful lot about the mechanics, ethics and etiquette of blogging, and how I suppose in some ways it can defined as a conversation. Taking that further, I think if it starts a conversation with someone who can become a trusted advisor, it can be seen as an indirect selling tool. I was certainly drawn into Mark's blog and eventually bought. Not only was the content of his blog excellent, the advice and considered debate on blog topics - a little like this one - gave me certainty that Mark was an excellent choice. So it is an approach that works from the perspective. And I imagine that there are two sides to a sales situation - the potential buyer who hates being sold to, and the seller who may not like to aggressively sell. A blog is a far more pleasant forum through which someone can make a considered buying decision. During the process, the prospective buyer can remain passive and absorb the material. So if that material is "giving" and demonstrates capability, it can then lead to a conversation either through commenting on an item, or contacting the blog author directly. Either way, that conversation adds positively to the mix from the buyer. They can see reactions to the material from others. They can judge how the blog author answers those questions. In all, I believe it can be a sales tool. Equally though, it can be a cost-effective medium to maintain a conversation and engender loyalty into an existent client-base. It’s an interesting debate. I suspect I fall on the side of gentle persuasion.

I found Mark’s blog and it is very giving. It teaches you an awful lot about the mechanics, ethics and etiquette of blogging, and how I suppose in some ways it can defined as a conversation.

Taking that further, I think if it starts a conversation with someone who can become a trusted advisor, it can be seen as an indirect selling tool.

I was certainly drawn into Mark’s blog and eventually bought.

Not only was the content of his blog excellent, the advice and considered debate on blog topics – a little like this one – gave me certainty that Mark was an excellent choice.

So it is an approach that works from the perspective.

And I imagine that there are two sides to a sales situation – the potential buyer who hates being sold to, and the seller who may not like to aggressively sell.

A blog is a far more pleasant forum through which someone can make a considered buying decision. During the process, the prospective buyer can remain passive and absorb the material.

So if that material is “giving” and demonstrates capability, it can then lead to a conversation either through commenting on an item, or contacting the blog author directly.

Either way, that conversation adds positively to the mix from the buyer. They can see reactions to the material from others. They can judge how the blog author answers those questions.

In all, I believe it can be a sales tool.

Equally though, it can be a cost-effective medium to maintain a conversation and engender loyalty into an existent client-base.

]]> By: Mark White, Blog Consultant http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-69833 Mark White, Blog Consultant Thu, 18 Oct 2007 08:17:15 +0000 http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/#comment-69833 And if you've got a bee in there, Mark, you've got to get it out! And quite rightly so! :) As you've probably guessed, the word "Persuasion" came from the original text and I like your substitution of the word "giving", particularly in the context of the blog. Thanks for the addition! And if you’ve got a bee in there, Mark, you’ve got to get it out! And quite rightly so! :)

As you’ve probably guessed, the word “Persuasion” came from the original text and I like your substitution of the word “giving”, particularly in the context of the blog. Thanks for the addition!

]]> By: Mark McGuinness http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-69814 Mark McGuinness Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:36:25 +0000 http://www.betterbusinessblogging.com/marketing-with-blogs/to-sell-on-your-blog-be-like-the-sun/#comment-69814 Excellent analogy Mark. However I'm going to go out on a limb and dispute Aesop's moral - I don't think it was persuasion that got the man to take of his clothes, and I don't think persuasion is the reason business blogs work. For me, the moral would be 'Giving is more successful than force'. The Sun didn't use a rational argument to 'persuade' the traveller - he GAVE him so much heat that the man had no more need of his clothes. Similarly, successful business blogs give so much useful information and advice, that customers are inclined to turn to them for more. I realise this is pretty well your interpretation of the fable too, I just got a bee in my bonnet about the 'persuasion' word. Excellent analogy Mark. However I’m going to go out on a limb and dispute Aesop’s moral – I don’t think it was persuasion that got the man to take of his clothes, and I don’t think persuasion is the reason business blogs work. For me, the moral would be ‘Giving is more successful than force’.

The Sun didn’t use a rational argument to ‘persuade’ the traveller – he GAVE him so much heat that the man had no more need of his clothes. Similarly, successful business blogs give so much useful information and advice, that customers are inclined to turn to them for more.

I realise this is pretty well your interpretation of the fable too, I just got a bee in my bonnet about the ‘persuasion’ word.

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