Influencer or Sales Person?

    To quickly answer the question, let's start with the definition of each.

     

      I actually have several question to ask on this subject, especially because of the bad reputation that follows "sales persons".  Sales persons have been selling all kinds of different things for years now, we have been taught to dislike and not trust them, especially when it comes to buying a car.  Just incase it has been a while since you have bought a car, there is a long list of things that people buy where they have encountered a sales person who works on commission and people have been taught not to trust:  Furniture, Jewlery, Electronics, Clothing, Vacuums, Insurance, Cell Phones, Portable Buildings, to just name a few.  Incase you weren't aware of this, even if a sales person isn't working on commission, companies offer "spiffs" and "bounuses" if they sell a certain amount of their product and the more they sell the more they get.  These very same companies will educate the sales person on the product and teach them how to sell it to you. 

      Here is the biggest problem with this stigma that follows sales people, have you ever asked yourself this- Would I have a job if it wasn't for a sales person? I am going to tell you no you wouldn't.  If it wasn't for a sales person doing there job we wouldn't have factories, stores, resturants, or any other items that we purchase. It doesn't matter what brand you buy, somewhere there is a sales person doing everything they can to grow that brand. The funnies things is this, the sales person isn't even the millionaire who created the products or services, but they are the one we have been taught to get mad at over the price of the products we buy. And instead of being grateful to the a sales person, we admire and worship the millionaire who is the one setting the price. 

    Just to let you know, the millionaire was a sales person first and still is. The person who created the product had to pound the pavement to sell their products or services, before they could afford to hire a sales department.

     Now that job has become easier with the growth of social media, but let's be honest, would you trust a "Social Media Sales Person"? Social Media Influencer definately has a better sound to it, right? POOF! Just like that! The stigma that follows sales people is gone! Who would have thought all that needed to happen was a name change. However, just because the name changed the techniques didn't change, just the tools that are used have changed. 

    But wait a minute, in this day of social medium how do you quickly get people to like you and trust you? I am not going to go into depth explaining the techniques, you will need to research them on your own, but I will explain their purpose.

    Charity marketing, lands at the top of the list. Charity marketing is the fastest way to gain the trust of consumers because it hits people in their deepest emotions. If the influencer supports the same charity, causes or awareness programs you do, it almost automatically cause you to believe that the influencer cares about you. After all these are your passions and things that you care about and feel deeply about, right? How well does this work? Just ask yourself. How much more money do you spend with a company if you feel like your money is also going to a good cause? The bonus part to this for the influencer is, you get your friends involved! Now you are encouraging your friends to follow them on social media. You have willing helped that influencer gain more followers.  You do relalize that there are statics out there to tell people the biggest charity causes out there. So, does the influencer have a heart or just the ablity to do "target marketing"? 

    In this day and age, the new form of reality TV is the Facebook live.  For years people have been glued to reality TV. Facebook live took this love naturally to the next level. We already loved being invited into people's homes and lives, even though we knew it was edited for tv. Facebook live removed the edited for tv factor because what we are seeing is live, happening right now!  So now the people watching have more confidence that they are actually getting a REAL person and not a paid actor.  Wait! What? We now believe that absolutely nothing we see on a Facebook live is rehearsed or prepared?   Ever been to a theater or Broadway show? It really doesn't get much more "live" than that, does it? Funny thing is, it is still rehearsed.  But, at least we buy the ticket knowing that. Now that I have you thinking about what you are seeing, let me tell you how this works well for the influencer. You feel as though you are getting to know an actual real person. The more that you get to know the person, the bond grows stronger with the influencer. Especially the more you believe the things you have in common with them. It gives you the feeling that the influencer actually understands what it is like to walk in your shoes. That is a very deep emotion, isn't it?